#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI received their first callout of 2016 on Sunday 3 January when a man living aboard a barge was marooned by a strong river current on the River Shannon in Athlone.

The barge is moored below the old railway bridge in Athlone, where rising waters have covered the jetty, leaving the man on board surrounded by water and unable to safely reach the shore except by use of his tender dinghy.

The river was flowing fast at this location and the dinghy broke free. It was later retrieved downstream and tied up at a nearby location. However, the man on the barge was unable to reach it.

Lough Ree's lifeboat was paged at 2:35pm and made its way to the scene. Progress was hampered first at the motorway bridge, where the crew found the clearance greatly reduced, but they succeeded in passing through at low speed.

Progress towards the ‘White Bridge’ was slow because of the amount of debris in the water, and also because navigation markers were difficult to sight, being almost totally submerged.

Manoeuvring through the White Bridge required further care and skill, due to the speed of water flow and the narrowness of the navigable section of the bridge.

Lough Ree RNLI lifeboat helm Stan Bradbury said: "The river is moving very fast in Athlone at the moment, and contains debris of various sizes. Even shallow waters can be very dangerous under these conditions.

"We were glad to be of service in retrieving the tender and further securing the barge to its underwater moorings."

Flooding along the length of the Shannon remains a serious concern since heavy rains from December's winter storms saw the river breach its banks in a number of areas.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI responded to their first callout of 2016 yesterday morning (Saturday 2 January) as they launched to reports of swimmer in difficulty off Rush.

Pagers sounded shortly before 10am after Dublin Coast Guard received reports that a man swimming at the North Beach was having difficulty getting back to shore.

Skerries RNLI volunteers launched the lifeboat with Conor Walsh at the helm and crew Paddy Dillon, Emma Wilson and Steven Johnston.

The Skerries Coast Guard unit and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 were also tasked. At the time there was a moderate sea swell and a Force 4 easterly wind.

While the lifeboat was en route to Rush, a local person launched their sea kayak to provide assistance to the man and managed to help him to the beach.

Skerries Coast Guard assessed the casualty and provided first aid before he was transferred by helicopter to hospital. The lifeboat was stood down and returned to base.

Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press officer Gerry Canning said: "We have had a lot of wind, rain and large seas lately. So we would advise everyone to exercise caution in or around the water.

"Even if you know an area well, the currents are likely to be quite different at the moment."

Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to rescue a horse reported to have fallen into the Nenagh River and carried downstream into the Lough Derg.

At 12.35pm today, January 1, Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard following a report that a horse was seen in the Nenagh River, which is in flood, and was being swept downstream into Lough Derg.

The lifeboat, with helm Eleanor Hooker and crew Ger Egan and Keith Brennan on board, launched at 12.45pm. Winds were south-easterly, Force 2-3, visibility was very good.

After using the lifeboat to encourage the horse to swim towards shore, crewmen Ger Egan and Keith Brennan waded in and holding a tow line between them to discourage the horse from swimming back out into the lake and herded him into the shallows.

On shore a person coaxed the horse from the water with a bucket of oats. The animal had wounds to its chest and knee and Valentia Coast Guard arranged for a vet to go to the location.

With some difficulty, the young horse was enclosed in a field.

The lifeboat returned to Station and was ready for service again at 2.15pm

Deputy Launching Authority, Pat Lynch advises ‘caution close to river banks, particularly while in flood with the increased danger of soft verges’.

Kilrush RNLI Lifeboat crew on the Shannon Estuary launched early this morning in gale force conditions to assist 43ft motor vessel that had fouled its propeller south of Moneypoint.

At 4.59am Shannon Coast Guard tasked Kilrush RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew to assist a motor vessel with 3 people on board that had lost engine power due to its propeller becoming fouled.

Kilrush lifeboat crew reached the scene at 5.20am and assessed the situation. It was apparent that the motor vessel was heavily fouled and in no immediate danger of drifting. Commercial divers were tasked as the sea state improved and managed to clear the propeller. Kilrush RNLI stood by until power was restored to the motor vessel and returned to station at 7.10am.

Commenting on the callout, Charlie Glynn, Kilrush RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘Weather conditions were challenging but our volunteer crews are well prepared for every eventuality. This is a testament to the level of training and commitment from all at Kilrush RNLI.’

The Courtmacsherry RNLI All Weather Lifeboat under Coxswain Sean O'Farrell was called out at 11am this morning to go to the aid of a 46 ft fishing vessel that had got into difficulties 14 miles south of The Old Head Of Kinsale in West Cork. The Lifeboat with a crew of seven launched immediately and in very poor conditions, with a sea swell of over 12 feet, they located the Casuality in rough seas.

Immediately they secured a tow line to the casualty and proceeded to tow the stricken vessel back to Kinsale Harbour.

There were four crew on board the fishing vessel. Condition at sea today were poor with heavy swell, high winds and poor visability.

After more than a four hour tow, both boats have now arrived back to the safe surrounds of Kinsale Harbour arriving at just after 4 pm.

Crew on today's call out were Coxswain Sean O'Farrell, Mechanic Stewart Russell and crew Chris Guy, Conor Dullea, Ciaran Hurley, Ken Cashman and Dave Philips.

Two volunteers representing continuing generations of lifeboat service with the RNLI will lead the annual Christmas Eve ceremony on Dun Laoghaire’s East Pier next week.

Former crew-member and now Deputy Launching Authority Eddie Totterdell and his son Conor who recently joined the station will lay two wreaths at sea in memory of 15 volunteers that died on service on this day 120 years ago, as well as all lives lost around our coasts in 2015.

The crew of the RNLI lifeboat station at Dun Laoghaire hold this annual ceremony as part of a long-standing local tradition and descendants of the 1895 volunteers are especially welcome as well as anyone who wishes to attend including families.

Both RNLI lifeboats stationed at Dun Laoghaire will launch to carry the wreaths to sea. A joint Guard of Honour will be provided by the Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard Unit and Civil Defence.

The short ceremony will take place at mid-day on Christmas Eve at the lighthouse end of Dun Laoghaire's popular East Pier and will include music, an ecumenical blessing, a contemporary newspaper account of the 1895 tragedy and a piped lament.

The ceremony remembers the lives of the 15 volunteer crew that died when their lifeboat capsized in gale force winds while attempting to rescue those on board the SS Palme that had run aground off Blackrock, Co. Dublin. All lives lost at sea in the past year will also be included in the ceremony.

Relatives of the original 1895 lifeboat crew are expected to be amongst those who will walk the pier. Musician William Byrne and journalist Fergal Keane will be joined by Paul McNally of Dublin Fire Brigade as a lone piper on the East Pier lighthouse battery during the short ceremony that has been facilitated by the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. The ecumenical blessing will be followed by the wreath-laying close to the East Pier.

In case of inclement weather, an alternative ceremony will still be held closer to the lifeboat station.

As usual, RNLI volunteer lifeboat crews at 44 stations countrywide will be on call throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

Baltimore RNLI received an an alert from Valentia Coastguard at 09:29 this morning when a young boy in urgent need of medical attention required immediate evacuation from Cape Clear Island.

Coxswain Aidan Bushe along with 5 volunteer crewmen were launched within minutes of the alert. They proceeded in poor weather conditions to the North Harbour of Cape Clear Island against a swell of 3 metres and force 6-7 northwest winds.

When the lifeboat crew arrived at the pier the little boy was unresponsive. He was immediately stretchered aboard the the lifeboat where he was constantly monitored on the journey back to Baltimore. The lifeboat arrived at Baltimore pier at 10:30, from where the boy was transferred to Skibbereen for medical attention.

The evacuation was successfully completed in one hour, a remarkable achievement given that current weather conditions have meant frequent cancellation of local ferries.

On board were ; Coxswain Aidan Bushe, Mechanic Cathal Cottrell, crew Sean McCarthy, Jerry Smith, Ronnie Carty and Don O'Donovan

#RNLI - Kilkeel RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew have been recognised for their professionalism by a nearby business.

Mark Forkin of NuTech Renewables in Warrenpoint visited Kilkeel Lifeboat Station on Tuesday (1 December) to present a boat maintenance hamper to the crew in recognition of their positive and selfless attitude, their willingness to drop everything at a moment's notice to help other people, and their strong commitment to training and achievements in continuous improvement.

Forkin said that he and the rest of his team watched a yacht rescue in Carlingford Lough and all were impressed by the excellent teamwork and professionalism displayed.

#RNLI - Clifden RNLI's all-weather lifeboat Pride and Spirit was launched shortly after 4pm on Tuesday (24 November) to undertake an urgent medical evacuation from the island of Inishturk North.

This was the second such callout in a fortnight, after a medevac from Inishbofin on 15 November, with severe weather conditions once again facing the volunteer crew, who have had a busy year to date trialling the Mersey-class lifeboat.

With winds blowing north-west Force 7 to 8 and a swell warning issued by Met Éireann, a round trip of almost 50 nautical miles was required to bring the casualty to shore for urgent medical attention.

"The swell was over five metres at times and it took us around an hour and 45 minutes to reach the island," said Clifden RNLI coxswain John Mullen, "but thankfully the Pride and Spirit is well equipped for such conditions.

"We brought the casualty into Cleggan Harbour shortly after 7pm and would like to wish her a speedy recovery."

The volunteer lifeboat crew consisting of Owen Hayes (navigator), Robert King (mechanic), David O Reilly, Daniel Whelan and coxswain Mullen returned to Clifden Bay shortly before 9pm.

#RNLI - Christmas came early at Donaghadee Primary School yesterday (Tuesday 24 November) as children enjoyed a reading of an RNLI festive story.

Accompanied by Rookie the RNLI Reindeer and coxswain Philip McNamara, Donaghadee RNLI’s deputy second coxswain John Ashwood read The Big Christmas Rescue to a group of pupils in Primary One.

The kids were able to hear about the station’s all-weather lifeboat and learned about the lifesaving service that the RNLI provides.

The story is set on a wet and windy Christmas Eve night. But when Santa crashes his sleigh in the sea, volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew members go to the rescue.

The Big Christmas Rescue children’s book is also customisable, making it a perfect seasonal gift.

It can be personalised to put young readers at the centre of a magical festive story, and the gift-giver can select the name, gender and skin tone of the child in the story, making it a truly unique present for their own special little person.

"I really enjoyed reading the story to the children," said Ashwood. "They all seemed to enjoy the book and it was great to tell the children about the lifesaving service we provide at the RNLI.

"The Big Christmas Rescue is a really beautiful book and it’s the perfect gift for children this Christmas. I love the way the book can be personalised, putting readers at the heart of the story. Importantly, all profits from sales of the book will help the RNLI continue to save lives at sea."

To order a personalised copy of The Big Christmas Rescue, go to RNLISHOP.org/BigRescue. The last order date for the book to guarantee delivery before Christmas is Sunday 13 December 2015.

All profits from book sales will be used to fund the charity’s lifesaving services, delivered by volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards who between them rescued 10,496 people last year – more than 1,400 across the island of Ireland alone.