RNLI lifesavers from Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour to feature in new series of TV documentary Saving Lives at Sea

The volunteer lifeboat crews of Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour RNLI will be taking to the small screen on Tuesday 12 October as they feature in the eighth episode of the BBC TV series Saving Lives at Sea.

Real-life rescue footage gives a frontline view of how the charity’s lifesavers risk their own lives as they go to the aid of those in danger at sea and strive to save everyone.

Now in its sixth series, the 10-part documentary showcases the lifesaving work of the RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews from around Ireland and the UK. The series is on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 8 pm as well as being available on BBC iPlayer following broadcast.

Real rescue footage is accompanied by emotive interviews from the volunteer lifeboat crews alongside the people they rescue and their families.

This forthcoming episode, on Tuesday 12 October, sees Dunmore East, Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour RNLI, along with Rescue 117, conduct a joint rescue operation off the Wexford coast. As Afloat reported at the time, The Lily B, a 100m general cargo vessel with nine crew onboard and carrying 4,000 tonnes of coal, lost all power two nautical miles from Hook Head last October. Conditions on scene were Force 8 with severe Force 9 gusts and wave heights between eight and 10 metres. The Lily B was drifting and in danger of striking rocks on Hook Head or capsizing in the heavy seas.

The 12-hour service in challenging conditions saw multiple attempts by the lifeboat crews involved to establish a tow between the casualty vessel and the lifeboats. With the crew of the Lily B unable to stay on deck for long in the poor conditions and with language difficulties, two of the lifeboats were eventually successful in passing a rope on deck by using a rocket line and pulling the cargo vessel clear of the rocks. The lifeboat tow was maintained for three hours with waves continually crashing over the decks until the tug vessel Tramontine from Waterford Port arrived on scene and took up the tow. The three lifeboats stayed with the Lily B until they reached the safety of the Waterford Estuary. The rescue operation was finally stood down after 12 hours at sea for the lifeboat crews.

The three lifeboat crews involved are now to receive gallantry awards from the RNLI for their role in the rescue.

Neville Murphy, one of the Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat crew members featured in the forthcoming episode, said: ‘It's great that we can showcase the lifesaving work of RNLI volunteers in a TV programme like this. Without the generous support and donations from the public, we wouldn’t be able to save lives at sea and it’s great to be able to share what we do with our supporters from the comfort of their own home’

During 2020, RNLI lifeboats in Ireland launched 945 times with their volunteer crews coming to the aid of 1,147 people, 13 of whom were lives saved.

A new addition to lifesaving in the South-East of the country, arrived today (Sunday 26 September 2021), when Dunmore East RNLI brought their €2.4 million Shannon class lifeboat to its new home. A six-person lifeboat crew from Dunmore East RNLI travelled to collect the state-of-art lifeboat from the RNLI’s All-Weather Lifeboat Centre in Poole earlier in the week, before making the journey home onboard the new vessel.

A warm welcome awaited the crew as lifeboats from Kilmore Quay and Fethard RNLI formed a guard of honour, alongside the station’s retiring Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald, which has been on service since 1996. Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 117 was also in attendance overhead as was Dunmore East Coast Guard and the local Fire Service.

The new lifeboat is to be named William and Agnes Wray and it’s the first of its class to be based in the south-east. Its arrival was a particularly special day for two of Dunmore East’s lifeboat crew. Coxswain/Mechanic Roy Abrahamsson brought the new Shannon class lifeboat into Dunmore East harbour, just as his late father, Coxswain/Mechanic Walter Abrahamsson, did before him, when he was onboard the Trent class lifeboat which came to Dunmore East in 1996. This is also the third all-weather lifeboat that Brendan Dunne, a volunteer crewmember with the RNLI for 36 years, will have served on. Brendan was lifeboat crew on the Waveney Class St. Patrick and the Trent class Elizabeth and Ronald.

Lifeboats from Kilmore Quay and Fethard RNLI

The arrival of the new lifeboat means a demanding training schedule for the entire station in the weeks ahead. The Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald will remain on call until lifeboat crew are familiar with their new lifeboat, and they officially inform the Coast Guard that the William and Agnes Wray is on service, and that Elizabeth and Ronald has been stood down.

The Shannon class lifeboat is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI’s fleet. The naming of the Shannon class of lifeboat follows a tradition of naming lifeboats after rivers and it's the first time an Irish river has been chosen. It was chosen by the RNLI to reflect the commitment and dedication of Irish lifeboat crew over generations.

Commenting on the arrival, Dunmore East RNLI Coxswain Roy Abrahamsson said, ‘This is a very proud moment for the lifeboat crew, the station’s fundraisers and the community of Dunmore East. While we have huge affection for our current Trent class lifeboat, which has served us so well and brought many people home, we are thrilled to receive a state-of-the-art Shannon class lifeboat, the first of its type to be based in the South-East. It’s a huge investment by the RNLI in lifesaving for this area and will help us to continue to save lives at sea for generations to come.’

Dunmore East RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers were delighted to receive monies raised from the sales of the book charting the history of the Co Waterford lifeboat.

Dauntless Courage: Celebrating the History of the Dunmore East RNLI, Their Crews and the Maritime Heritage of the Local Community was written, published and sold out during lockdown a year ago.

Restrictions and lockdowns made it impossible for author David Carroll to be in Dunmore East while writing his book, But thankfully David and his family were able to visit the Dunmore Lifeboat station recently, where he was wholeheartedly welcomed by the local lifeboat volunteers.

David is the son of Captain Desmond Carroll, a former Harbour Master in Dunmore. He grew up in Dunmore East and through he moved away from the village in his 20s to pursue a career, he says he has retained a great love for the maritime heritage he inherited growing up in the village.

The book is described as a labour of love, involving several years of researching and writing. The RNLI supported the project, with members of Dunmore East RNLI forming a publishing committee and a total of 66 businesses contributing to the cost of printing. It means that all proceeds go to the charity that saves lives at sea.

Dunmore East RNLI volunteers with author David Carrol and his family at the lifeboat station | Credit: RNLI/Neville Murphy

Recently David was finally able to hand over the huge cheque to the very appreciative volunteers of Dunmore East RNLI.

“I felt very privileged to have been invited to write a history of the Dunmore East lifeboats,” he said. “I enjoyed every single minute carrying out the necessary research and writing the various chapters, but the success of the book is down to all the volunteers and the great team, organised by Brendan Dunne who promoted, packaged, and distributed the book in difficult circumstances.

“A special word of thanks is due to all who gave us permission to use their interesting photographs and wonderful paintings. Our printers, DVF Print and Graphic Solutions, designed and produced a magnificent book that we all can be proud of and will be a fitting testament to all who served in the station since the Henry Dodd first arrived in Dunmore East.

Brendan Dunne of Dunmore East RNLI’s crew said: “As volunteer crew of the Dunmore East lifeboat, we are delighted with David’s book Dauntless Courage and grateful for such a significant amount being raised for our charity.

“The book itself is well written and researched. It truly captures the legacy of those that have crewed the lifeboats here since 1884 and of the lifesaving and maritime heritage of the village. It ensures their contribution to saving lives at sea in all weather conditions will not be forgotten.”

Dunmore East RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers leapt into action on the report of a dog that fell over a 30m cliff near the Co Wexford town yesterday afternoon (Thursday 19 August).

The inshore lifeboat was launched at 2pm at the request of the Irish Coast Guard to locate the little pooch, which had gone over the cliff edge a half a mile to the east of Portally Cove.

Eight minutes later the lifeboat arrived on scene and signed the dog on a ledge at the bottom of the cliff.

Two crew launched the lifeboat’s XP boat and made their way to the cliff base, where one of them was able to climb onto the rocks and rescue Ellie the dog.

Thankfully Ellie was unharmed after her ordeal, and was swiftly brought back to Dunmore East Harbour where she was happily reunited with her family.

Roy Abrahamsson, Dunmore East RNLI coxswain, said: “Weather conditions were good at the time and our volunteer crew did a great job in rescuing little Ellie.

“Our concern with incidents like this is that dog owners may try to get down the cliff after the dog while endangering themselves. Thankfully this was not the case this time; the owners did the right thing in calling for help.”

Yesterday’s callout marks one of the last in Dunmore East for the Trent class lifeboat Elizabeth and Ronald, which is set to be replaced by a new €2.4 million Shannon class vessel next month. Afloat.ie has more on that story HERE.

Preparations are well underway to bring the RNLI’s latest lifeboat for the Irish fleet to its new home at Dunmore East next month. The €2.4 million vessel will be the first Shannon class lifeboat to be based in the south-east. It’s a bittersweet moment for the lifeboat crew and fundraisers at Dunmore East RNLI, as the arrival signals the end of the station’s current Trent class lifeboat, Elizabeth and Ronald, which has been saving lives at sea there since October 1996.

The name of the new lifeboat will be William and Agnes Wray 13-41. Dunmore East RNLI crew will bring the lifeboat home the week commencing 20th September, with arrival expected in Dunmore East Harbour on Sunday 26th September at 13.41hrs to coincide with the lifeboats number.

William and Agnes Wray entered the water for the first-time last month at the RNLI college in Poole, where the charity’s All-Weather Lifeboats are built. During the build the station are kept up to date on the progress of their lifeboat, although the Coxswains and mechanics have been unable to visit due to Covid restrictions. The arrival of the new lifeboat means a demanding training schedule for the entire station as they learn how to launch and operate the new vessel. The first crew to be trained onboard the new lifeboat will depart for Poole on the 23rd of August, with the mechanics following in September. Training will continue for some weeks until the entire station is familiar with their new lifeboat and they officially inform the Coast Guard that the William and Agnes Wray is on service and the Elizabeth and Ronald has been stood down.

Say Hello to Dunmore East RNLI's New Shannon Class Lifeboat

The Shannon class lifeboat is the first modern all-weather lifeboat to be propelled by waterjets instead of traditional propellers, making it the most agile and manoeuvrable all-weather lifeboat in the RNLI’s fleet. The naming of the Shannon class of lifeboat follows a tradition of naming lifeboats after rivers but it's the first time an Irish river has been chosen and was done so to reflect the commitment and dedication of Irish lifeboat crew for generations.

Commenting on the news Dunmore East RNLI Coxswain Roy Abrahamsson said, ‘This is a very proud moment for the crew and the community of Dunmore East. While we have huge affection for our current Trent class lifeboat, which has served us so well and brought many people home, we are thrilled to receive a state of the art Shannon class lifeboat, the first of its type to be based in the South-East. It’s a huge investment by the RNLI in lifesaving for this area. This will help us to continue to save lives at sea for generations to come.’

Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat launched yesterday (Wednesday, August 4) to a report of a 12-metre fishing vessel with two people on-board, that had broken down 17 miles South West of Dunmore East.

At 5:00 pm the lifeboat launched at the request of the Irish Coast Guard, making best speed, the Trent Class Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ and her volunteer crew arrived on scene at 6:10 pm, assessed the situation and took the stricken vessel under tow and arrived back to the safety of Dunmore East harbour at 9:30 pm.

Roy Abrahamsson, Dunmore East RNLI Coxswain, said: ‘Weather conditions were good at the time and our volunteer crew train hard for missions like this which made for a very smooth operation. Thankfully all went well and the fishermen are now safely back in port’.

The RNLI is to present three Irish lifeboat crews with gallantry awards for their role in a rescue last October that saved nine lives and prevented a 100m cargo vessel from hitting rocks at Hook Head.

The coxswains of Dunmore East RNLI, Kilmore Quay RNLI and Rosslare Harbour RNLI are to receive RNLI Bronze Medals for Gallantry — one of the highest awards presented by the lifesaving charity — while the volunteer lifeboat crews who responded to the callout will each receive Medal Certificates.

Recognition will also be given to the crew of the Irish Coast Guard’s Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117, the staff of the National Maritime Operations Centre in Dublin and the master and crew of the tug Tramontine.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the multi-agency rescue operation was launched on 20 October 2020 after reports that the Lily B — a 4,000-tonne cargo vessel carrying 4,000 tonnes of coal — had lost all power and was in danger of hitting rocks south of Hook Head in Wexford.

Battling strong waves over six metres high amid Force 8 conditions, the Dunmore East and Kilmore Quay lifeboats managed to establish tow lines onto the drifting vessel and, with the help of the Rosslare Harbour crew, worked together to ensure the vessel stayed away from the rocky shore until the tug arrived.

RNLI director of lifesaving John Payne said: “Those crews involved demonstrated that unique blend of courage, selflessness, dependability and trustworthiness, at their best, in the most demanding of conditions. Without question their combined actions saved lives at sea.

“Conditions onboard the lifeboats were unpleasant in the rolling and pitching seas. The volunteer crews displayed fortitude, perseverance and courage to remain focused whilst under the most testing conditions, often up to their knees in water and heaving decks.

“The unity of purpose and sense of ‘One Crew’ displayed by all contributed significantly to the successful outcome in a protracted 12-hour service.”

The three coxswains (from left), Roy Abrahamsson of Dunmore East, Eugene Kehoe of Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour’s Eamon O’Rourke | Credit: RNLI

The three coxswains — Roy Abrahamsson of Dunmore East, Eugene Kehoe of Kilmore Quay and Rosslare Harbour’s Eamon O’Rourke — were informed of the awards by RNLI area lifesaving manager Joe Moore, who said: “In recommending these awards, the RNLI Trustees recognise the difficulty of the service, the challenges that were faced by the lifeboat crews during their 12 hours at sea and the tragedy and environmental disaster that was averted off the Irish coast.”

In reviewing the service, the RNLI also recommended a Medal Service Certificate for the crew of Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 for their top cover and reassurance to all the crews below for the duration of the service.

Signed letters of appreciation will also be presented to the staff of the National Maritime Operations Centre in Dublin and the master and crew of the tug Tramontine.

Details of the arrangements for the presentation of Bronze Medals for Gallantry and the Medal Service Certificates are to be arranged in consultation with the awardees.

List of lifeboat crew to be honoured by station:

• Dunmore East RNLI crew: Roy Abrahamsson (Coxswain), David Murray (Mechanic), Neville Murphy (Navigator) and crewmembers Peter Curran, Jon Walsh, Luka Sweeney and Kevin Dingley.
• Kilmore Quay RNLI crew: Eugene Kehoe (Coxswain), Philip Walsh (Mechanic), Aidan Bates (Navigator) and crewmembers Trevor Devereux and Sam Nunn.
• Rosslare Harbour RNLI crew: Eamon O’Rourke (Coxswain), Mick Nicholas (Mechanic), Keith Miller (Navigator) crewmembers Padraig Quirke, Michael Sinnott, Eoghan Quirke and Paul McCormack.

Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat in County Waterford launched yesterday (Sunday, June 6) to a report of a 4m angling vessel with four people on-board, which had lost its propeller and was drifting onto Falskirt Rock, three miles South West of Dunmore East.

At 1:30 pm the Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat launched at the request of the Irish Coast Guard to assist a 4m vessel that was in danger of going onto rocks. The boat with four people on board was located drifting only 50m from Falskirt Rock.

12 mins after launch the Trent Class Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat ‘Elizabeth and Ronald’ arrived on scene to find the vessel with four people onboard, close to going aground. The volunteer RNLI crew quickly got all four transferred to the lifeboat and took the vessel under tow back to the safety of Dunmore East harbour at 2:30 pm.

Karen Harris, RNLI Deputy Launch Authority for Dunmore East RNLI, said: ‘Conditions were good today and thankfully all four were wearing life jackets, they did the right thing in calling for help early. The area around Falskirt Rock can be very dangerous, so a speedy response by our volunteer crew ensured a safe recovery of the four people. I would like to remind people that the water is there to be enjoyed but please remember to always wear a lifejacket, have a means of calling for help, check the weather forecast and be sure to tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. If you see someone in trouble on the water dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard’.

Every so often a photo flashes across the screen, its origins unknown and its destination a mystery, yet its reality is abundantly clear. This header pic is one such. I've no idea how it came to pop up, or who sent it, or indeed who took it something like seventy years ago.

But everything points to it being an early IDRA Dinghy Week at Dunmore East, which would make it 1950 or 1955, and the guess is it was 1950 when Teddy Crosbie won the Helmsmans Championship, racing in the hot new boats of the IDRA 14 class which in 2021 will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary.

They spent that week in 1950 afloat on temporary moorings, something for which designer O'Brien Kennedy had been asked to make them well able, for when the design was commissioned in 1946, clubs such as Waterford Harbour SC at Dunmore East had little enough in the way of dinghy parks with their own launching slips.

That said, WHSC were well up to speed with IDRA 14s and their own class of National 18s built to the Yachting World-sponsored Uffa Ace design of 1938 – in the photo, there's a handful of them berthed at the quayside to the right.

Flica's barometer, set in a section of her broken mast salvaged after it came down on August 15th 1957 at the Cobh People's Regatta.

But of course the eye-catching focus of the entire picture is Aylmer Hall's 1929-vintage Charles E Nicholson-designed – and C & N built – 12 Metre Flica, the Queen of Cork Harbour, where they still talk in hushed tones of the time she was dismasted during the Cobh People's Regatta. It certainly was an awful lot of mast to come tumbling down, and equally it seemed un-climbable without assistance.

That made it a useful challenge. In Dunmore East in those days, the three McBride brothers from Waterford – Oweny, Davy and Denny – were inescapable features of the summer sailing scene, and Davy got himself aboard Flica, where he was soon delivering contentious opinions in the classic Davy style. So to get themselves some peace, Flica's ship's company challenged him to climb the mast.

He did better than that. Instead of shimmying up the spar itself, he went up the forestay hand-over-hand, and scrambled up the last bit of the mast to the masthead itself. Then he came down the backstay hand-over-hand, and barely paused for breath before he resumed telling the Corkmen why Dunmore East and its sailors were infinitely superior to anything that Cork Harbour could hope to offer.

The downward spiral. A stalled restoration project on Flica, seen at Birdham in Sussex in 2013. Photo: W M Nixon

Alas, Davy McBride is no longer with us, and Flica is barely hanging in by a thread. It was around 2013 that we found her in the shed at Birdham Pool on Chichester Harbour, paralysed in a very stalled restoration project. Since then, she has been more or less evicted from Sussex, and was last heard about a year ago looking very sorry indeed in a field in Essex.

Barely alive: The International 12 Metre Flica of 1929 vintage and several times the Solent championship, as seen in Essex in 2020

The stern is the part of Flica most other 12 Metre sailors saw in the Solent in the 1930s, but mercifully few have seen it like this.F

It would be a miracle if some philanthropist with bottomless pockets could take her on for one of those zillion euro 12 Metre restorations in which classic boatbuilders Robbe & Berking on the Danish-German border specialize. For our header photo reminds us of a simpler time when Irish sailing was more cohesive, all the boats were beautiful, Dinghy Week would see the cruiser fleets going along to provide accommodation for the small boat racers, and everyone knew everyone else.

Dunmore East RNLI volunteer lifeboat crewman Paul Sheehan was recently recognised for a community volunteer award by his employer after being nominated by his co-workers.

Paul is a general operative with Bausch and Lomb in Waterford, which recently held an open competition among employees to highlight some of the volunteer work they regularly conduct outside of work.

The dedicated volunteer crew with Dunmore East RNLI for 14 years was nominated by some of his co-workers — and his employers honoured him with a community volunteer award and a donation of €500 to Dunmore East RNLI.

Margaret Barry, chair of the Dunmore East RNLI fundraising branch, said: “Our volunteer crew are an extremely dedicated bunch and it is lovely to see Paul being deservedly recognised, by his employer, for his many years of lifesaving efforts with Dunmore East RNLI.

“We are very grateful to receive any donations, as this year has been a particularly difficult year for our fundraising efforts. Donations like this will enable our charity’s lifesavers to continue to save lives at sea.”