#rnli – The crew of the RNLI lifeboat station at Dun Laoghaire will hold their traditional ceremony to remember the 15 volunteers that died on service in 1895 on Christmas Eve as well as all those who lost their lives around our coasts in 2012.
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. Both RNLI lifeboats stationed at Dun Laoghaire will launch and the crews will lay wreaths at sea close to the pier.
The ceremony is a long-standing Christmas Eve tradition that 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 2012 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 for the 20-minute ceremony. Piper Paul McNally of Dublin Fire Brigade, musician William Byrne and journalist Fergal Keane will be amongst the contributors to the event that has been facilitated by the Dun Laoghaire Harbour Company. In case of inclement weather, an alternative ceremony will still be held closer to the lifeboat station.