#RNLI - Kilrush RNLI was on a regular training exercise on Tuesday evening 22 October when a member of the public informed them of an object floating in the water about one mile east of Cappa Pier on the Shannon Estuary in Co Clare.
The volunteer crew informed Shannon Coast Guard, which in turn requested that the inshore lifeboat, helmed by Pauline Dunleavy, divert to the location.
Within minutes the crew had a vision of a 15ft-long piece of tree root floating by Aylevarroo. They quickly brought it aboard the lifeboat, securing it at the stern of the boat.
On returning to the station, Kilrush RNLI deputy launching authority Fintan Keating Sr paid tribute to the member of the public who spotted the object in the water.
"If the item had crossed the path of the Shannon car ferry or other boats on the river, we could have encountered a worse situation," he said. "It’s always good to dial 112 or 999 if people are ever concerned."