#RNLI - Fethard RNLI was presented with a cheque for €1,140 following a Gala Evening of Music & Song towards the charity’s special appeal in aid of a new inshore lifeboat, which is due on service at the end 2017.

The latest fundraiser was held at Colfers Pub in Carrig-on-Bannow, Co Wexford on Friday 21 October and was arranged by a local man in support of Fethard lifeboat station who were involved in his rescue this past summer.

Pat Murphy, spokesperson for the event, said: “I had need to call on the services of the Fethard RNLI in August of this year. The service the volunteer lifeboat crew provide is outstanding. In return it is with delight that I can support the station with their appeal in aid of a new inshore lifeboat.

“I wish to thank the musicians and sponsors without their support the night could not have happen. The night was kindly hosted in Colfers Pub, Carrig-on-Bannow and we wish to extend our thank you to John and Kate Murphy, together with Marcus Redmond for providing the sound and Deskin Design for designing posters, all of which ensured a tremendous evening of enjoyment for all who attended.”

Oonagh Hearne Messette, Fethard RNLI fundraising chair, added: “The community support behind our appeal is truly outstanding. Pat Murphy and his team created a night to remember all in aid of supporting his local lifeboat station.”

This latest fundraiser comes just weeks after charity cyclists presented a cheque for over €5,700 to the Co Wexford lifeboat station, not long after the Waves Music Festival raised some €35,000 towards the costs of the new lifeboat.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Thursday 29 September) to assist a man whose pleasure craft broke down off the Wexford coast.

The volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 4.07pm following a report that a 21ft pleasure boat, with one onboard, had sustained engine failure in an area known locally as the Horseshoe.

Helmed by Eoin Bird and with crew members Patrick Byrne and Damian Murphy onboard, the lifeboat made its way to the scene 1.5 nautical miles from Fethard Harbour. Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a Force 5 westerly but sheltered wind blowing.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the boat had washed up on the sand due to the tide.

The crew beached their D-class lifeboat before working to set up a towline with the casualty vessel. Once this was set up, the lifeboat proceeded to tow the pleasure boat back to Fethard Harbour, where it arrived at 5.10pm.

Speaking following the callout, Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Hugh Burke said: “The area in which the man got into difficulty today is one where our lifeboat crew has to train regularly due to the sandbanks and sandbars which change regularly with each gale of wind.

“We would always encourage anyone planning a boat trip to always respect the water – make sure you wear a life jacket and carry a means of communication should you get into trouble and need to make contact.”

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI was presented with a cheque for €5,749 last Friday 16 September by Ring of Kerry cyclists towards the charity’s special appeal in aid of a new inshore lifeboat which is due on service at the end of 2017.

A team of nine cyclists came together in March and set their sights on completing a 160km Ring of Kerry challenge on Saturday 27 August.

The team, comprising Paddy Kehoe, Philip and Richard Roche, John Summers, Jim Mernagh, Nicky Walsh, Renee Mullens, David Curtis and Damian Cahill, also undertook to fundraise in aid of the Fethard RNLI special appeal.

"This was a once in a lifetime achievement," said Kehoe. "Each member of the team are overwhelmed and extremely thankful for the support received.

"We all have families living on the coast and could call on the services of the lifeboat at any time, therefore it was important for us to support our local station."

Oonagh Hearne Messette, Fethard RNLI fundraising chair, said: "To have raised this amount of money on our behalf is outstanding and has had an unbelievable impact on our appeal. Without this community support we would not be able to seek to fundraise €65,000 for our new lifeboat appeal.

"It is credit to the team and we thank each and every one together with their extended family for their support."

The recent Waves Music Festival raised €35,000 towards the lifeboat station's €65,000 target, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#RNLI - The Waves Music Festival on Sunday 28 August raised €35,000 towards Fethard RNLI's special in aid of a new inshore lifeboat which is due on service at the end 2017.

Some 2,500 people turned out for the family-friendly day-long music event at Loftus Hall on Hook Head, which saw Nathan Carter, Hometown, Corner Boy, Friends in Low Places and Elmore hitting the stage along with a number of local acts.

"To have raised €35,000 from a first-time event is beyond our expectations and highlights the strength of community feeling towards the charity that saves lives at sea," said Fethard RNLI press officer Rebecca Doyle.

"We were also overwhelmed with the support of Loftus Hall for providing us with the most fantastic backdrop and for their donation of €12,000 to the lifeboat appeal."

Aidan Quigley, proprietor of Loftus Hall, added: "The RNLI plays such a vital role in the lives of those who live, work and visit our coasts.

"This festival has become part of Loftus Hall’s legacy in the year where we celebrate 666 years of history, heritage and intrigue."

Quigley added that there will be another Waves event at Loftus Hall in 2017.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI assisted a man who got into difficulty off the Wexford coast yesterday evening (Tuesday 23 August) as he attempted to move between two boats.

The volunteer lifeboat crew launched their inshore lifeboat at 9.35pm following a request by the Irish Coast Guard that a man had entered the water at the Coal Yard in Cullenstown.

The lifeboat, helmed by John Colfer and with crew members Thomas Stafford, Finola Foley and Cathal O'Connell onboard, launched immediately from Fethard and proceeded five nautical miles to the scene.

Weather conditions at the time were described as calm with a Force 3 west to north-westerly wind.

The casualty, who was wearing a lifejacket at the time, had been manoeuvring from one vessel to another when he entered the water and got into difficulty. A member of his party who had already come ashore raised the alarm.

Shortly before arriving on scene, the crew received communication from the coastguard that the casualty had managed to swim ashore. On arrival, the lifeboat crew safely transferred the man into the D class inshore lifeboat Trade Winds and administered first aid.

The crew brought the casualty straight ashore at the Coal Yard, where members of the local coastguard unit were also on site. The volunteer crew continued first aid until the arrival of an ambulance that transferred the casualty to hospital as a precautionary measure.

Speaking following the callout, Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Tony Molloy said: "Every minute counted this evening due to the period the casualty had spent in the water and the external temperature.

"The bar of the lough at Cullenstown can be quite a treacherous to manoeuvre in darkness, so the knowledge and skill set of the crew who know the area and the manoeuvrability of the D class inshore lifeboat was essential in getting to the scene where the crew was able to respond rapidly.

"We would like to commend the casualty for wearing his lifejacket and the member of his party who raised the alarm when they started to experience problems. We wish them both well following their ordeal."

Molloy added: "Tonight’s callout was a fine example of good team work with our crew putting their training and skills into practice working alongside our colleagues in the local Irish Coast Guard unit."

This weekend sees the inaugural Waves Music Festival to raise funds for Fethard RNLI to secure a new inshore lifeboat, a major boost for which they received recently from host venue Loftus Hall.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI launched last night (Saturday 20 August) on the request of the Irish Coast Guard to a vessel with one person onboard in difficulty a mile from Fethard in Co Wexford.

A member of the public raised the alarm at 7.30pm when they saw a vessel that appeared to be in difficulty off The Borrow at Grange Strand, off the Fethard coast.

The lifeboat was launched and the crew were able to secure a visual from the launching site of the blue-and-white 16ft vessel, which had a failed propeller.

The vessel had broken its mooring the previous night from Fethard Quay and had come ashore at a local area called the Windy Gap. The owner had successfully relaunched the vessel at 7pm, however a half a mile from shore the propeller got entangled in a rope.

Weather conditions were slightly overcast with a Force 4-5 south-westerly breeze and good visibility.

Arriving on scene, the volunteer lifeboat crew were able to successfully free the propeller of the rope, which allowed the inshore lifeboat to take the vessel by tow to Fethard Quay.

Speaking following the callout, Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Tony Molloy said: "The volunteer crew responded quickly and was with the casualty within minutes. The pleasure boat was towed safely back to Fethard Quay where it was securely moored and the lifeboat returned to the station shortly after 9pm."

The Fethard lifeboat crew on this callout were helm Rory O'Connor, Cathal O'Connell, Dean Foley and Joe Dwyer, along with driver Eileen Murphy and shore crew Martin Doran, Malclom Ennis, Joey Murphy and Brendan O'Callaghan.

Fethard RNLI recently received a major boost in their fundraising efforts for a new inshore lifeboat, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI have received a major boost for their inshore lifeboat appeal after receiving a €12,000 donation from local business Loftus Hall.

Ahead of the RNLI Waves Festival at the end of the month, Aidan and Shane Quigley from Loftus Hall presented Fethard RNLI with the significant contribution towards their special appeal, which was launched earlier this year to raise €65,000 for a new D class inshore lifeboat for the station.

The current lifeboat, Trade Winds, has been operational for almost 10 years, launching 119 times to rescue 85 people in that time, and is due for retirement in 2017.

Aidan Quigley, proprietor of Loftus Hall, said: ‘We are delighted to support such a worthy cause. The RNLI plays such a vital role in the lives of those who live by, work on and visit our coasts. The lifeboat service is kept going by the generosity, dedication and commitment of volunteers, who give selflessly of their time and skills.

"This donation will hopefully ensure the provision of a new D class lifeboat in Fethard to operate in the area over the coming years. Not only is it reassuring to know that many more lives will be saved, but also that the volunteer crew who work tirelessly in saving those lives will be kept safe on their way to a rescue."

Rebecca Doyle, Fethard RNLI lifeboat press officer, added that she and her fellow lifeboat volunteers are "overwhelmed by the support from Loftus Hall with their donation of €12,000 towards our appeal and also by providing us with the astounding and historic location for one of our main fundraising events to be held at the end of the month."

Tickets for the RNLI Waves Festival on Sunday 28 August are available from www.wavesfestival.ie.

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI had a busy weekend, with their second callout in 24 hours seeing launch to reports of an unmanned vessel drifting a half mile off Fethard in Co Wexford.

The alarm was raised before 9.30am yesterday morning (Sunday 7 August) by a member of the public who saw the vessel drifting out to sea.

The lifeboat was launched and, once on scene, discovered that the 17ft pleasure boat had dragged its moorings and become entangled in ropes from nearby lobster pots.

One of the RNLI crew got out of the lifeboat and freed the vessel from the ropes, enabling it to be taken in tow to Fethard Harbour.

Weather conditions were good with a Force 3 to 4 south-westerly breeze, and visibility was clear.

"Vessels that drag or break free of their moorings can quickly become a problem as they move into busy areas or cause an obstruction to other marine traffic," said Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Hugh Burke.

"We don’t know who owned the vessel in question but in bringing it in to the safety of Fethard Harbour there is now no danger it will be lost or cause an accident."

The callout came a day after the lifeboat crew rescued three from a 17ft punt drifting dangerously close to the shore at Ballyteigue beach, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.

#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew with Fethard RNLI were launched yesterday morning (Saturday 6 August 2016) just before 9am to reports of an anchorless 17ft punt with three people onboard in difficulty off Keeragh Island, Co Wexford.

Requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard to the initial location, reported as a half mile north-east of Keeragh Island, once on scene the lifeboat was not able to locate the vessel, whose VHF aerial was broken on top of suffering engine failure.

A short time later the lifeboat crew spotted the vessel getting washed ashore in the surf on Ballyteigue beach. Two of its crew had left the punt and were trying to prevent it getting completely beached.

As the Fethard lifeboat approached the shore, one of the lifeboat crew got into the surf and turned the punt around to establish a tow. Once the rope was secured, the lifeboat towed the vessel with its three crew onboard to the Coalyard at Cullenstown.

"The changing nature of this callout meant that the lifeboat crew and to react quickly to ensure a successful outcome, at one stage towing the punt through a very narrow channel between sandbars," said Fethard RNLI deputy launching authority Hugh Burke.

"I would urge all boat operators to ensure that they have a properly working anchor on their vessel and a means of calling for help. The most benign situations can turn in the blink of an eye and in these cases every second counts.

"Thankfully the weather was good and the lifeboat crew were able to assist and bring both the crew and the boat safely home."

#RNLI - Fethard RNLI launched yesterday afternoon (Monday 18 July) for the second time in 24 hours, to a report of four people in difficulty due to dense fog at Woodstown Strand.

The Irish Coast Guard received a report that a party of four may have got into difficulty in the water as intense fog set in on the Co Waterford beach. The Fethard lifeboat launched from Duncannon in a light southerly Force 2 breeze with calm seas.

Arriving at Woodstown, the volunteer crew commenced a search north of the strand, incorporating a land search of the surrounding caves. Volunteer RNLI shore crew also attended at the strand and carried out search on the strand.

At 3.15pm, Fethard RNLI was stood down on notification from the Irish Coast Guard that all members were safely ashore and well.

Speaking following the callout, Fethard RNLI lifeboat helm Eoin Bird said: "We would like commend the member of the public who raised the alarm today when they were concerned.

"Our volunteers responded quickly this afternoon to aid in the search and we are delighted that all had been located safe and well."

Less than a day before the Fethard lifeboat was called out to assist a RIB with a fouled propeller off the strand, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.