RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Guests at Larne RNLI’s gala ball at Magheramorne Estate on Friday 15 March

Larne RNLI Celebrates Charity’s 200th Milestone With Gala Ball Raising More Than £4,600

28th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI in Northern Ireland celebrated the RNLI’s 200th anniversary with a gala ball held at Magheramorne Estate raising £4,657.63 to help the station continue to save lives at sea. The event, organised by the volunteer fundraising crew, was held…

File image of Achill Island RNLI’s Trent class all-weather lifeboat

Achill Island Lifeboat Carries Out Medevac Off Clare Island

26th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Achill Island RNLI carried out a medical evacuation off Clare Island on Monday night (25 March). The volunteer crew were requested to launch the station’s all-weather lifeboat just before 9pm following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to medevac…

Alan Markey, Commodore of the Irish Cruising Club, presents the donation to Rose Michael, ICC Member and RNLI Fundraising Crew, on the steps of the Maryborough Hotel, Cork

Cruising Clubs Combine To Donate €4,140 For RNLI 200th

26th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Saturday night's gathering of 242 cruising enthusiasts for a black-tie celebration at the Irish Cruising Club's Annual Gala Dinner in Cork, involving an international guest list to bring in officers from kindred clubs on both sides of the Atlantic, provided…

A group shot of RNLI volunteer crew members, shot in Lyme Regis for Series 9 of the BBC/Blast programme Saving Lives at Sea ( SLAS). From Left to right: Neil Sutor (Portishead), Janet Iqbal (Largs), Angharad Masson (Porthcawl), Maria Bull (Dungeness), Dave Fenton (Castletownbere)

Castletownbere RNLI to Feature in Maritime TV Docu Series as 'Saving Lives at Sea' Returns to the Screen

25th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

As the RNLI marks 200 years of lifesaving, the volunteer lifeboat crew at Castletownbere, West Cork will take to the television screens on Tuesday, 2 April, at 8 p.m. They will feature in the ninth series of the popular maritime…

File image of Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spicer

Lough Derg Lifeboat Assists Family of Four on 34ft Cruiser Aground Near Portumna

24th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Following an emergency call from a member of the public on shore on Sunday morning (24 March), Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier was requested by Valentia Coast Guard to assist a family of four on a 34ft cruiser…

Carrybridge RNLI to feature in popular documentary series as Saving Lives at Sea returns to the screen

RNLI's Carrybridge Lifeboat Crew to be Featured in BBC's Saving Lives at Sea

24th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI, renowned for its 200 years of lifesaving, is set to feature on the popular maritimeTV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two and iPlayer. The ninth series, which focuses on the lifesaving work of today's lifeboat crews…

RNLI Trustee Paddy McLaughlin, also a volunteer at Red Bay RNLI in Cushendall, pictured with Stephen Conway, Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat

RNLI Red Bay Lifeboat and Sea Shanties on Second RTE Seascapes Special Tonight

22nd March 2024 Seascapes

A man overboard exercise with Antrim’s Red Bay all-weather lifeboat and the experience of a dog walker rescued by Cork Harbour’s Crosshaven lifeboat are among topics on tonight’s (Fri, March 22) RTÉ Radio 1 special issue of Seascapes. The programme,…

File image of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat

St Patrick’s Day Launch for Portaferry Lifeboat to Assist Ocean Rowing Vessel

21st March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Portaferry RNLI came to the aid of four people on St Patrick’s Day (Sunday 17 March) after their ocean-going rowing boat sustained a broken rudder and developed steering problems. Belfast Coastguard requested the launch of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat at…

The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O'Shea

Wicklow RNLI Rescues Three Fishermen Stranded at Sea

19th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Wicklow RNLI rescued three fishermen on Monday, March 18, after their boat suffered mechanical failure. The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O'Shea, under the command of Coxswain Alan Goucher, was called to the scene at 12.19 pm, 11 nautical miles northeast…

Arriving on scene below the Beacon, the Baltimore RNLI Atlantic 85 crew observed Dixie sheltering and waiting under a rock ledge after she managed to swim ashore. Crew members Kieran Collins and Eoin O’Driscoll entered the sea and retrieved the dog, bringing her safely back onto the lifeboat and back to shore to her relieved owner

Baltimore RNLI Saves Dog after Cliff Fall at the Beacon in West Cork

19th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Baltimore RNLI in West Cork successfully rescued Dixie, a terrier mix dog, after she fell from the cliff at the Beacon on Tuesday morning. The Irish Coast Guard requested the launch of their inshore lifeboat shortly before 10 am, after…

Water Safety Organisations Make Joint Appeal Ahead of St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday Weekend

15th March 2024 Water Safety

Ahead of the St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday weekend, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland are issuing a joint water safety appeal, asking people to stay safe when in, near or on the water. Water temperatures are…

Aran island lifeboat coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin and the O'Connell family - Daniel, Lena, Lena's mother Margaret Gill, and Jack and Olive (their younger brother Eoghan had left for a match)

RNLI Bicentenary Marked by Special Edition of Seascapes on RTÉ Radio 1

15th March 2024 Seascapes

An Aran island family with several generations of volunteering with the RNLI lifeboat are featured in the first episode of a special series of RTÉ Radio 1’s Seascapes to mark the RNLI’s bicentenary. The three-part series also carries an interview…

Kilmore Quay’s Tamar class lifeboat Victor Freeman alongside the stricken Irish trawler on Friday 8 March

Major Rescue in Irish Sea as Lifeboats Respond to Fishing Vessel Mayday

9th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

RNLI lifeboats from Ireland and the UK launched to a Mayday distress call from a fishing vessel taking on water on Friday (8 March). The 24-metre Irish trawler had five crew onboard and was some 21 nautical miles northwest of…

Baltimore RNLI Rescue Team Evacuates a Medical Emergency from Cape Clear Island

7th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Late on Wednesday night, Baltimore RNLI received a request from the Irish Coast Guard to provide a medical evacuation for a man living on Cape Clear Island, located off the coast of West Cork. The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat crew, consisting…

At Dublin Port (L-R), Tom McGuire, RNLI lifeboat press officer, and Liam Sheringham, Lough Ree RNLI helm with example of the commemorative stamps issued by An Post that depict an Atlantic 85 lifeboat, similar to the “Tara Scougall” based at his station

RNLI Marks Bicentenary in Dublin on the Liffey and in London's Westminster Abbey

4th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

Dublin’s Tom Clarke bridge was lifted for an RNLI lifeboat on Monday morning – but it wasn’t in response to a tasking. The Dun Laoghaire Harbour lifeboat steamed up the Liffey and berthed on North Wall Quay to mark the…

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution 200th anniversary commemorative stamps from An Post

Lifeboat Charity Celebrates 200 Years Saving Lives at Sea with Launch of An Post Stamps

4th March 2024 RNLI Lifeboats

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will mark its 200th anniversary of saving lives at sea by launching two commemorative stamps in collaboration with An Post today. To celebrate the launch of these stamps, some of the charity's volunteer lifeboat…

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Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

Which is Ireland's busiest lifeboat station?

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Do the RNLI get paid?

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

How many RNLI Lifeboat stations in Ireland?

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

How many lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions?

How many people are rescued by the RNLI?

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

What type of boats does the RNLI have?

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

How are lifeboats called out?

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

What is the relationship between the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI in Ireland?

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

What is a coxswain?

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

What training do RNLI lifeboat crews get?

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset