RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Kilrush RNLI Lifeboat on Standby Following Aircraft 'Pan-Pan' Radio Call

2nd February 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#lifeboat – Kilrush RNLI on the Shannon Estuary was put on standby yesterday following a Pan-Pan urgency on board a small aircraft while on approach to Shannon airport. An alert was received from Valentia Coast Guard yesterday afternoon at 3.06pm…

Ireland's RNLI Lifeboats Rescued More Than 1,400 People In 2014

28th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Ireland's RNLI lifeboat crews launched 1,089 times in 2014, bringing 1,414 people to safety. And the lifesaving charity is calling for the public to think ahead and never underestimate the strength and power of the sea and inland…

Bundoran Lifeboat Crew Named Emergency Response Team Of The Year

26th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The volunteer crew of Bundoran RNLI's lifeboat received the Emergency Response Team of the Year award at a ceremony on Saturday night (24 January). The 2015 Community and Council Awards celebrated by LAMA (Local Authority Members Association) took…

Wicklow Lifeboats Respond To Multiple Callouts

26th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's inshore lifeboat launched shortly after 5.30pm yesterday evening (Sunday 25 January) to investigate a reported floating object drifting near the shore opposite the Murrough Carpark. The lifeboat was on scene three minutes after launching and began…

Lifeboat Rescues Man From Howth Harbour

26th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Howth RNLI's inshore lifeboat launched at 5.30am yesterday morning (Sunday 25 January) to reports of man in the water in Howth Harbour. The lifeboat crew launched in minutes after a passer-by raised the alarm, locating the casualty just…

Newcastle RNLI Lifeboat Gets First Call Out to Irish Sea Fishing Vessel

25th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#lifeboat – Volunteer lifeboat crew at Newcastle RNLI were called out last Wednesday after a distress call from a fishing vessel in the Irish Sea. The All Weather Lifeboat crew were tasked by Belfast Coastguard to assist Donaghadee RNLI lifeboat…

Double Callout For Lough Derg Lifeboat In Severe Weather

10th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI launched in severe weather conditions to assist two canoeists in difficulty on the lough yesterday (Friday 9 January). And on returning to station, the lifeboat launched again following a report from a distressed member of…

First Callout Of 2015 For Skerries Lifeboat

9th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI was requested for the first time in 2015 yesterday morning (Thursday 8 January) following a report of a swimmer in difficulty. The volunteer crew launched their Atlantic 85 lifeboat Louis Simson at 11.30am following a call…

More Fishermen Die in January than Any Other Month of the Year, Say RNLI

6th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – As Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) research reveals more fishermen die in January than in any other month of the year, the lifesaving charity has launched a hard-hitting campaign encouraging fishermen to make sure their boats keep them…

Howth RNLI Lifeboat Makes Early 2015 Service Video, New Pontoon Berth To Be Installed

6th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Howth Lifeboat, one of the top five fundraising branches in the whole of the RNLI, has produced a seven minute youtube video to Thin Lizzy's 'The Boys are Back in Town' soundtrack, showing some great onboard action scenes from both…

Newcastle RNLI Launches Both Lifeboats In First Callout Of 2015

5th January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - In the first callout of the year for Newcastle RNLI in Co Down, both lifeboats were launched in the early hours of Saturday morning (3 January) following reports of a missing male sighted near the beach close to…

Wicklow RNLI Holds Annual New Year’s Day Service Of Remembrance

3rd January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - A week after Dun Laoghaire RNLI remembered those who lost their lives at sea, Wicklow RNLI held its annual New Year's Day service of remembrance this past Thursday. The ceremony began with a short religious prayer conducted by…

Video Looks Back On Busy 2014 For Ireland's Lifeboats

1st January 2015 RNLI Lifeboats

#Lifeboats - The RNLI in Ireland has put together this thrilling looking back at its year of rescues in 2014 as their lifeboat crews saw it themselves via helmet- or boat-mounted cameras. Among the callouts featured here involving inshore and…

Clifden RNLI Lifeboat Help Inishturk Resident Spend Christmas at Home

24th December 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Clifden RNLI lifeboat crew had their first callout in their new all weather lifeboat last night (Tuesday 23 December) to bring a local GP to provide urgent and immediate medical attention to an elderly resident on Inishturk Island.…

Portaferry Lifeboat Rescues Man Caught Out By Tide

23rd December 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Portaferry RNLI has rescued a man who got caught out by the tide yesterday afternoon (Monday 22 December). The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.24pm following a report of person in the…

Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Launches To American Yacht In Early Hours

19th December 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Volunteers at Kilmore Quay RNLI were called upon to go to the aid of an American yacht with three people on board in the early hours of Wednesday 17 December. The 42-foot yacht, which was on passage from…

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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