RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

Wicklow Lifeboats Assist Stricken Yacht With Snapped Tiller

12th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI launched to assist a yacht in difficulty before 10am yesterday morning (Sunday 11 May) just as lifeboat volunteers were preparing to launch on a crew exercise in Wicklow Bay. The call for assistance from the yacht…

Howth RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain Retires After 39 Years Service

12th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – After 39 years of dedication to Howth RNLI, 27 years as lifeboat coxswain, Robert Duffy has retired. Thanks to his bravery and determination, he helped to save hundreds of lives at sea during his time as a volunteer…

Lough Derg Lifeboat Launches to Vessel Adrift After Engine Failure

11th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched in winds gusting F8 last night, to assist nine people on board a 40–ft cruiser, suffering engine failure. At 6.35pm on Saturday evening, May 10, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat…

Rory Gallagher's Family Donate Guitar & Amp To Raise Funds For Ballycotton RNLI

10th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - The family of late musician Rory Gallagher have generously donated a replica Fender Stratocaster guitar, along with his original Oberheimer warm-up amplifier and stencilled flight case, to raise funds for Ballycotton RNLI. The items will be auctioned later…

Bangor, Donaghadee Lifeboats Assist Stricken Fishing Boat

10th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - A fishing vessel that developed steering trouble in Belfast Lough was towed to safety by Donaghadee RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat Saxon, assisted by Bangor RNLI’s inshore lifeboat. The Donaghadee lifeboat launched at 3.20pm yesterday (Friday 9 May) after a request…

Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Towing 75–foot Trawler Estimates Return to Shore at 7.30pm

9th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#lifeboat – Courtmacsherry RNLI All Weather Lifeboat continues to tow a 75–foot fishing vessel that had got into difficulties earlier today 35 miles off Courtmacsherry in West Cork. It is now proceeding to take the trawler to the safefy of…

Red Bay Lifeboat Involved In Rescue Of Man Overboard

7th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI was involved in the rescue Sunday afternoon (4 May) of a man who fell overboard from a boat near Cushendall in Co Antrim. The man had fallen from the vessel near Waterfoot pier and was…

INSC Sail-A-Thon Raises €1800 for Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat

6th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#sailathon – Had you been walking the East or West Pier of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Saturday morning around 9pm you would have seen an INSC 1720 rigged as a committee boat make its way out into Dun Laoghaire Harbour's…

Wicklow Lifeboat Tows Cabin Cruiser To Safety

4th May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI's second call-out this bank holiday weekend – after Friday's early morning tow of a stricken yacht - saw two on board a 13m cruiser brought to safety early today (4 May) after their vessel suffered engine…

Wicklow Lifeboat Brings Yacht To Safety In Early Morning Call

3rd May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Wicklow RNLI launched in the early hours of yesterday morning (Friday 2 May) to bring a yacht and its crew of three to safety. The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat at 2.57am in response to a call…

99th Anniversary of Sinking of Lusitania to be Marked by Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat

2nd May 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#lusitania – The Courtmacsherry Lifeboat Lusitania Centenary Committee is appealing to anyone or any organisation that may have Lusitania artefacts, stories and memorabilia or know of any family members of those lost or saved in the tragedy to get in…

Legendary Lifeboat 'Mary Stanford' Returns To Spiritual Home

30th April 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#Lifeboat - The famous lifeboat Mary Stanford, which was saved from being scuttled earlier this year, has returned to her spiritual home in Ballycotton, as the Irish Examiner reports. Afloat's Jehan Ashmore previously recounted the story of the Barnett-class lifeboat…

Dun Laoghaire Sailing School 'Sail–a–thon' to Raise Funds for RNLI Lifeboats

29th April 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – The Irish National Sailing School's (INSS) Sail-a-thon 2014 in aid of the RNLI is taking place this Saturday the 3rd of May. The first question readers of this may have is what is a sail-a-thon? Effectively, it's a…

Rescued Sailors Join Kinsale RNLI Mayday Campaign

29th April 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#RNLI - Crew members from the training ship Astrid that sank on 24 July 2013 visited Kinsale RNLI lifeboat station to thank volunteer crew and support the RNLI’s Mayday campaign. Some 30 young people were brought to safety by RNLI…

Youghal Lifeboat Radio Doc Traces 175 Years of East Cork Rescues

28th April 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#rnli – A new radio documentary on CRY104fm entitled "Saving Lives At Sea" airs tomorrow night (Tuesday the 29th of April) at 7pm tracing the history of the Youghal RNLI as it celebrates 175 years in existence. Beginning with one…

Kian Egan Gets His Welly On to Raise Funds for Irish Lifeboats

28th April 2014 RNLI Lifeboats

#kianegan – Voice of Ireland judge and former Westlife member Kian Egan has teamed up with the RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crews to lend his support to their Mayday campaign. From Thursday 1 May until Monday 5 May the charity's volunteers…

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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