Ballyglass RNLI responded to two back to back call-outs today, first to bring an injured fisherman to safety, and then to assist a 10m fishing vessel that had broken down off the Mayo coast.

The volunteer crew launched their all-weather lifeboat this morning (Tuesday 19 March) to go to the aid of a fishing vessel with an injured crew member, 18 miles east of Ballyglass.

The lifeboat was requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard at 9.34am this morning to the boat which had three people onboard.

Weather conditions were overcast at the time with a west to southwest wind, force 4 to 5 and a westerly sea swell of two metres.

The all-weather lifeboat under Coxswain James Mangan with six crew onboard, launched immediately and was on scene approximately 40 minutes later. The crew assessed the casualty before transferring him safely from the vessel to the lifeboat and then administering casualty care. The lifeboat proceeded onwards to Ballyglass where the crew transferred the casualty into the care of a waiting ambulance. Ballyglass Coast Guard Unit was on standby at the pier. The fisherman was subsequently brought to Mayo General Hospital for further treatment.

Having arrived back at the station shortly after 11am, Ballyglass RNLI was requested to launch for a second time some two hours later, this time at the request of the Irish Coast Guard, to go to the aid of a 10m fishing boat with three people onboard, that had broken down 16 miles north of Downpatrick Head.

The lifeboat immediately launched again under Coxswain James Mangan with four crew onboard. Weather conditions freshened this afternoon to a west to southwest wind Force 5 wind and a 2.5- 3m swell. Once on scene, the lifeboat crew began to work with the fishermen to establish a towline.

The lifeboat then began the slow tow back to Ballyglass RNLI where they are expected to arrive later this evening.

Speaking after a long day at sea for the volunteer crew, Padraig Sheeran, Ballyglass RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager said: ‘Today has been a busy one for the lifeboat station with the first two call-outs of the year happening straight after each other.

‘We want to extend our best wishes to the injured fisherman for a speedy recovery and wish the crew of both fishing boats well.

I would like also like to thank and commend our lifeboat crew for their dedication and professionalism in responding to these back to back call outs today. It is something they train for and are prepared to do but days like today do highlight their selfless willingness and commitment.’

Ballyglass RNLI has this afternoon (Monday 25 June) come to the aid of a lone sailor whose 10m yacht got into difficulty off the Mayo coast.  The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 12.37pm following a request from the Irish Coast Guard.

The lifeboat under Coxswain James Mangan and with six crew onboard launched immediately and made its way to the scene some five miles north of Ballyglass Lighthouse.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good with calm waters and the sun shining.

Once on scene, the crew observed that yacht had fouled its propeller. The sailor had entered the water in an attempt to free the propeller but was unsuccessful and called for assistance.

On arrival, the crew assessed that the sailor was safe and well before working to detangle the rope.

The lifeboat crew launched their smaller inflatable daughter Y boat to access the yacht and free the rope from the propeller. A towline was subsequently secured and the lifeboat brought the yacht safely back to Ballyglass Harbour.

Speaking following the call out, Ballyglass RNLI mechanic Allen Murray said: ‘As the summer holidays approach and we continue to enjoy a period of hot weather, we would like to remind everyone to enjoy it but also to respect the water.

‘Always wear a lifejacket and always carry a means of communication. Let someone ashore know when you are leaving, where you are going and when you are due back. Check the weather forecast and tide times. Learn how to start, run and maintain your engine and always carry tools and spares. Should you get into difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.’

#RNLI - Ballyglass RNLI’s lifeboat crew had an unusual callout on Monday evening (14 May) when they were launched to recover a runaway barge that had drifted to the Mayo coast across the Atlantic from Canada more than 3,000km away.

The large floating barge had broken from its moorings in Labrador in north-east Canada last November, and after six months at sea was spotted and reported by a passing fishing vessel earlier on Monday.

Ballyglass RNLI received the call to launch last night at 7.20pm. On arriving on scene, the lifeboat crew found a steel barge measuring 26 metres by 16 metres, which was unsecured and floating.

The lifeboat crew established a tow and brought the barge back to Ballyglass Harbour.

However, with no room to berth such a large barge safely, it was put on the lifeboat mooring before a more permanent solution could be found. The crew were not stood down until 2am this morning.

All in all, it took the lifeboat crew seven hours to secure the barge and and bring it safely to Ballyglass.

Commenting on the shout, Ballyglass RNLI lifeboat operations manager Padraic Sheeran said: “We were not expecting this type of callout at all. You do hear of vessels and craft breaking free of moorings but it’s unusual to have one drift thousands of kilometres and have to be rescued by lifeboat.

“On a serious note though, it represented a major navigational danger to any vessel that it collided with and it was a relief to have it safely recovered.”

The callout will remind Afloat.ie readers of the houseboat that drifted from Newfoundland to the Mayo coast in November 2016.

#Coastguard - Coastguard teams from Achill and Ballyglass were involved in the recovery of the body of a young man from a popular tourism spot on the Mayo coast, as Independent.ie reports.

Achill Coast Guard's cliff rescue unit were called into action to recover the suspected faller from the 65ft blowhole at Dun na mBó after reports of a missing person in the area.

A spokesperson for Achill Coast Guard described the almost five-hour operation as "extremely dangerous, challenging and technically difficult" as the casualty was located in a cave within the blowhole, with sea water rushing in from the base.

#RNLI - Alex Ellis-Roswell recently walked into Mayo without any fanfare but with the sole aim to continue his marathon walk to raise funds for the RNLI, a charity close to his heart.

The 23-year-old Kent native is well on his way to smashing a £20,000 (€25,000) fundraising target which will see vital funds raised for the lifeboats.

When he set out 649 days ago, Ellis-Roswell planned to walk along the British coastline only, but he changed his mind and boarded a ferry to Belfast last year to add the beautiful Irish coastline to his journey.

When he finishes he will have walked the entire length of the Irish and UK coasts.

Ellis-Roswell has had many adventures along the way with strangers opening their doors to him and providing food and company for him along the way. Their kindness has seen him almost reach his target, which he now plans to exceed.

The weather had not been kind along the way, and he has pitched his tent in some stunning but remote places with the wind and the rain beating down on him. He has also battled with the toll the epic walk has taken on both his knees.

Starting his walk in Ireland at Belfast last year, he came down along the east coast before rounding the southern coastline and trekking along the Cork and Kerry peninsulas, clocking up hundreds of kilometres.

He has now crossed the border into Mayo and the sun has come out to match the hospitality of the locals to make it a special stop on his journey. Two important places for him to call in to visit have been the Achill and Ballyglass RNLI lifeboat stations, where he was made feel very welcome.

Commenting on the incredible fundraising initiative when Ellis-Roswell stopped by to visit the lifeboat crew and fundraisers with Ballyglass RNLI, the station’s volunteer lifeboat press officer Agatha Hunt said: "We were honoured to welcome Alex to our door and to hear about his adventures so far. It is incredible to think that a young man from across the water would do this for a charity which is very close to all of us here.

"Every lifeboat station and volunteer shares a common goal to save lives and help those in difficulty but it is very touching to see someone so young doing this to help in our work. I know his father, who also had great affection, for the RNLI would have been very proud of him."

Huge thanks are also due to the Broadhaven Bay Hotel, Léim Siar B&B Blacksod, Western Strand Hotel and the Kilcummin Lodge B&B who supported the young man in his walk by providing accommodation during his visit.

If people wish donate to Alex Ellis-Roswell they can do so via his online fundraising page. He is also cataloguing his journey on social media and can be followed on Facebook or Twitter.

Ballyglass RNLI has rescued three fishermen off the Mayo coast this morning, following a 10 hour call out.

The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat at 7.45pm yesterday evening (Sunday 24 April) after a member of the public who was standing on the shore saw a vessel drifting and raised the alarm.

The fishermen were on a 75ft vessel when they got into difficulty north east of Downpatrick Head.

The lifeboat under Coxswain John Walsh and with four crew members onboard launched within minutes and made its way to the scene some six miles north of Killala.

Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a north westerly Force 3 wind blowing.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that no one was in any immediate danger and began to work with the three fishermen to set up a towline.

With a tow in place, the lifeboat began the slow passage towards Killybegs in County Donegal. The weather conditions freshened as the night entered morning.

As the lifeboat approached Killybegs at 3am, it was met by a tug at Rotten Island and the tow was passed over. The tug proceeded to bring the fishing vessel the remaining distance into the harbour at Killybegs.

With all safe and well, the lifeboat crew began their return journey arriving back at Ballyglass at six o’clock this morning (Monday 25 April).

Speaking following the call out, Agatha Hurst, Ballyglass RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘We would like to commend the member of the public who observed from the shore that the fishing vessel was experiencing some problems. It was a long call out for our volunteers but they were more than happy to work throughout the night to ensure the crew and their vessel was safely returned to shore.’

Ballyglass RNLI is assisting three fishermen this afternoon after their 40ft trawler got into difficulty off the Mayo coast.

The volunteer crew was requested to launch their all-weather lifeboat shortly after 10 o’clock this morning following a report that a fishing vessel with three onboard was experiencing problems some 28 nautical miles north of Benwee Head.

Weather conditions at the time were described as favourable with a calm sea and good visibility.

The lifeboat under Coxswain John Walsh and with six crew members onboard launched at 10.25am.

Once on scene approximately an hour and a half later, the lifeboat crew observed that no one was in any immediate danger and began to work with the fishing crew to set up a tow.

With a rope in place, the lifeboat began the slow tow back to Ballyglass, an ongoing passage which is expected to take five hours.

Agatha Hurst, Ballyglass RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer said: ‘The fishermen did the right thing this morning and requested assistance when their vessel got into difficulty. The lifeboat crew successfully set up a tow and we hope to have everyone returned safe and well to Ballyglass later this afternoon.’

Two young fishermen are recovering today (Sunday 31 October 2010) after being rescued by lifeboat crew from Ballyglass RNLI.  The two men were found in a liferaft 13 miles north of Belderrig in County Mayo after a lifeboat crewmember raised the alarm when they had not returned after to shore last night.  Their fishing vessel had capsized and unable to raise the alarm the two men spent ten hours at sea in a liferaft waiting for help.

Ballyglass RNLI volunteer crewmember John Walsh contacted the Ballyglass Lifeboat Operations Manager when a fishing vessel had not returned to Porturlin when expected. Lifeboat Operations Manager Harry McCallum got in touch with Malin Head Coast Guard and the Ballyglass RNLI all weather lifeboat was launched at 11.49pm along with the Sligo based Coast Guard helicopter.

The rescue crews headed to the area where the fishermen were understood to be recovering pots from the water.  The helicopter crew spotted the liferaft with the two men onboard and communicated the position to the lifeboat, which was nearby.  The men had managed to remove their wet clothes and had put on plastic sacks to keep warm.  They were recovered onto the lifeboat and taken to Ballyglass to recover.

Commenting on the callout Ballyglass RNLI Coxswain JT Gaughran said, " These two young men were extremely lucky.  There had been nobody out searching for them until our crewmember John Walsh, who is an experienced fisherman, raised the alarm.   Things can go wrong very quickly out at sea and every second counts.  Thankfully conditions were moderate and once the search was underway they were spotted quickly."

The lifeboat  pictured below returned to Ballyglass at 3am this morning with the two men onboard.

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Members of Ballyglass RNLI responded to an emergency callout yesterday (Sunday 20 June 2010) afternoon for a man reported missing after he went swimming in a remote mountain lake outside Bangor Erris in County Mayo.  The volunteer lifeboat crew were unable to take their inshore lifeboat inland to the lake as the location was extremely remote but they are trained in search and rescue techniques and were called on to assist.

The request for help was received by Ballyglass RNLI Coxswain JT Gaughan from the Gardai at 4.10pm yesterday (Sunday 20 June 2010) when the girlfriend of the man reported him missing after he had gone for a swim in Stoney Lake.  The mountain lake is three miles from the nearest road and in very rough terrain.  The lifeboat crew along with the Gardai, Belmullet Sub Aqua Club, the Coast Guard and members of the North Western Regional fisheries board immediately went to give assistance.

Due to the remote access of the lake the Irish Coast Guard helicopter carried the search and rescue teams as near to the location as it could safely land and a search of the lake commenced.  The search was called off at 10.30pm and was resumed first thing this morning.  A man was recovered at approximately 10am and pronounced dead at the scene.  His body has been taken to Castlebar hospital.

Commenting on the callout Ballyglass RNLI Coxswain JT Gaughan said,  "this was a very sad and difficult callout for all involved.  Everyone in the community and the various search and rescue agencies worked together in extremely challenging conditions to search for the young man.  Our condolences go out to his family and friends."