Volunteers from Irish lifeboat stations including Dun Laoghaire, Arklow and Union Hall were among the 2,500 guests at a special garden party at Buckingham Palace last Thursday (23 May) to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

HRH The Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and RNLI President HRH The Duke of Kent hosted the event that was attended by lifeboat crew, lifeguards, water safety volunteers and fundraisers from across Great Britain and Ireland, including recent recipients of meritorious service awards and The King’s Birthday and New Year Honours.

Representing Dun Laoghaire RNLI were helm Nathan Burke, station mechanic and coxswain Kieran ‘Colley’ O’Connell and helm Gary Hayes.

Representing Union Hall RNLI at Buckingham Palace last Thursday were volunteers Mary Rose Deasy and Mary Jacinta Casey, flanked by Martin Deasy and Sean Thompson | Credit: Mary Rose Deasy

Fundraising volunteers Mary Rose Deasy and Mary Jacinta Casey attended on behalf of Union Hall RNLI in West Cork, while Arklow RNLI was represented by John and Liz Bermingham, Jimmy and Majella Myler, Austin Gaffney and Helena Dennehy; and Trevor and Kelly Ann Conroy.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was a presentation by The Princess Royal of a Silver Medal for Gallantry to Penlee RNLI coxswain Patrick ‘Patch’ Harvey for his pivotal role in saving eight French sailors during a hurricane on 31 October 2022.

Head of volunteering at the RNLI, Donna McReath said: “I would like to thank each and every one of our incredible volunteers.

Among those attending the garden party from Ireland were John and Liz Bermingham, Jimmy and Majella Myler, Austin Gaffney and Helena Dennehy, and Trevor and Kelly Ann Conroy from Arklow RNLI

“We couldn’t do what we do without their vital support and the time and effort they generously dedicate in a wide variety of roles, from lifesaving crew to fundraisers and those who volunteer in our shops, museums or by sharing our water safety messaging.

“They are all lifesavers, and this special garden party is a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the joy and impact of volunteering for the RNLI. We are always looking for new volunteers to join our charity to help us continue saving lives at sea.”

Since the RNLI was founded on 4 March 1824, following an appeal to the nation from Sir William Hillary, the charity has saved more than 146,277 lives — this equates to an average of two lives saved every day for 200 years.

Today, the RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations around Ireland and the UK, and has seasonal lifeguards on around 240 lifeguarded beaches around the UK.

Dun Laoghaire's "Living Streets" programme to pedestrianise parts of the town adjoining the harbour moved a step closer following a marathon council meeting.

As RTÉ and The Irish Times report, councillors voted in favour of the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council "Living Streets" scheme shortly before 2 am on Tuesday.

A number of amendments to the plan include the requirement that it be subject to “an independent review of traffic levels, economic, environmental and other metrics.”

The plan, including traffic restrictions and pedestrian zones, must also be monitored by the council’s Dún Laoghaire area committee, the chamber agreed.

The scheme was approved by 30 votes to seven votes against.

The plan would implement “modal filters” at Tivoli Road, Cross Avenue and Clarinda Park West to deter vehicular traffic, while parts of George’s Street Lower, Sussex Street and Convent Road would be pedestrianised.

Council officials said the plan would create a safer walking environment through reduced traffic.

They said footpaths would be widened and there would be more facilities for cyclists, more seating and more tree planting.

Local businesses are reported to be divided over the plan, due to the potential economic impact.

Read RTÉ here and The Irish Times here

The inquest into the death of a solicitor who drowned in Dun Laoghaire Harbour has returned an open verdict, as The Irish Times reports.

The body of 54-year-old David Montgomery was found by his wife and brother in the water near his boat on 10 October 2022.

Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard that Montgomery has been stressed by an issue with the Law Society — which the High Court heard last year was an investigation of his family’s legal practice over a €1.7 million deficit in a client account — and had on the day of his death seen a case “going badly”.

Montgomery was also not in the habit of wearing a personal flotation device when working on his boat moored in Dun Laoghaire Harbour, the inquest was told.

Gardaí added that that they were satisfied that his drowning was a “tragic accident” but the coroner, Dr Clare Keane, returned an open verdict absent enough evidence to conclude that his death was accidental, intentional or due to misadventure.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Last Saturday, the Dun Laoghaire RNLI rescued a Cocker Spaniel named Charlie from a rocky ledge inside the west wall at Dun Laoghaire harbour. Charlie, a three-year-old chocolate brown Cocker Spaniel, had wandered down the dangerously slippy harbour wall steps and tumbled into the sea while out for a walk with his owner. The Harbour Police saw the event unfold and called the Irish Coast Guard for assistance.

The Coast Guard requested the volunteer lifeboat crew of the Dun Laoghaire RNLI to assist in the rescue operation. The crew, aboard Lifeboat ‘Joval’, helmed by Andrew Sykes with volunteer crew members Laura Jackson and James Traynor onboard, arrived on scene within six minutes of the call.

Although the weather was calm with excellent visibility, the low sea temperature presented difficulties for Charlie in the water. However, the team quickly rescued the dog from the water and brought him ashore. Charlie was shaken and distressed by his ordeal but was quickly comforted by Laura and didn’t require medical treatment when reunited with his owner.

Volunteer Helm Andrew Sykes said, "We were delighted to see the dog safe and well and reunite Charlie with his walker. We would remind anyone walking their dog near the water’s edge to keep them on a lead to ensure not only the safety of the animal but the owner as well."

Dun Laoghaire’s assistant harbour master was quick with the camera when a pod of dolphins paid a visit on Monday morning (8 January).

Dolphins like these are a common sight for boaters in Dublin Bay and beyond.

But it’s a rare treat for these marine wildlife to come so close to shore — and in this case there’s video evidence to prove it, care of RTÉ News.

One commenter on social media suggested the dolphins were in search of herring inshore, as The Sun reports.

The proposed National Watersports Campus for Dun Laoghaire has received a major boost in the form of a €410,000-plus top-up grant under the Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF).

Sport Minister Catherine Martin and Minister of State Thomas Byrne made the announcement on Wednesday (6 December) of some €37.6 million in additional funding that will benefit 27 individual projects.

The new funding is being provided in response to delays experienced by grantees arising from the pandemic and construction inflation, following engagement with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.

Dun Laoghaire’s planned watersports campus gets an additional €410,952 on top of its original €441,893 allocation under the LSSIF in 2020 to fund a feasibility study, for a total of €852,845.

In other watersport-related projects, the National Rowing Centre in Inniscarra, Co Cork receives a top-up of €66,562 after its initial allocation of €613,049.

The ministers have also confirmed that a new round of the LSSIF will open for applications in the first half of 2024.

And for the first time there be a requirement for all successful applicants to publish their Similar Access Policies, in respect of men and women having access to the facilities on similar terms, in order to be eligible for a “top-up” allocation drawdown.

A group of three Irish friends have joined together to write and produce a song honouring lifeboat volunteers throughout the RNLI, which they hope will raise vital funds and awareness of the work carried out by the charity that saves lives at sea.

Eamon O’Brien, Bill Shanley and Ed Jackson, known collectively as The Islands Project, wrote “The Shout” after being inspired seeing the work of lifeboat volunteers at home in Ireland and in the UK.

For Eamon O’Brien, originally from Cork but now living in Dublin, songwriting started as a pandemic project which quickly took hold and became a passion. He started writing lyrics in 2020 and when he met with Ed Jackson, sailing on the Shannon, he already had the idea for a song about the work of the RNLI.

Ed, a part-time musician from Mayo living in Dublin, and Eamon took their idea to well-known guitarist and music producer Bill Shanley of Cauldron Music, whose father was a friend of Eamon’s, and between the three of them, the lifeboat song “The Shout” was born.

Taking its inspiration from the term the lifeboat volunteers use for a search-and-rescue call-out, “The Shout” takes the listener on a journey around Ireland and the UK, name-checking many of the institutions’ lifeboat stations including Dun Laoghaire and Castletownbere in Ireland and Cowes, Cromer, Llandudno and Stornoway across the water.

The group launched the song at Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station in Dublin, which is not far from where Eamon lives. The lifeboat volunteers were due to go on their weekly training exercise and showed the group around the busy station. The crew were then presented with CD copies of the single before giving their seal of approval to the song.

Commenting on the project and his hopes for it, Eamon O’Brien said: “This has been a real labour of love. We are all involved with the water in some way, either through where we live or taking part in water-based activities. You see lifeboats in the water and you know they are there to go out when others are seeking shelter and returning to shore.

“The work the volunteers do is incredible and it is replicated at over 200 lifeboat stations throughout Ireland and the UK. Each man and woman is trained to the highest standard and is responsible for saving lives in some of the most challenging conditions.

“Conscious of the fact that 2024 is the 200th anniversary of the RNLI lifeboat service, I would love people who listen to this song to think about the incredible service the RNLI provides and consider donating to the charity to support their work.”

Speaking at the launch of the single, Dun Laoghaire RNLI coxswain Mark McGibney added: “We were delighted to welcome the group to our station to mark the release of ‘The Shout’. You can walk into any lifeboat station and the kit and the training is exactly the same. I’m very proud of our crew here, who give up so much of their time and never fail to turn up when the pagers go off. But it wouldn’t be possible without the support we get from the public and from our fundraisers.

“I hope that the song gives people a little bit of an insight into the work we do and that it helps raise some funds for the charity. Thank you so much to Eamon, Bill and Ed for writing this song — we hope everyone enjoys it.”

“The Shout” is available on all major music streaming platforms.

In July, a new classic boat/yacht parade is planned for Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

This event is being arranged in association with Dun Laoghaire's Coastival Festival, a week-long series of events and activities that culminates in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

"Classic" in this context is any vessel that was designed 50 or more years ago.

Sailing classes invited to participate include the iconic Dublin designs - Water Wags, Dublin Bay 21s, IDRA 14s, Mermaids, and Glens.

Other classic keelboats include Ruffians, Shipmans, Squibs, and Dragons, while there will be a number of classic dinghies, including Fireballs, Lasers and Wayfarers.

Sailing Instructions for the parade of classic sail will be issued in due course.

Further information is in the attached poster and available from Hal Sisk by email: [email protected]

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboat rescued a woman and her dog who became cut off from the shore by the incoming tide on Sunday afternoon (29 January) at Sandymount Strand on Dublin Bay.

The volunteer crew were alerted shortly after 3 pm by the Irish Coast Guard following a mobile phone call from the woman who was forced to stand her ground on a sandbank while the tide came in all around her and her dog.

The volunteer crew launched the inshore lifeboat within 10 minutes of receiving the call and arrived at the scene by 3.20 pm.

The lifeboat, helmed by Alan Keville and with two crew members onboard, immediately made its way to the scene. A westerly wind brought choppy sea conditions on the bay with waves of over one metre on the rising tide.

The walker and her dog were out for their beach stroll when they got into difficulty, and the tide came in across Sandymount Strand. Arriving on scene, the helm brought the inshore lifeboat to its minimum depth, and two volunteer RNLI crew Moselle Hogan and Andrew Sykes, waded the short distance to the sandbank and rescued the woman and her dog, bringing them safely aboard the lifeboat and onto the beach at Poolbeg where they were met by the Coast Guard.

Following the call out, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Helm Alan Keville said: ‘We would like to commend the dog walker for doing the right thing by calling 999 and raising the alarm immediately. Time is always of the essence in these situations.

‘We would remind visitors to the coast to always be aware of local tide times before planning a walk. The tide comes in and out twice in each 24-hour period, and while tide times can be predicted, they can also vary at each location and change daily. A beach or coastal area may appear a safe place for a walk, but an incoming tide can quickly leave you stranded.’

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboat performed a medical evacuation in Dublin Bay last night after a man took ill onboard a ship.

The all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch at 8.50 pm by the Irish Coast Guard.

The lifeboat launched immediately under Coxswain Mark McGibney and with six crew members onboard.

Weather conditions at the time were good, with flat calm seas and a Force 1-2 wind.

Arriving on scene approximately three nautical miles from the lifeboat station, the crew observed the tanker anchored east of the harbour. The lifeboat came alongside the vessel, where the ship's crew dropped a pilot’s ladder to enable the sick man to walk down. The casualty was then transferred on to the lifeboat.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboat Coxswain Mark McGibney

Once inside the cabin, casualty care was administered, and the man was reassured as the lifeboat made its way back to Dun Laoghaire.

On arrival at the emergency berth, the casualty was transferred into the care of Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard and the National Ambulance Service and subsequently brought on to hospital for further treatment.

Speaking following the call out, Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew member Laura Jackson said: ‘Thankfully, the man was reasonably well on our arrival for him to walk off the ship and we were then able to provide him with the necessary casualty care and reassurance he needed as the lifeboat made the short passage back to the station. We would like to wish the man a speedy recovery and thank our own volunteers and our colleagues in both the Coast Guard and the ambulance service for their co-operation.’