RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Powered primarily by kind donations, its search and rescue service has saved lives for 200 years

RNLI Declines Proceeds From Foxhunting Event in Waterford

31st December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The RNLI has declined to accept proceeds from a foxhunting event which was due to take place today (Dec 31) in Dungarvan, Co Waterford. As first reported by The Waterford News and Star and then The Daily Telegraph, the event…

The yacht in difficulty off Lambay Island prior to rescue by the Howth RNLI lifeboat

Howth RNLI Rescue Two People on Yacht in Difficulty off North Dublin Coast

30th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The volunteer lifeboat crew of Howth RNLI launched their All-Weather Lifeboat yesterday (Friday, 29 December) to reports of a yacht with two people on board that was being blown offshore and unable to make its way back to safety. Shortly…

Arranmore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat at sea in the background with three dolphins in the foreground

Arranmore RNLI Celebrates 140 Years of Saving Lives at Sea

30th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

“On the application of the local residents, the RNLI committee decided to open a lifeboat establishment on Arranmore Island. The site for the boathouse and slipway was kindly granted by the landed proprietor Lieutenant F Charley, and the expense of…

The annual ceremony has become a Christmas Eve tradition for the Dublin lifeboat station. Both Dun Laoghaire RNLI’s inshore and all-weather lifeboat launched and the volunteer lifeboat crew laid the wreaths off the east pier in view of the public.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI Crews Lay Wreaths at Sea to Remember Lost Colleagues

26th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew gathered at noon on Christmas Eve, with around 200 people, at the end of the East Pier to lay wreaths at sea and remember 15 of their lifeboat colleagues who lost their lives…

Organisers of Christmas Day or New Year swims are advised to have suitably trained personnel in attendance and to appoint a Safety Officer

Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland Issue Water-Based Activities Advice for the Festive Season

21st December 2023 Coastguard

The Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland and the RNLI have issued a joint appeal for the festive season, urging people to be mindful of the potential risks with their chosen activity and attend to their personal safety in planning and…

Afloat’s Tom MacSweeney Features in RNLI’s 200 Voices Podcast Series

21st December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Cork maritime journalist and Afloat.ie columnist Tom MacSweeney contributes this week to 200 Voices, the special podcast series marking 200 years of the RNLI. Also featuring in the series this week is MacSweeney’s erstwhile colleague when he was marine correspondent…

The RNLI Christmas Eve 2022 ceremony at the East Pier, Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay

Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI to hold Christmas Eve ceremony remembering all who lost their lives through drowning

20th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

At noon on Christmas Eve (Sunday, 24 December) Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew will gather at the end of the East Pier to lay wreaths at sea and remember 15 of their lifeboat colleagues who lost their lives…

Karl O’Neill, Anthony Chambers and Jason Chamber

Portrush’s Lifesaving Chambers Family Add Voice to RNLI’s Christmas Appeal

17th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Christmas is a time for family and, for many, a time for sharing stories of times and generations past. For the Chambers family from Portrush, on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast, these stories often involve saving lives at sea. Jason Chambers…

Rosslare Harbour RNLI Lifeboat Volunteer Sean Cullen (18) holding photographs of his great-great grandfather James Wickham and great-grandfather Jack Wickham, both former lifeboat coxswain

Wexford Lifeboat Family Giving Generations of RNLI service This Christmas

15th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has launched its annual Christmas fundraising appeal, with a focus on the generations of families who have volunteered their time and commitment 24/7, 365 days a year, to ensure the charity’s lifesaving service has…

Larne RNLI Families Among the Generations of Lifesavers On Call This Christmas

15th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Larne RNLI father-and-son duo Frank and Jack Healy plus father and daughter Martin and Sami Agnew have been reflecting on what it’s like to be on call together as both family and fellow crew members. On average, RNLI lifeboats launch…

Open water swimmer Catherine Mulcahy with her publication A Little Book of Happy Swimming Locations

New Guide to Irish Swimming Places Will Support the RNLI

14th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A Little Book of Happy Swimming Locations is a new guide to some of the hidden gems and well-known spots ‘for taking a dip’ all around Ireland. Launched last month, this is the second book on the theme by open…

Aran Islands RNLI coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin with fiancée Treasa and baby Eibhlín

Aran Islands RNLI Ready for First Christmas On Call Under New Coxswain

12th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

As the RNLI launches its annual Christmas fundraising appeal, with a focus on the generations of families who have volunteered their time and commitment to ensure the charity’s lifesaving service has continued for nearly 200 years, there will be a…

Alexandra Van Tuyll receiving her RNLI Certificate of Thanks from head of region Anna Classon

Achill Island Lifeboat Fundraiser Alexandra Van Tuyll Honoured by RNLI

12th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A long-standing volunteer fundraiser for Achill Island RNLI has been honoured by the charity’s chief executive for her generous support of the Co Mayo lifeboat station and its work in saving lives at sea. Alexandra Van Tuyll, who has been…

Courtown RNLI’s lifeboat station lit up for the festive season

Courtown RNLI Invites Community to ‘Jingle Mingle’ This Weekend

6th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Courtown RNLI volunteers invite everyone in the community to their ‘Jingle Mingle’ event this Saturday 9 December. The fundraising committee is hosting the Christmas afternoon from 2pm-5pm on the North Pier in Courtown, Co Wexford. It’s an opportunity to gather…

Gary Hayes, who works as operations manager at Dun Laoghaire Marina, has been a volunteer at Dun Laoghaire lifeboat station for 21 years

Dun Laoghaire RNLI Crew Member Gary Hayes Is Named Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year

4th December 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew member Gary Hayes has been named the Christine Buckley Volunteer of the Year for 2023. Hayes picked up the overall honour at the Volunteer Ireland Awards ceremony in Limerick on Saturday night (2 December) after he…

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Coxswains Ken Cashman and Mark John Gannon on arrival home with Bonnie

Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat in Dog Rescue from Harbour

30th November 2023 RNLI Lifeboats

A dog that had been reported missing for several hours in West Cork was rescued by the Courtmacsherry RNLI Lifeboat Station on Wednesday afternoon. The station received a call from two people on the shore who had spotted the dog…

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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