Irish Coast Guard saves nearly 2,000 lives in one of its busiest years on record

The Irish Coast Guard saved or helped nearly 2,000 lives last year as extreme weather pushed emergency services to the brink, making 2025 one of the most demanding years in its history.

Over the course of last year, the Coast Guard managed 2793 incidents, ranging from search and rescue operations to maritime casualty responses, as well as pollution control and preparedness activities.

The 44 Coast Guard Units were deployed 1187 times during the year, continuing to play a vital role in safeguarding communities nationwide.

This included 933 helicopter missions including medical support for offshore island communities.

In total, the Irish Coast Guard provided life-saving assistance to 1941individuals in 2025, either preventing loss of life or ensuring timely access to medical care.

Collaboration remained central to all efforts, with the three Rescue Coordination Centres in Dublin, Malin, and Valentia tasking RNLI lifeboats on 798 occasions and activating the community inshore rescue service 121 times.

The Irish Coast Guard reached a major milestone in its aviation capability, with the AW189 helicopters operated by Bristow Ireland commencing operations from bases in Shannon, Dublin and Sligo and Fixed Wing operations going live from Shannon in September 2025.

This strategic expansion ensures that the IRCG has responded more effectively to emergencies, ensuring rapid deployment and improved coverage across Ireland’s coastline and inland areas throughout 2025.

The additional aviation capacity has already proven critical in 2025, a year marked by extreme and unpredictable weather conditions.

These conditions placed unprecedented demands on emergency services, requiring rapid and coordinated responses across multiple regions.

With increased resources and operational flexibility, the Coast Guard has also delivered enhanced support for Principal Response Agencies (PRAs) nationwide ensuring that communities affected by flooding, coastal emergencies, and other weather-related incidents received assistance and life-saving interventions.

Ms Joanna Cullen, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Transport with responsibility the Irish Coast Guard said: “2025 was a year that truly tested the resilience and capability of the Irish Coast Guard.

“The extreme weather conditions we faced demanded rapid, coordinated responses, and I am proud of how our teams rose to the challenge.

“The successful transition of three bases and the introduction of Fixed Wing operations from Shannon have been game-changers, enabling us to respond faster and more effectively than ever before.

“These advancements, combined with the dedication of our volunteers and partners, ensured that communities across Ireland received the life-saving support they needed when it mattered most.”