VIDEO: May Day, May Day

RACING out of Dun Laoghaire Harbour on board a bright, orange RNLI lifeboat to save somebody’s life is something only the bravest men and women do.

Ahead of the RNLI’s annual fundraising drive on Mayday last Sunday I was offered the opportunity to accompany the Dun Laoghaire crew on one of their training exercises to have a look at the work they do.

Speaking to the men who brought me out, you’d think that what they do is as plain as washing windows. They don’t think of themselves as heroes, even though a number of people are walking around alive today thanks to them.

For men who frequently pluck people from the jaws of death, they are some of the humblest and modest individuals I’ve ever met.

The evening I went out was a calm one on the water but of course, that’s not always the case when people need rescuing.

As David Branigan, a member of the RNLI for 30 years, said: “We’re out here in all kinds of weather.”

As the crew went through their paces for the training exercises, I saw the sheer effort and synchronisation that goes into a rescue.

I looked over the side of the vessel and suddenly one member of the crew was a distance away from the boat, waiting to be “rescued” in the freezing water.

I was shivering just looking at him.

As soon as the crew spotted this man in the water, everybody sprang into action. A net was flung over the side to give the casualty something to hold on to. A huge frame was set up on the side of the boat to lift him from the water, and one of the crew hopped down the net to make sure he was ok.

This all happened quicker than it took me to type that.

As I watched I reflected on the fact that every one of the crew members on that boat is a volunteer. And it was clear that each of them loves what he does.

The Dun Laoghaire RNLI crew are one of the busiest in the country, with 10 calls under their belts already this year.

Once out on the water, the RNLI help out with a variety of emergency services, from fighting fires to first aid.

“The only thing we haven’t done yet is deliver a baby, I’d say,” said Eamon O’Leary, duty coxswain on the night.

 The crew that I went out with were a mix of firefighters, hairdressers, somebody that works in insurance, and a number of other types of jobs.

“There could be as little as 10 minutes between being asleep in bed and being on the boat heading out on a call,” Branigan revealed. “Everybody has their own pager.”

It costs €14 million every year to keep the RNLI afloat and it’s all run by volunteers.

The RNLI is a charity that receives no Government funding, and every cent that’s raised in Ireland is spent on Irish RNLI stations, with additional aid coming from the head office in Britain.

May Day marked the RNLI’s major push for funding, although they welcome donations all year round.

If you wish to donate to the RNLI, you can do so on their website www.rnli.org.

Eoin Lúc Ó Ceallaigh