Dún Laoghaire RNLI launches to aid of six

The inshore lifeboat of Dún Laoghaire RNLI launched twice on Saturday evening (20th).

Lifeboat volunteers were first paged by the Coast Guard at 5:12pm to a report of four children waving paddles on an inflatable dinghy in Killiney Bay.

Crew assembled in the lifeboat station and launched Joval but was stood down a short time later by the Coast Guard on foot of a report that the group had made it safely ashore.

The volunteer crew returned to the lifeboat, where the D-class lifeboat was washed down and made ready for the next shout.

Volunteer crew included helm Gary Hayes, Nathan Burke and Dan Phillips, with birthday boy Ciarán Deane and Kevin Byrne (Launching Authority) acting as shore crew.

Pagers sounded again at 7:38pm as Dublin Coast Guard tasked the lifeboat to two sailors aboard a small angling boat that put out a MayDay call as they were being blown into rocks near Poolbeg Lighthouse.

Once again, lifeboat volunteers assembled to launch Joval. They were: helm Paul Cummins, Gary Hayes and James Traynor, with Nathan Burke and Kevin Byrne (Launching Authority) acting as shore crew.

RNLI volunteers aboard a nearby RIB and a Dublin Port pilot boat assisted the sailors while the lifeboat was on its way.

The casualty boat was towed from the rocks by the pilot boat, where it regained power.

When the Dún Laoghaire RNLI inshore lifeboat arrived on scene, the sailors were escorted to Poolbeg Marina.

Dún Laoghaire lifeboat volunteers made their way back to the lifeboat station, ready for the next shout, ahead of Father’s Day tomorrow and good weather for the rest of the week.

Aoife Ward, Dún Laoghaire Lifeboat Press Officer said, ‘I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many fathers and father figures among Dún Laoghaire RNLI lifeboat station volunteers and wish them a very happy Father’s Day.’