Kilmore Quay gives Berth to new RNLI Lifeboat

Wednesday, Kilmore Quay proudly gave berth to a new RNLI lifeboat, named “Killarney”.
This €3 million lifeboat will be the first of its class to be based at an Irish lifeboat station. It is the most modern and technically advanced lifeboat in the RNLI fleet. The local residents, local fishing boats and the Search and Rescue Helicopter all turned out to welcome the lifeboat and the crew home last Wednesday evening, (13.10.10). The national television station RTE1, covered the arrival on the early evening news.

BEQUEST

The new lifeboat was fully financed from a bequest by Mrs Mary Weeks from Surrey in England who passed away in 2006. Mrs Weeks met her husband while on a cruise off the west coast of Scotland on a boat named “Killarney”. She also has a strong RNLI connection through her maiden name Distin. Mrs Weeks was related to the Coxswain of Salcombe lifeboat Samuel Distin and to Albert Distin. Both men lost their lives in the Salcombe lifeboat disaster of 1916.

A FEW WORDS FROM OUR COXWAIN

Kilmore Quay lifeboat Coxswain Eugene Kehoe said, “It’s a proud day for Kilmore Quay. A new lifeboat is a tremendous gift and we will take very good care of it. We are very grateful to the donor who by leaving this legacy to the RNLI has provided a lifeboat that will go on to save many lives at sea. On a bad night miles out to sea it is good to know that we have a state of the art lifeboat and a highly trained lifeboat crew to respond to every situation.”

RNLI

RNLI, (Royal National Lifeboat Institution), is a charity that saves lives at sea. They provide a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland. RNLI was founded in 1824. Before, during and after the the troubles in Northern Ireland it has always been an excellent example of cross border co-operation, long before the Good Friday Agreement. Many of the lifeboat crews are volunteers and they wear their pagers at all times. As soon as their pagers alert the crew to an emergency at sea, they respond immediately by proceeding to their lifeboat station. As soon as a full crew is assembled, the lifeboat is manned and they head to sea to mount their rescue mission. A full crew numbers six in the case of Kilmore Quay.

SEA ANGLING

RNLI provide an essential service which makes our seas safe for fishermen, anglers and all sailors. The new “Killarney” will certainly help to underpin Kilmore Quay’s reputation an an excellent place from which to go sea angling.

RNLI & KILMORE QUAY LIFEBOAT IN NUMBERS

NUMBERS	REPRESENTING
3 million	Cost in Euro of new Lifeboat “Killarney”
44	Number of Survivors that can be accommodated
6	Number of Crew
1824	The year RNLI was founded
1847	The year a Lifeboat station was established in Kilmore Quay
16	Length of new Lifeboat in meters
25	Maximum speed in knots of “Killarney”
139,000	Lives saved since foundation of RNLI in 1824
230	Lifeboat stations around Ireland and UK
19	Awards for gallantry received by Kilmore Quay crew members