
150 Year anniversary of lifeboat tragedy remembered by Skerries RNLI at ceremony
At 12.30pm on Sunday 5 February at the lifeboat station in Skerries, Dublin, RNLI volunteers, past and present, will gather to lay a wreath at sea and remember 6 of their colleagues who were lost while on a service in 1873
On 2nd Feb 1873, the lifeboat from Skerries was capsized while proceeding to the assistance of the schooner “Sarah of Runcorn” which had got into difficulty off Balbriggan. Six of the men manning the lifeboat were drowned.
Speaking about the tragedy, Skerries RNLI Chairman and local historian, Sam Shiels said: ‘At about 8.45pm, in the pitch dark, it was a very stormy night with snow and heavy winds, when the Skerries Lifeboat and coastguard got the call. The lifeboat crew went to the aid of Sarah of Runcorn, under sail but as they got close to the listing ship, they pulled in their sails and started to row. So rough was it, that the oars of the lifeboat crew were wrenched from their hands.
Over the next few hours the crews of both Skerries Lifeboat and Coastguard fought admirably to save the crew.
Unfortunately, such was the storm, the heavy seas, that 6 souls were lost that night.
Today we honour those souls and the legacy they left behind. 150 years later the spirit of the volunteers who put to sea to save others is still strong.’
Note for Editor:
Date: 12.30pm, February 5th 2023
Event: Sarah of Runcorn 150 year Anniversary Remembrance
Location: Skerries Lifeboat Station, Harbour Rd., Skerries.
The names of the volunteers lost were: Patrick Reid, James Kelly, William Fitzpatrick, Joseph Halpin, Richard Cochrane, Albert Fanning.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please telephone Gerry Canning, Skerries RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 087 988 4965 or email [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, RNLI Ireland Media Officer on 087 648 3547 or email [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, RNLI Ireland Media Manager on 087 1254 124 or [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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