Lough Derg RNLI celebrated in an Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving
On Sunday morning 18 August, as part of an Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving for the Lough Derg Yacht Club Regatta at Kilodiernan Church in Puckane, the Nenagh Union of Parishes included a celebration of the RNLIs 200 years of lifesaving, and Lough Derg RNLIs 20 years of service.
Rev. Keith Barry invited Fr Willie McCormack to concelebrate the service, which included RNLI volunteers, sailors and parishioners amongst the congregation.
Dr. John Killeen, Chairperson of the RNLI Council in Ireland and an RNLI Trustee, gave an address that included an account of the work of the charity during its long history. He celebrated the volunteer spirit and the ‘one crew’ ethos, both on and off the water. He gave a profoundly moving description of the contact, hand to hand, of a lifeboat crew reaching down to save a person from the water.
The Lough Derg Yacht Club Social Singers, many of whom are also volunteers with Lough Derg RNLI, performed
Home from the Sea, an RNLI anthem written by Phil Coulter. Eleanor Hooker, Helm and Lifeboat Press Officer at Lough Derg RNLI, read her poem ‘Float to Live’, which was commissioned for the RNLI’s bicentenary year celebrations.
Following the service, Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee said she was ‘delighted to see the wonderful support for the RNLI it this commemorative year for the charity and an important birthday for Lough Derg RNLI’.
Photographs – please credit Gerardine Wisdom
Photo 1.Jocelyn Sanders, Lay Preacher, Alan Algeo, Sailor, Dr Christine O'Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI, Rev. Keith Barry, Fr Willie McCormack, Eleanor Hooker, Helm and Lifeboat Press Officer at Lough Derg RNLI, Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee, a member of the RNLI Council, Ireland and an RNLI Vice-President, Dr John Killeen, Chairperson of the RNLI Council in Ireland and RNLI Trustee, Lt.Commander John Leech, Principal Race Officer, Regatta - Lough Derg Yacht Club, Declan Mulcahy, Commodore Lough Derg Yacht Club
Photo 2.
Dr Christine O'Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI, Billy George, Safety Officer, Lough Derg RNLI, Laura Clarke, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Caleb Clarke, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Eleanor Hooker, Helm and Lifeboat Press Officer at Lough Derg RNLI, Dr John Killeen, Chairperson of the RNLI Council in Ireland and RNLI Trustee, Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee, a member of the RNLI Council, Ireland and an RNLI Vice-President, Robert Grace, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Anne Atkinson, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Tom Sanders, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Dr Peter Hooker, Lifeboat Medical Advisor, Lough Derg RNLI
Dr Christine O'Malley, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Lough Derg RNLI, Billy George, Safety Officer, Lough Derg RNLI, Laura Clarke, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Caleb Clarke, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Eleanor Hooker, Helm and Lifeboat Press Officer at Lough Derg RNLI, Dr John Killeen, Chairperson of the RNLI Council in Ireland and RNLI Trustee, Niamh McCutcheon, Chairperson of Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Committee, a member of the RNLI Council, Ireland and an RNLI Vice-President, Robert Grace, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Anne Atkinson, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Tom Sanders, RNLI Fundraising Committee, Lough Derg, Dr Peter Hooker, Lifeboat Medical Advisor, Lough Derg RNLI
Photo 3.
Congregation at Kilodiernan Church in Puckane for the ‘Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving for the Lough Derg Yacht Club Regatta and 200 years of the RNLI and 20 years of the Lough Derg Lifeboat'
Congregation at Kilodiernan Church in Puckane for the ‘Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving for the Lough Derg Yacht Club Regatta and 200 years of the RNLI and 20 years of the Lough Derg Lifeboat'
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Click here to access the RNLI 200th anniversary media pack, which contains a selection of RNLI archive images from key points in the charity’s history, an RNLI history timeline, and a film of ‘200 years in 200 seconds’ – all of which can be downloaded.
- Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 2004. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/lough-derg-lifeboat-station
- Photos of Lough Derg RNLI can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/RNLILoughDerg/ Please credit RNLI.
Media contacts
For more information please telephone Eleanor Hooker, Lough Derg RNLI volunteer helm and Lifeboat Press Officer on 0877535207 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or
[email protected]
RNLI online
For more information, please visit the
RNLI website or
Facebook,
Twitter and
YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the
RNLI News Centre.
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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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.
RNLI at 200
On 4 March 2024, the RNLI celebrates 200 years of saving lives at sea – thanks to volunteers giving their time to save others, all funded by voluntary public donations. Throughout its 200th anniversary year, the charity is running events and activities to commemorate its history, celebrate the lifesaving service it provides today, and inspire generations of future lifesavers and supporters.
For more information visit RNLI.org/200.
For more information visit RNLI.org/200.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.