RNLI lifesavers at Fenit RNLI prepare to answer the call this Christmas
The RNLI is launching its Christmas fundraising appeal, as its volunteer lifeboat crews including those at Fenit and Valentia RNLI selflessly prepare to spend their Christmas on call.
On average, RNLI lifeboats launch over 100 times during the Christmas period* every year, with 119 launches in 2024.
Whatever weather winter throws at them, RNLI crews are ready to leave their celebrations with friends and family to battle the elements and save lives at sea.
These rescues, and others all year round, are only made possible by the RNLI’s generous supporters, helping to fund the essential kit, training and equipment needed to keep crews prepared and protected.
Christmas is a time for family and friends, but the RNLI’s volunteer crews are ready to leave their own celebrations this festive season and answer the call for help.
That is no different at Fenit RNLI where this year has been one of major achievement in the area of training and assessments. Nine crew members including Cian Lawless, Ciara Dolan, Ciarán Forde, Finbarr Griffin, Linda O’ Loughlin, Mark O’ Connor, Ruairi Condon, Shane Mulcair and Wayne O’ Sullivan, all hit new training milestones during the summer on the all-weather lifeboat while Ciarán, Linda, Mark, Ruairi and Wayne also hit important training milestones on the station’s inshore lifeboat. The station welcomed a new Helm in Padraig Brick, a crew navigator in Cian Lawless, three new Launch Authorities in Alan Browne, Peter Clifford and Fergus Kelliher, while Fergus was also appointed as Lifeboat Operations Manager.
Among those at the station preparing for their first Christmas on call is Ciarán Forde.
A native of Glanmire in County Cork, Ciarán moved to Fenit in 2019 with his wife who is originally from outside Tralee, to settle and start a family. The couple now have two young children.
Ciarán joined the lifeboat crew in May 2024 and after a year of continuous training and assessment to gain the knowledge and skills required, he received his pager earlier this year and is now responding to call outs.
‘My Dad is a sailor, and I have been out to sea with him so that was certainly part of the motivation to get involved and to give back. I also wanted an opportunity to be part of the local community that I now live in and volunteering with the RNLI and having the opportunity to do a role that was largely outside, appealed to me.’
A business development manager by day, Ciarán works largely from home which means he can be ready and close at hand to respond should the call for help come in. The reward in giving his time he says, comes from knowing he and his fellow volunteers can for a short time, put their ordinary lives to one side to help others, and then shortly after, return to normal proceedings.
‘Since receiving the pager, I have been on three call outs and the first was memorable in that I was due to leave the house for a flight and family holiday at six o’clock the next morning. The pagers went off at approximately six o’clock in the evening after a yacht lost its steering and the crew encountered problems. The safest course of action that evening was to tow the yacht and her crew back to safety. We returned to the station at 2am so all was well, but that for me is part of the appeal – that volunteers can organise themselves to put their normal lives down to help, and then when the call out is over, get back to normal again. I find that good, interesting and rewarding.
As for preparing for a Christmas on call, Ciarán says the approach will be the same as every other day of the year: ‘There’s no feeling quite like bringing someone home safe to their families – especially at Christmas. Even at this time of year, people still get in trouble in the water, and crews in Fenit, Valentia and every other station across the RNLI, are prepared to leave our own celebrations to help them.
‘But as volunteer lifeboat crew we couldn’t launch without kind donations from the public which fund the kit, training and equipment we need to save others and get home safely to our own families.’
To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work, visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal
Ends
*Christmas period refers to 24 December – 1 January inclusive and launch statistics cover the RNLI in Ireland and the UK.
2024: 119
2023: 120
2022: 102
2021: 107
2020: 108
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please contact Nuala McAloon, RNLI Regional Communications Manager on 087 648 3547 or email [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, RNLI Regional Communications Lead on 087 1254 124 or [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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