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Arranmore RNLI's volunteer crew respond to four calls for assistance in one week

Lifeboats News Release

The volunteer crew of Arranmore RNLI experienced a busy week responding to four requests from Malin Head Coast Guard to assist with three medical evacuations and a possible sighting of a person in difficulty in the sea.

RNLI/Aisling Cox

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The first call came at 7.46pm Wednesday evening (15 July) to a report from a member of the public to a possible sighting of a person in the sea, approximately half a mile from the lifeboat station. The lifeboat launched and conducted a search of a wide area for forty five minutes.

Arranmore RNLI Coxswain Kieran O’Donnell said: 'Having searched the area thoroughly and found no evidence of anyone in trouble, we concluded that this was possibly a false alarm with good intent. The person who reported the incident did the right thing and I commend them. If you see someone in trouble on the coast or on the water please call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.'

The second call for the lifeboat came on Thursday (16 July) at 3.30pm to assist an injured person on Iniskeel island, off Portnoo. On reaching the island the Coast Guard helicopter from Sligo was in the process of airlifting the casualty for further assessment in hospital and the lifeboat returned to anchor following refuelling at Burtonport.

The next call came on Friday evening (17 July) at 9.12pm to assist an injured person on Inniscoo island. Having attended the casualty the crew then transferred the injured person to the lifeboat and on to Burtonport to a waiting ambulance.

The fourth call of the week for assistance with a medical evacuation from Arranmore came on Sunday evening (19 July) at 9.22pm. The casualty was transferred from the lifeboat to a waiting ambulance in Burtonport for assessment in University Hospital Letterkenny.

Coxswain Kieran O’Donnell continued: ‘Firstly, I would like to wish all the casualties a speedy and full recovery and I want to commend the lifeboat crew for their professionalism with casualty care and their dedication in answering the call at all hours.’

Volunteer crew on board the various calls were, Coxswain Kieran O’Donnell, Relief Mechanic John Mc Hugh, Senior Station Technician Philip McCauley, Sharon O’Donnell, Reamon O’Donnell, Mickey Mc Hugh, Bernard John O’Donnell, Aine Boyle, John Boyle, Joe Doherty, Evan O’Donnell, JJ O’Donnell and Aisling Cox.

Ends

RNLI Media Contacts

For further information, please contact:

Nora Flanagan, Arranmore Lifeboat Press Officer at [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.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, TikTok 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.

About the author

Nora Flanagan
Lifeboat Press Officer, Arranmore Lifeboat Station

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