Your Launch a Memory Clifden updates

At 9pm on Friday 23 May, both lifeboats launched to help with a medical evacuation from the island of Inishbofin. They arrived at the island where a nurse was waiting to handover the patient. After a full casualty care assessment, the patient was brought onboard your Launch a Memory lifeboat.

The crew then quickly took the Shannon class St Christopher back to Cleggan Pier where they carefully handed the casualty over to the waiting paramedics, who took him on to hospital. Coxswain Dan Whelan says: 'I'm glad we were able to help the casualty today and all in Clifden station wish him a speedy recovery.’

The crew of your lifeboat launched both of their lifeboats to the rescue in May after a distress call from a lone sailor. A yacht had become entangled in fishing gear, leaving the vessel drifting and the lone sailor onboard in distress.

The lifeboats arrived on scene and the crew quickly secured a tow on the disabled vessel. No longer drifting, the lifeboat crew then assisted the sailor in untangling their vessel. Once free, the crew then escorted the sailor back to the safety of Ballinakill Bay, where they were able to recover from the incident.

Shortly after the Christmas lights were turned on in Clifden town square, your lifeboat crew were turning on their searchlights. Someone needed urgent hospital treatment and had to be evacuated from the island of Inis Mór.

With the Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat being off service and fog hampering the landing of the Coast Guard helicopter, it was down to your Launch a Memory lifeboat and your Clifden crew to save the day. But to reach the casualty, they’d have to battle gale-force gusts, 3–4m swells and poor visibility for 100 nautical miles. 

By the end of November last year, Clifden volunteers had launched 100 times to emergencies at sea and on training exercises. Most call outs in their all-weather Shannon or inshore B class lifeboats ended with positive outcomes. But sadly, despite their efforts to save every one, there were two very challenging shouts in which two lives were lost at sea. 

Read more about the difference you and your loved one made to the communities in and around Clifden, even in times of tragedy, during 2024. 

In 2024, volunteer Daniel Whelan qualified as coxswain and volunteers Chris Nee and David O’Reilly qualified as mechanics for your Launch a Memory lifeboat at Clifden.

Daniel’s first shout as coxswain was on the evening of Wednesday 14 August 2024. It was also Chris Nee’s first shout as mechanic. Although part of a physical crew of five, they were also part of a crew of 10,000 loved ones. Loved ones like yours, who are always by their side, in name and in spirit.