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Youghal Lifeboat |
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Press Room 2008
TADHG, STEPS DOWN AFTER 25 YEARS AT THE HELM.
March 25th 2008 One of the central figures of The Youghal RNLI Lifeboat Station, Mr Tadhg Kelleher, has retired from the voluntary role of Lifeboat Operations Manager LOM, (formerly known as Honorary Secretary) after close to a quarter of a century in charge. Tadhg first got involved with the Youghal Lifeboat back in 1983 during a period of major change. The stations offshore lifeboat was near the end of her service life and would soon be withdrawn. The future of the Youghal Lifeboat Station was uncertain. There had been whispers within the RNLI management structure that the station might close due to its close proximity to Ballycotton Lifeboat, a station that was soon to be allocated a more modern fast offshore lifeboat. Ballycottons proximity to Cork Harbour, a Major Sea Port proved a decisive factor in the RNLIs decision, and it was the correct decision. In April 1983 the RNLI decided to carry out trials with an inshore lifeboat at Youghal. It was hoped that this boat, a rigid inflatable Atlantic 21 Class Lifeboat, might prove to be a suitable rescue vessel in the Youghal and Ardmore Bay areas. The fishing industry and in particular the salmon fishing industry still employed many locals and therefore there was a lot of boating activity in the area. Pleasure boats were also starting to become more numerous in the area and there was good reason to maintain lifeboat coverage in Youghal. Mr Theo Vastenhout a retired Dutch Sea Captain, who had held the post of Lifeboat Honorary Secretary (LOM) at Youghal since 1975, had made a decision that he would step down from that role when the offshore boat would be withdrawn during 1984. Theo along with Mr Tony Course, Inspector of Lifeboats Ireland, approached Tadhg Kelleher in the hope of finding a replacement. Tadhg agreed to take on the role of Honorary Secretary when Theo would leave during 1984 but he became involved as a Deputy to Theo during the station transition phase in 1983-84. It was essential in Tadhg’s opinion that there be a lifeboat presence in the Youghal area and this was his main reason for taking on the running of the lifeboat. Previous to 1983, Tadhg had never had any involvement with the RNLI, but he was a very active member of the Youghal Sailing Club, being one of the main players in re-establishing the club during the early 1980s. Tadhg had originally taken up sailing during the mid 1970’s. In his new role with the RNLI, new lifeboat crewmembers were recruited to man the Atlantic 21 and Tadhgs task was to ensure that they all got relevant training both on station and at the RNLIs training base in the Isle of Wight. The Atlantic 21s sea trials in the Youghal area proved very successful and in May 1984 the old offshore lifeboat was withdrawn from service and the inshore Atlantic 21 lifeboat became operational. Alterations were made to the lifeboat station to accommodate the new boat. Previously while the Atlantic had been on trials, temporary storage facilities for the boat were found in the Market Square. Youghal became the first RNLI lifeboat station in Ireland to operate an Atlantic 21. By now Theo Vastenhout had resigned from the role of Honorary Secretary (LOM) and Tadhg had replaced him. The role of an Honorary Secretary or as it became later known (LOM) is to efficiently manage a lifeboat station and all the day-to-day running tasks that go with it. Tadhg had to make a decision on whether or not the lifeboat should launch, weather conditions would obviously come into play. Other questions would also arise, was a reported incident genuine, there were occasional hoax calls. Tadhg would have to deal with all correspondence and reports on callouts had to be returned to RNLI headquarters. Another task was to actively encourage people to become crewmembers, ensure they then got proper training. It was also Tadhg’s job to ensure that the upkeep of the boat was maintained to a very high standard. There were other tasks as well including attending lifeboat coastal conferences and coastguard liaison meetings and keeping crewmembers informed of changes in operational practices. Many high profile rescues were carried out during Marjory Turners eighteen years on station and one of her first in August 1984 was also one of her best when her crew rescued a man from certain drowning when the fishing vessel of which he was the sole occupant sank in Youghal Bay after it was hit by a freak wave. The speed of the Atlantic 21 undoubtedly saved this mans life. There were many more excellent rescues too many to mention here and also a few tragedies. Interestingly when Tadhg first became involved with the lifeboat, the boathouse itself had no basic facilities and finally in 1989 after Tadhg campaigned to the RNLI, the station got a shower, toilet and a crew room to conduct its meetings. In 1994 Tadhg received a pair of Binoculars at a special lifeboat awards ceremony in recognition for his ten years of voluntary service as Youghal Lifeboat Honorary Secretary (LOM). In 1996 on safety grounds the old lifeboat slipway was demolished and a new tractor and carriage system was adapted to launch and recover the lifeboat. It was good to see the RNLI investing into the stations future but much of the money needed to fund this project was raised locally. Temporary storage facilities were found for the lifeboat in the Southern Fisheries Board Yard. Tadhg again made a big contribution in ensuring a smooth transition phase during this period for the lifeboat. A note worthy important event during 1998 was a visit for the first time to the station by the President of the RNLI, HRH The Duke of Kent. On a personal note, Tadhg made a huge contribution in helping me (Brendan O’Driscoll) research the history of the Lifeboat Station and a book was published in 1999. For all his help and general advise I am eternally grateful. In 2002, there was yet more progress, which the Youghal lifeboat station hadn’t seen for well over one hundred years, when a brand new state of the art boathouse, beautifully crafted in natural stone, was constructed on the site of the original boathouse. If that wasn’t enough the long serving Atlantic 21 lifeboat was replaced by a larger and more sophisticated Atlantic 75 lifeboat named Patricia Jennings. This development ensured that the RNLI was making a long-term commitment to continue its lifeboat cover in the Youghal area. Perhaps Tadhgs finest hour as Lifeboat LOM took place on a sunny September afternoon in that same year, 2002, when the new boathouse and lifeboat were officially launched, in front of a huge crowd of locals and visitors. The station facilities had come a long way, each crewmember now had his own gear locker, there are proper office facilities and a computer to help improve correspondence and now also a proper crew training room/meeting room. Since 2002, Tadhg and his wife Gretta have had other highlights, representing the RNLI as guests of HM Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace and now as he has retired from the Helm as Lifeboat Operations Manager, things aren’t about to get any quieter for Tadhg. In this coming May, Tadhg will be honoured again for his achievements when he will receive the RNLI Gold Badge from the President of the RNLI at the Barbican Centre in London in recognition for his outstanding contribution to the service and in particular to Youghal Lifeboat. The Gold Badge is the third highest RNLI award and is only presented to members with at least twenty-five years of outstanding service. His next task with the Youghal Lifeboat will send him in another direction, under the title of Branch Chairman. He will become Chairman of the Youghal Lifeboat Management Group. This task will involve giving leadership to the Station and Branch Fundraising groups in developing a joint approach in representing the activities of the RNLI throughout the local area. Youghal’s new Lifeboat Operations Manager, Mr. Fergus Hopkins has served the Youghal Station with distinction since 1984 as a Helmsman and later Senior Helmsman. Fergus brings with him plenty of experience for the job in hand as do his three Deputy Launching Authorities (DLA), Albert Muckley who has deputised to both Theo Vastenhout and Tadhg since 1975, Liam Coveney a (DLA) since 1990 and previously a Senior Helmsman and John Griffin again a former Senior Helmsman with lots of experience and an association with the lifeboat that goes back to 1990. For the record, the Youghal Lifeboat has launched on 315 occasions, saved 72 lives and assisted several hundred other people during Tadhgs involvement over the past twenty-five years. On behalf of everybody in any way associated with the lifeboat station, I would like to thank him for the immense contribution he has made to the lifeboat in Youghal over the years and we all wish him well in his new role as Branch Chairman.
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