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Youghal Lifeboat |
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Press Room 2007
CONGRATULATIONS to Seamus Mason, Station Mechanic, who was recently presented with a
Long Service Medal for twenty years of voluntary service to the Youghal Lifeboat. Seamus first joined the lifeboat crew back in 1987 as a crew member, and in 1992 he was promoted to the role of Helmsman. In 1998 he took on the role of Station Mechanic and due to his continued, dedication and effort, the upkeen of both station and lifeboat are at a very high standard. Seamus held the title of Senior Helmsman for 2 years until his retirement from sea going duties in April 2006, but thankfully and to the continued benefit of the station, Seamus has stayed on in his role as Station Mechanic and Tractor Driver. Seamus is married to Susan and they have three children Jamie,Anthony and Kirsty. The Lifeboat Committee and Crew which to Congratulate Seamus on his recent Long Service Award. ARDMORE SWIM
The 12th Annual Ardmore Christmas Day Swim took place at 12.00 noon, once again in aid of the Youghal and Helvick Head Lifeboats. Weather conditions were bright and sunny but the swimmers had to make a long run to reach the water as it was low tide. This event raises a few thousand Euro every year for the RNLI, and a big vote of thanks must go to the organizers Catherine Hourigan and April Dunne. Thanks also to those who prepare and provide the much needed refreshments, for swimmers, Breeda Hennessy,Paula King and Mary Moloney and the Whisky Sponsors Ken Pallister (An Toubir), Tommy Powers Bar, Dungarvan and also to the private donations. A Special thanks to the Swimmers who braved the elements and we hope to see more of you next year and finally to the bucket collectors and to any one else who leant a helping hand, Thank You. Pfizer Ireland Ltd Raise Funds for Youghal LifeboatAS part of an Internal Company energy awareness campaign run by Pfizer Ireland Ltd during the Months of October/November the company saved thousands of Euro on energy costs. On December 20th as part of a good will gesture much of the savings were donated to charity. The Youghal Lifeboat was presented with 1,286 Euros representing 30% of the total amount donated to charity, while the Irish Cancer Society received 3,000 Euro representing the remaining 70%. The Youghal Lifeboat Station and Fundraising Branch, would like to thank Pfizer Ireland Ltd for their kind donation
Aida Donohoe R.I.P. It was with great sadness that we learnt of the sudden death of our esteemed President of the Fundraising Branch, Miss Aida Donohoe, on 24th August at her residence in Shalom House. Aida joined the Ladies Guild of the RNLI in 1952 and continued an unbroken service on that committee, being elected President in 1977, and holding that position until 1998, when under new guidelines a broader fundraising branch was set up to include both men and women. At the first meeting Aida was elected Life President in honour of her work to date. She received a Silver Badge in 1996 for her long and dedicated service to the RNLI, but there was more to come. To the great joy of all who knew her, on the 17th May this year, she was presented with her Gold Badge by HRH The Duke of Kent, President of the RNLI, at the Barbican Centre in London. This honour is one of the highest accolades bestowed by the Institution and there was none more worthy on the stage that afternoon than Aida. Her very good friends Diana Meehan and Pearl Foy accompanied her to the ceremony. Aida was always to the fore in fundraising, especially the annual flag days when she would marshall the troops for an all out assault on the streets. She and Diana were familiar figures at the Greyhound Track evening meeting, coinciding with these days. Older members will remember fondly, jumble sales held at Woodbine Hill, Monatrea. Her dedication to the lifeboat service was extraordinary and those who became involved in its activities through her leadership, benefited in personal growth and development. It was very fitting that the crew and station personnel should accompany Aida on her final journey from St Mary’s Parish Church to North Abbey Cemetery forming a Guard of Honour as they walked. It is with a deep sense of gratitude for the life of this wonderful and challenging lady that we bid farewell to her. Perhaps a fitting memorial to her memory would be for more people to make themselves available to help in the never-ending need for fund raising. Our deepest sympathies go to Anthony, Eithne, Sarah and Jennie.
Well-known Youghal man Honoured for a lifetime of service to the Lifeboat Service Albert first became involved at an official level with the Youghal Lifeboat Station in 1975 when he was appointed Deputy Launching Authority, a position he holds to this day. Over the years many changes in the Lifeboat Service have taken place. The Offshore Liverpool Class lifeboat Grace Darling was replaced in 1984 by an Atlantic 21 Class inshore lifeboat and in 2002 a new Atlantic 75 plus a brand new boathouse was built on the site of the old station. New paging systems mean that when Albert is alerted to a callout, the crew can be put on standby at the touch of a button, a far cry from the firing of rockets to alert a crew. A keen angler and sailor in his day, Albert achieved National honours in the wayfarer class. The lifeboat service is a community service in the best sense of the word and the annual awards serve to honour these men and women in our midst, who do the ordinary thing in such an extra ordinary way. They will have faced joy and tragedy at different times in the service of the RNLI, seeking only to comfort those in need. Married to Anne they have two children Marie and Leo and are Proprietors of the well-known Muckley Jewellers in Youghal. Anne is Treasurer of the fundraising Branch of Youghal RNLI. Alberts contribution to fundraising and in particular to flag days has been remarkable over the years. And so it is very timely and fitting that Albert and his co recipients take their place in the sun, where their good deeds are validated and due honour awarded. January 2007 LONG SERVING YOUGHAL
LIFEBOATMAN RETIRES FROM ACTIVE CREW.
Fergus Hopkins has retired from the Youghal lifeboat crew after more than 22 years of voluntary service. Fergus first joined the lifeboat in September 1984 a short time after the station had just received a brand new Atlantic 21 class lifeboat named Marjory Turner. The Atlantic 21 class inshore lifeboat carried a 3-man crew on rescue missions and had a top speed of 30 knots, making it the fastest lifeboat on the RNLI’s fleet during the 1980s. In 1984 when Fergus first became involved, the Youghal lifeboat station had a compliment of 18 voluntary seagoing members of which the six most experienced were Helmsmen, who would be in charge of the lifeboat at sea. This large number of crew (18 members) were needed so that enough volunteers would always be available to launch and crew the lifeboat 24 hours a day 365 days a year. Fergus crewed the lifeboat for his first callout on January 28th 1985, when the fishing trawler Martinique required assistance. After searching in fog and darkness the lifeboat eventually located the casualty and towed her to the safety of Youghal Harbour. Fergus was also aboard the lifeboat during a major air and sea search in June 1985, when a small Cessna aircraft crashed into the sea in Youghal Bay. A nearby fishing boat rescued one person on that occasion, but the other man, Raymond Sheane unfortunately drowned. Mr Sheane’s body was later recovered in Youghal Bay. Following successful completion of the RNLI’s week long training course in Cowes, Isle of Wight in 1986, Fergus was promoted to the role of Helmsman early in 1987 after some more senior members of the crew had reached the age of 45 and so had to retire from sea going duties. The Hopkins family, have resided at the Mall for many years, just across the road from the lifeboat station and so during many emergencies, when the lifeboat’s services were required, Fergus was usually the first person to arrive at the boathouse, when the crew pagers were activated. The benefits of having such a key senior member of the crew residing so close to the station cannot be overstated as on many occasions lives have been saved due to such a quick launch of the lifeboat. Fergus has been Helmsman of the lifeboat for many callouts over the years and as a result has gained vast experience. The lifeboat has responded to more than 280 distress calls, saved more than 60 lives and brought more than 160 people ashore from potentially dangerous situations, since Fergus first manned the lifeboat. The types of casualties that Fergus has dealt with over the years include canoeists, divers, swimmers, wind surfers, kite surfers, jet skis, people stranded / cut off by the tide, fishing vessels, yachts, sailing dinghies, and motorized pleasure boats. Unfortunately, because it gathers public interest, much of what the national media have covered over the years on the Youghal Lifeboat, have been tragic events and thankfully we have had few of those sad events. However because the lifeboat service in general, does its job so well, much of the great lifeboat rescues that have involved saving lives have been less publicized in the media and as for the routine callouts, they are dealt with in the same professional way by the voluntary crews but go by almost unnoticed. . Fergus has been involved through the good and the tragic events over the years and here is a brief account of three of his most publicized lifeboat services. 1- In December 1995 Fergus was Helmsman of the lifeboat when tragically two Ardmore fishermen were lost off Ballyquin Strand in Ardmore Bay when their 20 feet fishing boat capsized in rough seas. In darkness and rough weather the lifeboat crew bravely recovered the body of one of the fishermen after he had become entangled in nets. Fergus and the other members of the crew received a letter of thanks for their bravery from Commander George Cooper, Chief of Operations for the RNLI. 2- In June 2003 the lifeboat was launched with Fergus on the Helm, to assist the Ballycotton lifeboat and other vessels in searching for a diver, missing for 3 hours in Ballycotton Bay. The wind was blowing from the South West Force 4-5 with a moderate sea swell running. As the Youghal lifeboat arrived on the scene a yacht Oyster Catcher spotted the casualty but was unable to retrieve the man from the water. The Youghal lifeboat managed to rescue the diver and a Coastguard Helicopter then airlifted the man to hospital. The man later made a full recovery. 3- In August 2003 a collision between a jet ski and a speedboat occurred in Youghal Harbour and tragically a young teenager lost his life. A local angling boat was first on the scene and recovered the three people from the water. The lifeboat was soon on the scene with Fergus again at the Helm and the crew administered First Aid to the casualties before a doctor and ambulances arrived on scene. A Coastguard Helicopter arrived on scene and proceeded to airlift the young teenager (who was by now, being attended to by the doctor on board the lifeboat) to hospital, but before the lift was to proceed; the doctor pronounced the teenager was deceased. The boy’s body was therefore brought ashore at the lifeboat station. Thankfully such sad occasions have been rare over the years and Fergus can look back with many good memories of successful rescues during his 22 years of service on the crew. During his term, Fergus was elected to the role of Senior Helmsman, a position which he held for 6 years, the most senior position on the crew, and following the official opening of the new lifeboat station and naming of the new Atlantic 75 class lifeboat Patricia Jennings on 21st September 2002, Fergus had the honour of taking the new lifeboat to sea for a demonstration run in front of hundreds of local supporters and guests. An occasion such as the opening of a new lifeboat house and naming of a new lifeboat are huge occasions for people in any way associated with the lifeboat service. In December 2004 Fergus received an RNLI long service award for twenty years of association with the Youghal Lifeboat. Fergus was also selected as one of only ten crewmembers in the entire lifeboat service of Britain and Ireland, to go to Cowes, Isle of Wight to carry out evaluation and sea trials on the next generation of Atlantic boats, called the Atlantic 85. This new boat is 8.5 metres (28feet) in length, the design has now been completed and the first production boats entered service in 2005. The RNLI will proberly build about one hundred of these boats over the course of the next fifteen years and Youghal will receive this improved and upgraded Atlantic design in a few years time. Fergus is a salesman with Luxury Carpets in Midleton, is married to Joan and has one son Gordon. Congratulations to Fergus on achieving so much during his service to the Youghal Lifeboat station and all the crew wish him well. It is also great to here that Fergus will remain involved with the station as a shore helper and tractor driver, helping launch and recover the lifeboat for callouts and crew training sessions. Fergus will also continue as Manager of the Lifeboat Souvenir Shop, a task that he has been involved with for many years and again he has received an RNLI long service award for his continued devotion to this task.
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