Youghal History

Before a lifeboat station was established by the RNLI in 1857 several rescues took place off the coast. Medals for Gallantry were awarded to:

1828 Lieutenant Morrison RN – Silver Medal for the rescue, by using lines, of the crew of five from the wrecked sloop Mermaid.

1836 Mr Charles Edington, Chief Officer of Coastguard – Silver Medal for the rescue of the crew of five from the wrecked schooner Ann and Elizabeth.

1840 Lieutenant R Metherell RN – Gold Medal for the rescue of the crew of four from the wrecked brigantine Medora.

1857 The RNLI established a lifeboat station and a boathouse was built at Green Hole, O’Brien’s Place.

1873 Shore Helper M O'Brien was crushed to death between the carriage and the door post of the boathouse when the lifeboat was launched on service on 30 December.

1876 A new boathouse was built, costing £275. It has been in use ever since, albeit much altered.

1894 A Silver Medal was awarded to Honorary Secretary Mr J Long for saving a young man from drowning. Mr Long swam out to the yacht Seagull as the young man was struggling furiously.

1906 A Silver Medal was awarded to Coxswain Michael Hannagan when the lifeboat rescued three of the crew from the schooner Annetta. Two of the crew of the Annetta had been lost while the other three crewmen were in the rigging, exhausted. Coxswain Hannagan took the lifeboat over the wreck on breaking seas to save the three men.

1939 A Centenary Vellum was awarded to the station.

1963 A Bronze Medal was awarded to Coxswain Richard Hickey for rescuing four people from the French trawler Fee des Ondes.

1968 A Comhairle Na Mire Gaile Certificate was awarded to Motor Mechanic John Murphy, for rescuing a child who had fallen off the quay on 12 July.

1969 A Comhairle Na Mire Gaile Certificate was awarded to Bowman Michael Hennessy, for rescuing a child who had fallen off the quay in the spring of 1969.

1983 A B class Atlantic 21 lifeboat was sent to the station.

1984 The boathouse was adapted for launching the Atlantic 21 from a cradle on rails placed on the old slipway. The all weather lifeboat was withdrawn.

1989 An Anniversary Vellum was awarded commemorating 150 years as a station.

1996 The boathouse was renovated and the slipway rails were removed so that the Atlantic could be launched using a tractor and Do-Do (drive on-drive off) carriage.

2002 A new boathouse was completed and the new B class, B-780 Patricia Jennings, arrived in September.

Station honours

At Youghal lifeboat station the following awards have been made:

Bronze Medal 1

Silver Medal 4

Gold Medal 1