Achill and Ballyglass lifeboat volunteers to mark 200 years of RNLI

LIFEBOAT crews in Achill and Ballyglass stations will join their colleagues from around Ireland and Britain in coming together at their respective lifeboat stations to celebrate the RNLI's bicentenary.

The RNLI was founded in 1824 and as part of the bicentenary celebrations all RNLI volunteers at all stations around Ireland and Britain will be marking this anniversary at exactly 18.24 this Thursday, August 1.

To mark the occasion all RNLI volunteers - including those in Achill and Ballyglass - from fundraisers, shops staff to boat crew will gather on Thursday evening for the ‘One Crew One Moment’. This takes place at 18.24hr (6.24pm) when the volunteers will come together and be photographed to record the occasion of RNLI 200, and this will coincide with the same happening at all 238 RNLI stations around Ireland and Britain.

All the photos from all RNLI stations will be submitted to the RNLI headquarters in Poole and turned into one unique mural made up of all of the imagery of the one crew of 2024. This will be available in digital form, as well as a physical print.

All stations will receive a copy of the image with a copy being carefully preserved in the RNLI Heritage archive for the future generations of the charity to enjoy.

The RNLI is a charity and was founded in London on March 4, 1824 by Sir William Hillary, a native of the Isle of Man who had called for the foundation of a lifesaving service after  witnessing dozens of shipwrecks around the Manx coast.

The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland and its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,200 lives.