Five new fully fledged lifeboat crew at Dún Laoghaire RNLI

Volunteers Ciara Doran, Dan Philips, Simon Wall, James Traynor and Lorcan Kane undertook rigorous assessments to pass out what is known as Tier 1 training to become lifeboat crew, with assessments taking place over two intensive days. They each previously served as trainee crew on Dún Laoghaire RNLI’s Trent class lifeboat Anna Livia at sea. The Tier 1 qualification allows crew to go to sea for search and rescue operations, as they are no longer classed as trainees.

For the youngest crew member, Lorcan Kane (20), volunteering with Dún Laoghaire RNLI is a long and proud family tradition. He is the sixth family member and the third generation to serve with the lifeboats over the last 45 years following in the footsteps of his parents, Sharon and Stuart, his brothers, Craig and Cillian, and his grandfather, Billy Scully. Lorcan said: 'We are grateful to our colleagues for facilitating the assessments by going to sea on five separate exercises over two days; we couldn’t have done it without them.'

In the early 1980s, Lorcan’s grandfather, the late William (Billy) Scully crewed on both the Waveney and Trent class lifeboats up until his retirement, in which he became Lifeboat Visits Officer. Lorcan’s mother, Sharon Kane, was among the first to crew the D class inshore lifeboat.

Following the completion of training modules and the final assessment, volunteer James Traynor (26) whose father Declan Traynor, is a Launch Authority at Dún Laoghaire RNLI, said: 'I’m proud that the training and hard work have paid off; no doubt the support and camaraderie from the other lifeboat crew members is what kept us going to stay the course. I’m looking forward to getting Tier 2 under my belt next'.

As the warmer weather continues, Dún Laoghaire RNLI is reminding the public to seek help immediately if they get into difficulty or see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast, by using Marine VHF channel 16 or dialling 999 or 112 and asking for the Coast Guard.

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Notes to Editor

Photo 1:

Dún Laoghaire RNLI crew members pictured aboard Trent class lifeboat Anna Livia. From left, Ciara Doran, Dan Philips, Simon Wall, Lorcan Kane and James Traynor. Credit Aoife Ward/Dún Laoghaire RNLI.

Photo 2:

Dún Laoghaire RNLI crew members pictured with the Dún Laoghaire East Pier in the background. From left, Simon Wall, Lorcan Kane, Dan Philips, James Traynor and Ciara Doran. Credit Aoife Ward/Dún Laoghaire RNLI.

RNLI Media Contacts

For more information, contact Aoife Ward, Dún Laoghaire RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Communications Manager at [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, RNLI Regional Communications Lead at [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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