Arklow RNLI hosts vice admiral ahead of 200th anniversary and boat naming ceremony
Receiving a warm welcome from all present, the vice admiral was introduced to the assembled lifeboat crew, station management, fundraisers, and their families by lifeboat operations manager John Bermingham, with guest in attendance including Arklow Harbour master, captain Paul Ivory, Arklow MD cathaoirleach, Cllr Pat Kennedy and Arklow Sailing Club commodore Seamus Cramer.
Coxswain Eddie McElheron and mechanic Craig O'Reilly gave Sir Tim a tour of the new €3.1m Shannon class lifeboat, and there was also a visit to the boathouse and shop, before the visit concluded with a stop at the town's maritime museum, which recently hosted an RNLI 200 exhibition.
Former Lifeboat operations manager Jimmy Tyrrell and coxswain Brendan Dillon were on hand for a tour and some station history. Jimmy was responsible for the RNLI naming the Shannon class after an Irish river, in recognition of the service of Irish volunteers to the charity over two centuries, a fact that was shared with their visitor.
Commenting on the special visit, John Bermingham said: 'We were delighted to host Sir Tim Laurence for a special visit to our station. Arklow is a lifeboat station steeped in RNLI history, and the town has a hugely important maritime background.
'We are very proud to be the first RNLI lifeboat station on the island of Ireland and to be naming our new Shannon class lifeboat soon, following its arrival last October. It was Sir Tim's first time visiting the station, and we hope to welcome him again in the future.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Refurbished Bettystown House offers a glimpse into centuries of Irish history
The recently refurbished Bettystown House, a historic country estate near Drogheda, has quietly completed a major restoration, offering a rare glimpse into nearly 400 years of Irish heritage. Though the house remains closed to the public, its transformation has drawn local interest for both its architectural significance and storied past. Dating back to circa 1630, Bettystown House, originally known as Betaghstown House, was built by the prominent Betagh family, from whom the area takes its name. Over the centuries, the estate underwent several major renovations, including significant works around 1780 and again in the mid-19th century, resulting in the distinctive Georgian-Victorian structure seen today.
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
Lucky Irish Lotto punter bags six-figure sum & narrowly misses out on €13m jackpot bonanza as winning numbers revealed
ONE Irish lucky punter is celebrating after bagging a huge sum in tonight's Lotto main draw. The Advertisement 2 The Lotto player managed to scoop a whopping €60,394 Credit: Alamy The location where the winning ticket was purchased in The winning numbers in tonight's draw were 2, 3, 6, 9, 24, 39 and the bonus number 34. The lucky player won €60,394 by matching five balls and the bonus number. However, they were one number short of securing the life-changing Advertisement Read more in Money There was no winner of the Lotto jackpot. In total, over 109,000 players won prizes in the There were also 41 winners who matched five numbers, winning €883 each. There was no winner of the Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN The winning numbers were 20, 23, 31, 34, 38 and 44. The bonus number was 6. Penneys 'Lotto Lovelies' collect huge cheque at National Lottery HQ There was also no winner of the Lotto Plus 2 top prize worth €250,000. But one lucky punter has managed to match five numbers and the bonus, winning €2,500. However, there were 99 winners of the raffle prize, each receiving €500. Advertisement ADVICE FOR WINNER The winning raffle number was 2992. If you have the winning ticket, the advice is to sign the back of the ticket immediately and store it in a safe place. The winner will be asked to confirm details before arrangements will be made with agents to claim your prize. This can be done by calling 1800 666 222. Advertisement Or email claims@ to arrange collecting their prize at the Lottery HQ. 2 A lucky punter is celebrating after bagging a huge sum in tonight's Lotto main draw Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Post
a day ago
- Irish Post
A phrasebook of Irishness abroad
WHAT time is it there? That was the first one that seemed to confuse them. This was around the time that I'd first moved away from home and was, again for the first time, mixing with English people. I remember it distinctly. I was sitting in the living room which led on to the kitchen and simply asked, there being a clock in the kitchen, what time is it there? The time here, came the reply? The time here? Well, the time here is exactly the same as it is there. I honestly didn't get what the joke was. Now, I have a Birmingham accent, even after more than twenty-five years back here in Ireland. Accents form early and even though they change over the years it seems as if the basic architecture is built wherever you spend your formative years. What I did have though, I suppose, was certain Irish phrases or certain Irish ways of saying things that I wasn't even aware of. Who's yer man, was probably the next one. That seemed to cause some confusion too as I remember. Yer one I don't remember saying but I can only imagine the guffaws that would have been met with. Ah, sure. What's that yoke? Suddenly I was in a new world of being conscious of things I said. Irish words with a Brummie accent. To be fair it must have been confusing for them. I do remember one time saying where's me geansaí but by that time I'm fairly sure I'd become so self conscious that I might have been putting it on. My speech pattern was fairly banjaxed by then, you see. Wisht, I said once calling for silence, something my Granny Murphy never stopped saying, and just got funny looks. Of course, there was the craic. I think the English have taken this one up now, even though they still don't know what it really means, but back then, I'm talking about the 1980s, early 90s here, it was still just ours. I remember distinctly not even telling them about the craic but showing them it instead. I took a few English people at different times to Irish social clubs and pubs in Birmingham and always said I'm guaranteeing that you have never seen anything like this. What that actually was it was harder to define but I'd learnt enough to know one thing without doubt. An Irish social club in inner city England, bursting at the seams, the music and the drink and the talk and the smoke and I knew these English people had never seen anything like it. And they hadn't. As for what the craic is or was I couldn't say even now. I just knew that we had it and they didn't. If I had to choose a favourite though it would always be one that still makes me smile now whenever I hear it. 'I will, yeh' must be one of the greatest and most underrated Irish phrases ever. It has that soft sarcasm that seems uniquely Irish. I've always loved the idea of explaining it to an English person and I remember using it and getting very quizzical looks. I remember using it once with an English person and when it caused confusion revelling in explaining that, when I say 'I will, yeh' in what sounds like a very affirmative way what I actually mean is completely the opposite. I mean, in fact, that I will not under any circumstances, ever. Apologies, I thought that was clear. Grand, good luck said on departure, sound. All these I think might have been co-opted by the English now and have lost their distinctively Irish flavour and that's okay because that's how language works. We steal from here and there and they steal from there and here. I'm not saying any of these phrases either with any sense of superiority, all the places I lived in in England, had their own sayings and phrases too, I'm just doing it out of a memory of distinctiveness. I'm sure, you see, that the sayings and phrases I grew up with will eventually fade away. After all, I'm struck that one of the Birmingham phrases I picked up along the way was what we called the many wastelands we played on as children. We called them bomb pecks, which only much later I realised, probably meant that they were left over bomb sites from the Second World War. Only an Irish person, though, or even more specifically a Cork person would realise how I never stopped smiling back then whenever I heard the name of the German golfer, Bernhard Langer. Joe Horgan posts on X at @JoeHorganwriter
