2 days ago
Arklow RNLI hosts vice admiral ahead of 200th anniversary and boat naming ceremony
No stranger to Ireland, having served as a chair of the RNLI's Operations Committee and visited several Irish lifeboat stations during his tenure, this was Sir Tim's first time visiting Arklow lifeboat station – the oldest established RNLI lifeboat station on the island of Ireland.
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.'
