Busy Weekend for Fenit RNLI with Three Call Outs and Open Day Event
- Pat Nolan
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Wednesday 12 August 2026
Fenit RNLI volunteers had a particularly busy weekend, responding to three separate call outs within a 24-hour period while also hosting the station’s annual Open Day.
The first call out came on Saturday evening, 8 August, when the volunteer lifeboat crew were paged at 10.46pm following a report from the Irish Coast Guard that a 28ft pleasure boat had got into difficulty after losing engine power at Small Mucklagh, northwest of Little Samphire Lighthouse in Tralee Bay.
The Fenit RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched immediately and proceeded to the casualty vessel, where the crew found the boat disabled and unable to make its own way to port.
Following a full assessment of the situation, Coxswain Terry Sheehy made the decision to tow the vessel to the nearest safe port, Fenit Harbour. The two people on board the casualty vessel were brought safely into harbour.
The following afternoon, Sunday, 9 August, the lifeboat crew were called into action again, this time while the station was hosting its annual Open Day.
At approximately 3.30pm, the crew were tasked by the Irish Coast Guard following a report of two people on jet skis who had got into difficulty near Barrow Harbour.
The all-weather lifeboat was launched within minutes, with Coxswain Finbarr O’Connell at the helm. A number of volunteer crew members had been on board giving tours to members of the public as part of the Open Day celebrations when the call came.
As the claxon sounded, the public quickly cleared the area to allow the lifeboat crew to assemble and launch.
By the time the Fenit RNLI lifeboat reached the scene, the two people involved had safely made it ashore. The Irish Coast Guard subsequently stood down the lifeboat, which returned to Fenit Harbour at approximately 4.15pm.
The lifeboat was refuelled and made ready for service before the crew returned to assist with the remainder of the Open Day celebrations.
There was little time to rest, however, as shortly after the volunteers had completed the clean-up of the station that evening, the pagers sounded again at 9.12pm.
The all-weather lifeboat was tasked by the Irish Coast Guard and the crew once again proceeded into Tralee Bay.
On this occasion, a plane overhead had raised the alarm after being diverted to an Irish airport. The Fenit RNLI lifeboat crew proceeded to the area and, once it was confirmed that the aircraft had arrived safely, Fenit RNLI was stood down.
The crew returned to Fenit Harbour, bringing to a close an exceptionally busy period for the station.
For the Fenit RNLI volunteers, the weekend demonstrated once again the importance of maintaining a lifeboat and crew ready for service at all times, even during community events and celebrations.
