Busy weekend of callouts for Courtmacsherry RNLI volunteers
Monday 15 September 2026
It was a busy weekend for the volunteers of Courtmacsherry RNLI, with the station’s all-weather lifeboat, Val Adnams, responding to two separate callouts on Saturday and Sunday.
The first call came shortly before 2pm on Saturday when the lifeboat was requested to assist with a swimmer who was overdue returning from the water off Duneen Beach in Clonakilty Bay.
Coxswain Ken Cashman and a crew of five were quickly underway aboard Val Adnams, while the inshore lifeboat based at nearby Inchydoney was also tasked to the incident.
The lifeboats proceeded to the area and began their response. Thankfully, the swimmer was able to make it safely to shore unaided. Lifeboat personnel subsequently checked the person, who was found to be well and did not require any further assistance.
The Courtmacsherry crew were called into action again at 6.40pm on Sunday when their pagers were activated by the Coast Guard Marine Co-ordination Centre at Valentia.
This time, the lifeboat was tasked to assist two kayakers who had encountered difficulty in rapidly descending coastal fog off Long Strand, near Owenahincha in West Cork.
Val Adnams, again under Coxswain Ken Cashman and crew, was quickly launched and made its way to the area. The inshore lifeboat from Union Hall RNLI was also tasked to assist.
With visibility from the sea and along the coastline severely reduced by the fog, both lifeboats commenced a search pattern of the area.
Thankfully, the two kayakers were able to make their own way safely ashore. Following an assessment, it was established that no further assistance was required and both lifeboats were stood down and returned to their respective stations.
The crews involved in the two callouts were Coxswain Ken Cashman, Senior Station Technician Stuart Russell, and crew members Dave Philips, Tadgh McCarthy, Simon Locke, Peter Nunan, Denis Murphy, Luke Hanley and Tom Kelly.
It was also a particularly busy Sunday for the station’s volunteers and supporters, with the annual Alice Crowley Swim taking place off Inchydoney Beach at 1pm in support of the Courtmacsherry and Inchydoney lifeboats.
The event has become an important annual fundraiser for the lifeboats and once again attracted great support from the local community.
The Courtmacsherry RNLI volunteers extended their sincere thanks to Justin Crowley and the organising committee for their continued support and for the tremendous work that goes into staging the swim each year.
It proved to be another weekend that highlighted both the demands placed on the station’s volunteer crew and the remarkable support the lifeboats receive from the people of West Cork.
