Castletownbere RNLI assists with medical evacuation from Garinish Island
Monday 5 October 2026
Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched on Sunday afternoon, 4 October, to assist with the medical evacuation of a woman who had been injured in a fall on Garinish Island, near Glengarriff in West Cork.
The all-weather lifeboat Annette Hutton was tasked at 1.00pm and launched at 1.10pm under the command of Coxswain Sean O'Sullivan. Also on board were mechanic Trevor Devereaux and crew members Dave O'Donovan, Seamus Harrington, Will Power and William O'Driscoll.
Weather and sea conditions were calm, with a light south-westerly wind of Force 3, as the lifeboat made its way towards Garinish Island.
The Annette Hutton arrived on scene at 2.10pm, where Castletownbere Coast Guard and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, were already in attendance.
The lifeboat crew stood by while arrangements were made for the casualty to be transferred to the helicopter. The woman was safely airlifted at 2.40pm.
With the medical evacuation successfully completed, the Annette Hutton returned to Castletownbere, arriving back at the station at 3.50pm. The lifeboat was subsequently refuelled and made ready for service once again.
Speaking afterwards, Castletownbere RNLI Launch Authority Felix O'Donoghue said: “The RNLI is always glad to be there to support the Coast Guard whenever we're needed. We wish the woman a speedy recovery.”
The callout was another example of the close cooperation between the RNLI, the Irish Coast Guard and other emergency services in responding to incidents around the West Cork coast.
