Ireland - Causeway Coast

We had taken a day off from visits to recuperate and to do a bit of sightseeing. It transpired that we had been given a loose invite to the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre at Malin Head where a regional RNLI familiarisation meeting was taking place.

So we made our way to Malin Head and to the station where we were warmly welcomed by some of the crew that we had met previously and by Paul, the Divisional Controller for the Coastguard. We felt like we were gatecrashing a bit but Paul welcomed us warmly and invited us to the control room and for a cup of tea. He also allowed us to join the familiarisation session where he described the work of the Malin Head station.

Following this visit we headed to Malin Head itself, the northernmost point of the island of Ireland. We then headed to Londonderry (Derry) where we enjoyed a very informative walking tour of the city walls and learnt about Irish history within the city from medieval times through to modern day.

The next day we had three visits to lifeboat stations and we would be crossing into Northern Ireland for our first visits there.

Lough Swilly Lifeboat Station

First though we headed north to the small town of Buncrana, home to the Lough Swilly Lifeboat Station. The station has two locations, one at Buncrana Pier where their Shannon Class lifeboat is moored. We visited that the evening before to take some photos. The crew facilities there were a couple of containers. The main station building was just up the road to the north of the town at Neds Point and it was here that we met Operations Manager Joe. The crew were busy in the crew room undertaking some Casualty Care Training. We had a cup of tea and some cake and listened to the training for a while. We then had some quick photos with the crew before heading down to the boathouse to see their Atlantic 85 lifeboat.

The station has an incredible view over the tidal Lough and Joe explained some of the challenges with the waterway including its incredibly strong currents which have led to unfortunate fatalities in the past.

The station was established as an Inshore lifeboat station in 1988. In 2000, the station was also assigned an All-weather lifeboat. Prior to its establishment the coastline was covered by the nearest All-weather lifeboat stations at Arranmore to the west, and Portrush to the east, a gap of approximately 75 nautical miles. In 1995 a new station building was constructed to house the existing D-Class lifeboat but also an Atlantic 21. The D-Class was withdrawn in 2005 and in 2007 an Atlantic 85 joined the station.

Their current lifeboat is a new one, joining the station in April 2026 just a few weeks before our visit. Named Davdot (B-958) it was funded by long-term lifeboat supporters David and Dorothy Robinson of Surrey. The Shannon Class lifeboat was the first to be placed at a station in Ireland. Funded primarily by the legacy of Mr Derek Bullivant, an aluminium recycling entrepreneur and from Mrs. Valerie Walker from Portsmouth, at a ceremony on 25 June 2016, the lifeboat was named 13-08 Derek Bullivant.

Appreciating that the crew were very busy with their training, we thanked Joe for his kind hospitality and welcome and said our farewells.

We had a long drive across to our first Northern Ireland Lifeboat Station at Portrush.

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Portrush Lifeboat Station

Portrush is a small but busy seaside resort town on the north coast of County Antrim, known as the Causeway Coast. It was also the location of the NW200 motorcycle race the day before our visit so the town was buzzing with activity.

We managed to park alongside the harbour and headed to the Lifeboat Station and to the shop. We were a little early but we had a good chat with the lovely shop volunteer before taking some photos. We were soon joined by Coxswain Karl, Launch Authority Wesley and ILB crew Dan.

They gave us a good tour of the station which housed their D-Class lifeboat launched on a winched carriage down a slipway. The station was first established in the town in 1860. The boathouse and slipway previously held their Arun Class lifeboat but with the introduction of the Severn Class it was converted to its current use for the D-Class.

The station has suffered some tragedy in the past. In 1889 Portrush was one of five stations that had recently received a new lifeboat, funded from legacies. The Robert and Agnes Blair had been funded by the late Mrs Agnes Blair of Blairmore, Argyll. On 1 November 1889, after less than one month on station, and on its first call, the Robert and Agnes Blair was launched to the aid of the French Schooner Dryad, but assistance was not required. In the poor conditions, it was decided to return to Bushfoot Strand, but part way there, the lifeboat was capsized three times, and three lifeboat men lost their lives. The lifeboat was washed up at Port Ballintrae, the rest of the crew having suffered injuries.

In 2000, the station received its first Severn Class lifeboat, 17-23 Kate Hannan. On 29 January 2008, she was attempting the rescue of three men in a RIB in extremely rough conditions, when the boat was swept onto the rocks near the entrance to Rathlin Harbour and grounded. The three men were rescued by the coastguard, and all aboard the lifeboat got ashore. It would be 18 days later when the boat was finally floated off the rocks, but inspection of the damaged hull revealed the boat was beyond repair. A permanent replacement, 17-30 William Gordon Burr was placed on service 8 May 2008. The D-Class Lifeboat, The Ken Blair D-871 arrived on station in 2022.

Karl, Wesley and Dan kindly donned their ‘yellows’ and took us down to the pier where we were able to get some photos with the station and the Severn Class in the background. We were also joined by crew member John who worked at the harbour office and he kindly took the photos for us.

We thanked the guys for their valuable time and headed off to our next stop at Cushendall.

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Red Bay Lifeboat Station

Unfortunately, there was no one at the station to meet us so we had a good look around and took our photos.

A lifeboat was first stationed at Cushendall in 1972.  The station currently has a Trent-class lifeboat, 14-32 Corinne Whiteley, on station since 2019. However at the time of our visit a relief Trent was moored in the bay, Douglas Aikman Smith (14-08). They also have an Atlantic 85, Geoffrey Charles (B-843), on station since 2010.

We waited a little longer in case anyone arrived but then left for our accommodation. Along the way we stopped at the Dark Hedges, an avenue of strange trees that were featured in the Game of Thrones series. That evening we enjoyed a lovely meal with some friends Neill and Esther before retiring to our accommodation overlooking the Causeway Coast.