This article is from page 13 of the 2011-10-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
TWO NEW state-of-the art rescue boats were officially named in Clare over the weekend with the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard welcoming ‘Lir’ to active service while the Killaloe Unit launched the boat ‘Dalton’.
The Lir was officially named by Senator Martin Conway (FG) in Doolin on Saturday. He pledged that the boat was a good first step but his main aim was to ensure that funding is made available for construction of a rescue centre in Doolin as soon as possible.
Spokesperson for the Doolin Coastguard, Mattie Shannon, said that the new boat would be a great benefit to the unit, which is one of the busiest in Ireland.
“It’s a great new boat to have. It seats four people and can travel up to 48 knots per hour – which could very useful in the future for helping members to escape from danger ous or hazardous sea conditions,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Senator Conway said that the big occasion that he wanted to attend in Doolin was the sod-turning ceremony for a new rescue centre.
“The fact that they have been giv en this boat is a reflection of how busy the unit is and also the level of professionalism that they have in Doolin. I think this boat is a strong endorsement from Government of the work that is done in Doolin and I would see this very much as a preamble to something a lot bigger, which is the provision by the Government of the funding needed for the long overdue new rescue centre,” he said.
“This campaign has been going on since 1997 and the current facilities are completely unacceptable for one of the biggest units in the country. It is imperative that all the various strands of this are pulled together and we get a timeline.
“I would hope that the next big event in Doolin is the turning of the sod for this new centre. The message has to go out loud and clear that Friday was just the beginning and we need.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State, Alan Kelly (FG), was in Killaloe on Saturday to officially name the new eight-metre Redbay Stormforce Rescue Boat. The boat was given the name ‘Dalton’ after Thomas Dalton, who tragically lost his life on Lough Derg in 2006.
To date this year, the Killaloe Coast Unit has responded to 27 call-outs, provided safety cover for a number of local events and visited five national and one secondary school to give safety talks.