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Lough Swilly RNLI's
busiest year
28.10.08
But Buncrana breakwater
delay continues to hamper operations
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen
Independent
IN THE week when the RNLI revealed it had rescued
503 people in 439 launches across Ireland in the
first six months of 2008, local RNLI spokesman Joe
Joyce said the Lough Swilly station has had its
busiest year in at least five years.
The RNLI statistics for January-June 2008 showed 22
launches and 14 people rescued, but Mr Joyce says
the two Lough Swilly based lifeboats have been
launched another ten times since July.
“Even with the bad weather, it has been an
exceptionally busy year,” Joyce said. “The year
started off with a rescue of a crabber at a cave on
the Swilly, and in March we were involved in the
search for the Glengad fishermen, the late Danny and
Francis McDaid. The good weather at Easter meant the
lough was especially busy with pleasure craft and we
rescued a couple of children who had gone adrift in
a canoe while a man drifted out from Rathmullan on a
lilo.” |
The busiest stations in
Ireland were Dún Laoghaire, which launched 36 times,
and Crosshaven in Cork, which launched 25 times.
Along with Howth in County Dublin, Lough Swilly was
the third busiest station with 22 launches.
The RNLI’s new Atlantic 85 class boat, with a crew
of four, has performed well since it was
commissioned in April, but the Tyne Class inshore
boat continues to be hampered by |
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tidal conditions at
Buncrana Pier.
“We can’t launch at low tide, and during spring
tides launches can be delayed for hours at a time,”
Mr Joyce said.
Buncrana’s long awaited breakwater is the solution
to the tidal problem, but the start of project has
been delayed time and again.
The breakwater was discussed at the Buncrana Town
Council meeting of 8 October where it was revealed
that none of the €900,000 allocated to the project
for 2008 has yet been drawn down. Work has been held
up because a foreshore lease between the Department
of Agriculture and Donegal County Council has not
yet been signed.
Assistant county manager Liam Kelly told councillors
that the €900,000 must be drawn down before 28
November, but admitted there was no prospect of the
work being completed by that date.
More ominously, Mr Kelly also revealed that no money
has been allocated to the breakwater for 2009. |
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