# Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Station

Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Station is the base for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat at Kilmore Quay in County Wexford, Ireland. It was known as just Kilmore Lifeboat Station until 1986.
The first lifeboat was stationed at the Kilmore coastguard station in 1847 but this was withdrawn in 1857. The station reopened in 1884 and moved into its present building in 2004.

## History

The first lifeboat was stationed at Kilmore on 28 July 1847. It was crewed by the local coastguard and kept in their boathouse.
The boat soon fell into disrepair so an attempt was made to establish a local committee to manage it, although it proved difficult to find people who would join. The RNLI did, however, order a new lifeboat and the old one was repaired to keep it in service until the new boat was available. The RNLI's annual report in 1858 stated that a new lifeboat had been provided during 1857, however it was subsequently reported that the new boat for Kilmore was one of six destroyed in a fire at the builder's boatyard on 19 June 1858. The following year it was reported that a replacement was 'ready to be sent' but it was not included in the RNLI's list of lifeboats in 1860.
There is no record of a lifeboat at Kilmore again until 1884 when the RNLI decided that it would be desirable to establish a lifeboat station because of the dangers around the Saltee Islands off Kilmore. A boathouse was built for £320 and this served until 1992 when it was demolished and a larger building constructed on the same site. The station had been renamed 'Kilmore Quay' in 1986. In 2004 a new berth was provided at the marina so that the lifeboat could be kept afloat.

## Service awards

The Kilmore coastguards made two notable rescues using their own boat. The first was the crew of 5 from the brigantine Isabella when it was wrecked in a gale on 18 December 1855. Another brigantine, the Exile, got into trouble on 22 October 1856 but the crew of 6 were saved although Coastguard John Barrett died soon afterward. For both these rescues Dennis Donovan was awarded RNLI silver medals, and for the second they were also given to Henry Smith, John Ahern, Donanld Gray, Daniel Regan and William Cox.
The Augusta Maurice, a French trawler with 10 crew, needed the services of the Kilmore lifeboat on 19 December 1957 during a gale that was gusting up to Force 10. Coxswain Mark Bates led the rescue and was awarded a silver medal and a gift from the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company's 'James Michael Bower Endowment Fund'.
The lifeboat itself capsized twice while out on 24 December 1977. On the first occasion one crew member was washed overboard but recovered; on the second four were washed overboard but only three were recovered. The lost man was Finton Sinnott. Coxswain Thomas Walsh was awarded a silver medal and John Devereux, the acting mechanic, received a bronze medal. John Devereux, now the Coxswain, was awarded a 'Framed Letter of Thanks' for his skill, judgement and seamanship while undertaking a six-hour tow of the Golden Cross, an historic tug which broke down on 21 December 1999.

## Area of operation

The RNLI aims to reach any vessel in distress up to 50 nmi (93 km) from the coast within 2 hours of launching. The Tamar-class lifeboat at Kilmore Quay has a range of 250 nmi (460 km) and top speed of 50 kn (93 km/h).
Adjacent stations with all-weather lifeboats are Dunmore East to the west, Rosslare Harbour to the north, and St Davids to the east. There is also an inshore lifeboat at Fethard between Kilmore Quay and Dunmore East.

## Kilmore lifeboats

The first lifeboat to be stationed at Kilmore was a small, buoyant boat. When the station was reopened in 1884 it was provided with a larger boat of the then-standard self-righting design. These were 'pulling and sailing' lifeboats that were usually rowed with oars but could use sails when conditions allowed. The station's first motor lifeboat arrived in 1937. This was a single-engined design but later boats were equipped with two. Modern, fast lifeboats have been stationed here since 1992. The first was kept in the boathouse and launched on a carriage, but since 2004 the lifeboat has been kept afloat in the marina.
The current lifeboat is Tamar-class Killarney which has been on station since 2010.
* Killarney
| At Kilmore | ON | Op. No. | Name | Class | Built | Comments |
| 1847–1857 | — | — | — | Palmer | 1847 | 26 ft (7.9 m) long with 5 oars. |
| 1884–1901 | 99 | — | John Robert | Self-Righter | 1884 | 34 ft (10 m) long with 10 oars. |
| 1902–1928 | 496 | — | The Sisters | Self-Righter | 1902 | 35 ft (11 m) boat. |
| 1928–1931 | 492 | — | Brittan Willis | Self-Righter | 1902 | 35 ft (11 m) boat, first stationed at Greencastle. |
| 1931–1937 | 638 | — | John Dunn | Self-Righter | 1914 | 35 ft (11 m) boat, previously stationed at Drogheda (Mornington) Lifeboat Station (Drogheda No. 2) and Clogherhead. |
| 1937–1965 | 798 | — | Ann Isabella Pyemont | Liverpool | 1937 | Kilmore's first motor lifeboat. Sold in 1968 and modified as a fishing boat, reported to be at Blakeney, Norfolk in 2023. |
| 1965–1972 | 850 | — | Cecil Paine | Liverpool | 1945 | First stationed at Wells. Sold in 1973 for further use as a lifeboat in Portugal. |
| 1972–1988 | 997 | 37-26 | Lady Murphy | Oakley | 1972 | The last Oakley-class lifeboat built. |
| 1988–1991 | 994 | 37-23 | Vincent Nesfield | Oakley | 1969 | Initially deployed in the Reserve Fleet. |
| 1991–1992 | 976 | 37-09 | The Lilly Wainwright | Oakley | 1964 | First stationed at Llandudno. Sold in 1993 and used as a pleasure boat at Cobh. |
| 1992–2004 | 1187 | 12-28 | Mary Margaret | Mersey | 1992 | |
| 2004–2010 | 1133 | 47-021 | The Famous Grouse | Tyne | 1987 | Initially deployed in the Relief Fleet. Sold in 2013 for further use as a lifeboat in British Columbia. |
| 2010– | 1298 | 16-18 | Killarney | Tamar | 2010 | |