Tag Archives: doolin coast guard

A verdict of misadventure at the end of an inquest into the death of a North Clare Coast Guard volunteer has left her widower dissatisfied. A jury of four men and three women also issued seven recommendations concerning safety management, training and equipment used by the Irish Coast Guard before Limerick coroner John McNamara at Kilmallock Court recently. Experienced Doolin Coast Guard member, Caitríona Lucas was the first Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life following a search and rescue operation off Kilkee Bay on September 12, 2016. Her husband, Bernard Lucas confirmed he is not happy with the official inquest verdict. In his summing up for the jury, the coroner said unfortunately, I can’t give you the option of “unlawful killing”. Mr Lucas believes the final verdict should have been “unlawful killing” and felt this option should have been available for the jury as submitted by his representative Mr Kingston. Marine expert Michael Kingston, representing the Lucas family, had …

A BODY has been recovered from the sea off County Clare this afternoon, the second in less than 24 hours. It is understood two former Doolin Coast Guard members spotted the body yesterday afternoon. A drone was launched to investigate and footage confirmed the presence of a body. However, weather conditions were considered too dangerous to effect a safe recovery. Gardaí requested divers from the Garda Water Unit to travel to Clare this morning to carry out a recovery operation. Two boats departed Doolin Pier at around 10.20am in what would be a two-hour operation to recover the body. At around 12.30pm the divers safely recovered the body and transported the remains to Doolin Pier where they were met by local Gardaí, Coast Guard volunteers, a doctor and priest. When the man was formally pronounced dead his body was removed by hearse to University Hospital Limerick where a post-mortem examination will be carried out later. Meanwhile, not long after the …

DIVERS from the Garda Water Unit have recovered the body of a man from the base of a cliff after a week of poor conditions hampered previous efforts, reports Pat Flynn. The operation was completed this morning having been postponed as a result of poor weather since the alarm was first raised last weekend. Emergency services were alerted on Sunday after a person was seen falling from the Cliffs of Moher. The man is believed to have been living in the east of the country. Watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue sub centre on Valentia Island in Kerry mounted and coordinated a multi-agency search operation. Gardaí responded to the scene while the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter – Rescue 115 – the Doolin unit of the Coast Guard, National Ambulance Service, Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat were all tasked to the incident. While search crews were able to pinpoint the location of the body at the base of …

SEVERAL issues affecting the Doolin Coast Guard Unit including a ban on call outs to assist casualties on land near the Cliffs of Moher remain unresolved as concern grows over the delay in reconstituting the unit. Minister of State in the Department of Transport, Hildegarde Naughton TD, has asked the Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) to begin the process of reconstituting the Doolin Coast Guard unit, which was stood down from operations and training activities on November 2 last after the resignation of six volunteers. The decision was made following receipt of a report and recommendation from independent mediator, Kieran Mulvey, which has advised that certain relationships within the Doolin Coast Guard Unit have irretrievably broken down and that the mutual trust, respect and confidence required to effectively operate a Coast Guard Unit does not exist within the unit. However, local volunteers are still in the dark about what process will be used or who will have the final say in …

A TOXIC culture of bullying faces volunteers with the Irish Coastguard, two Clare TDs have claimed in the wake of the decision last week to stand down the Doolin unit. Six members of the north Clare unit resigned early last week, causing the unit to be benched. One source that is close to the Doolin Coastguard said that claims of “bullying and harassment” that led to the departure of the six volunteers from the unit was not caused by the 12 remaining members. Speaking in the Dáil, independent Michael McNamara said, “We need to get the Doolin Coast Guard unit reinstated but we need to address the issues that led us to where we are because the reality is there is a toxic working environment in the Coast Guard station in Doolin and there has been for some time. “Unfortunately it is not unique to Doolin; it exists the length and breadth of this country. There is a lack of …

THE need to reinstate Doolin Coastguard for cliff rescues has been emphasised by a Lahinch angler who was previously rescued by the unit a few years ago, writes Dan Danaher. Bill Rothwell has urged the government to fast-track the process for the return of Doolin Coastguard, which was controversially stood down following the resignation of six members. His appeal coincided with the latest revelation that Killala Coastguard is operating with only 14 members including four new recruits, while 12 volunteers of Doolin CG, with 175 years of combined experience behind themselves aren’t allowed to operate. Minister of State, Hildegarde Naughton has pledged to discuss the appointment of a mediator with officials in her department after Doolin CG was stood down “to ensure the safety of volunteers”. Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Martin Conway called for an independent mediator to visit Doolin and engage with all parties. Min @1Hildegarde today has committed to appointing independent expert / mediator to work with …

WHILE there was widespread shock following the standing down of the Doolin Coastguard Unit on Tuesday, there have been issues around its operation for a number of years, writes Owen Ryan. After six people resigned, the Irish Coastguard moved to shut down the unit this week, even though there were still 12 volunteers remaining, and it had been one of the busiest units in the country. One source that is close to the Doolin Coastguard said that claims of “bullying and harassment” that led to the departure of six volunteers from the unit was not caused by the 12 remaining members. A person close to the Unit said that problems have been festering since well before the death of Caitriona Lucas in 2016. He said that after a falling out between members who had once been quite friendly, other people involved took sides, which he said “shouldn’t have happened”. He also said that some of those who have just resigned …

PRESSURE is growing on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to conduct an independent investigation into the reasons that resulted in the suspension of Doolin Coast Guard amid claims of “severe bullying and harassment” in the service, writes Dan Danaher. Doolin Coast Guard can no longer provide marine cover and medical assistance to casualties that get into difficulty in inaccessible locations from South Galway to Doonbeg after it was controversially stood down. Minister Ryan has been warned by Senator Martin Conway that “lives are being put at risk” over the “unacceptable decision” to stand down the unit, despite the expertise and experience of 12 remaining members. There has already been an emergency callout in the area, on Wednesday night, when the rescue helicopter 115 was tasked to a search in the north Clare area. That search resumed Thursday with the Kilkee unit tasked to assist. https://twitter.com/markcarney123/status/1456048709742080004?s=20 It emerged this week that six volunteers at Doolin have resigned including the unit’s Officer in …