Although its work has never been more necessary, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is, in some ways, a glorious anachronism. It was one of only a handful of bodies – voluntary or otherwise – to retain its “Royal” prefix in the years after independence.
The RNLI stood aloof from the political turmoil that convulsed Ireland a century ago. It could do so only because its reputation for selfless, life-saving volunteerism was widely respected by Irishmen and Irishwomen of all political stripes. As a result, the RNLI to this day continues to operate under a unified umbrella throughout the islands of Britain and Ireland.
Members of Oranmore Men's Shed at the Galway Bay lifeboat station.
In a few short years, the RNLI will celebrate its bicentenary on (and off) our shores, its first Irish lifeboat station having been established at Arklow, Co Wicklow, in 1826. The Institute continues to maintain a 24-hour rescue service throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as offering lifeguard and flood relief services as and when required.
This ethos of community-based solidarity will strike a note with Men’s Sheds members and supporters. In Oranmore, Co Galway, the resonances run as deep as the waters of Galway Bay.
Earlier this year, Tony Hiney, Oranmore-based community fundraising manager for the RNLI, made contact with the town’s thriving Men’s Shed. The collaboration bore ripe and rapid fruit, with the shed raising over €700 in a May Day collection for their local branch of the RNLI.
By way of thank you, the men of the shed were recently invited to visit Galway Bay lifeboat station. Eight members undertook an access-all-areas tour of the station. “We were all deeply impressed,” says Terry Burke of Oranmore Men’s Shed. “We saw the survival suits, the operations room and detailed charts of the bay’s tidal patterns. The sea is a huge factor in Oranmore life. Our own shed is literally a stone’s throw from the shore.
Sheds members pictured with lifeboat Binny.
“The facts and figures and stats were really impressive,” says Terry, rattling them off verbatim to prove his point. “The lifeboat station has 38 crew, and it can have a lifeboat on the water within eight minutes of receiving a call.”
Terry himself is no stranger to emergency coastal rescue. “Back in 2016, a group of local people set up the Oranmore-Maree Coastal Search Unit, a local search-and-rescue service. We’re all volunteers. It would be a similar ethos to the Men’s Shed, but obviously with a much more sober purpose.
“It was very necessary,” says Terry, “due to the number of drownings. We go out on coastline searches and there are times when you’d be called out all too often. It’s always a sad occasion when you get the call. Fortunately, we haven’t had quite as many this year.”
A sombre reminder, then, that communities need to stick together through trauma as well as triumph.
Terry Burke (Oranmore Men's Shed), Minister Michael Ring TD and Hildegarde Naughton TD.
On a brighter note, the name of Oranmore Men’s Shed has been echoing through the corridors of power over the past few months. Local TD Hildegarde Naughton invited the members to visit her in Dáil Éireann, an experience thoroughly enjoyed by all.
On foot of that trip, Minister for Community & Rural Development Michael Ring TD paid a personal return visit to Oranmore Men’s Shed. “We were delighted to host him,” says Terry.
“He was very well-informed and very enthusiastic about the Men’s Shed and its ethos, and a real supporter of the whole concept behind Men’s Sheds.”
From Galway Bay to Leinster House, Oranmore Men’s Shed is becoming a fixture in the public consciousness, much like its friends and partners in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. CL
For more information or to make a donation, visit https://rnli.org or https://www.samaritans.org
Although its work has never been more necessary, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is, in some ways, a glorious anachronism. It was one of only a handful of bodies – voluntary or otherwise – to retain its “Royal” prefix in the years after independence.
The RNLI stood aloof from the political turmoil that convulsed Ireland a century ago. It could do so only because its reputation for selfless, life-saving volunteerism was widely respected by Irishmen and Irishwomen of all political stripes. As a result, the RNLI to this day continues to operate under a unified umbrella throughout the islands of Britain and Ireland.
Members of Oranmore Men's Shed at the Galway Bay lifeboat station.
In a few short years, the RNLI will celebrate its bicentenary on (and off) our shores, its first Irish lifeboat station having been established at Arklow, Co Wicklow, in 1826. The Institute continues to maintain a 24-hour rescue service throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as offering lifeguard and flood relief services as and when required.
This ethos of community-based solidarity will strike a note with Men’s Sheds members and supporters. In Oranmore, Co Galway, the resonances run as deep as the waters of Galway Bay.
Earlier this year, Tony Hiney, Oranmore-based community fundraising manager for the RNLI, made contact with the town’s thriving Men’s Shed. The collaboration bore ripe and rapid fruit, with the shed raising over €700 in a May Day collection for their local branch of the RNLI.
By way of thank you, the men of the shed were recently invited to visit Galway Bay lifeboat station. Eight members undertook an access-all-areas tour of the station. “We were all deeply impressed,” says Terry Burke of Oranmore Men’s Shed. “We saw the survival suits, the operations room and detailed charts of the bay’s tidal patterns. The sea is a huge factor in Oranmore life. Our own shed is literally a stone’s throw from the shore.
Sheds members pictured with lifeboat Binny.
“The facts and figures and stats were really impressive,” says Terry, rattling them off verbatim to prove his point. “The lifeboat station has 38 crew, and it can have a lifeboat on the water within eight minutes of receiving a call.”
Terry himself is no stranger to emergency coastal rescue. “Back in 2016, a group of local people set up the Oranmore-Maree Coastal Search Unit, a local search-and-rescue service. We’re all volunteers. It would be a similar ethos to the Men’s Shed, but obviously with a much more sober purpose.
“It was very necessary,” says Terry, “due to the number of drownings. We go out on coastline searches and there are times when you’d be called out all too often. It’s always a sad occasion when you get the call. Fortunately, we haven’t had quite as many this year.”
A sombre reminder, then, that communities need to stick together through trauma as well as triumph.
Terry Burke (Oranmore Men's Shed), Minister Michael Ring TD and Hildegarde Naughton TD.
On a brighter note, the name of Oranmore Men’s Shed has been echoing through the corridors of power over the past few months. Local TD Hildegarde Naughton invited the members to visit her in Dáil Éireann, an experience thoroughly enjoyed by all.
On foot of that trip, Minister for Community & Rural Development Michael Ring TD paid a personal return visit to Oranmore Men’s Shed. “We were delighted to host him,” says Terry.
“He was very well-informed and very enthusiastic about the Men’s Shed and its ethos, and a real supporter of the whole concept behind Men’s Sheds.”
From Galway Bay to Leinster House, Oranmore Men’s Shed is becoming a fixture in the public consciousness, much like its friends and partners in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. CL
For more information or to make a donation, visit https://rnli.org or https://www.samaritans.org
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