Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue

Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue Providing 24/7 emergency search and rescue service to the community since 1986. Registered charity. Limerick, and inland to Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick.

Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue was founding in 1986 to provide a rescue service to the locality of North Kerry and West Limerick. The unit, manned by 35 volunteers, is situated on the Ladies Beach in Ballybunion and operates as a declared resource to the Irish Coast Guard. BSCR operate on 7 minute readiness for the D Class and 12 minutes for the Atlantic 75, always available on 24 hour pager alert

. The unit is the busiest inshore CRBI unit in Ireland with an average of 25 to 30 callouts a year. Equipped with a D class inflatable boat, an Atlantic 21 boat and a new Atlantic 75 RIB, BSCR covers the coast and Shannon Estuary from Ballyheigue, Co Kerry to Foynes, Co. Having a declared night time capability also means we over lap with neighboring services to cover that area in the hours of darkness. As well as providing 24x7 Sea & Cliff Rescue, the volunteers also provide First Aid and Ambulance assistance at a handful of horse races and other events around the Ballybunion area. Our volunteers are very well trained in all aspects of rescue work up to an including the level of EMT

We rely on public donations and all year round fund raising to raise the €45,000 needed to keep the service afloat each year. None of our members are paid and all give their time freely. As an independent rescue service, Ballybunion Rescue operates as part of C.R.B.I. The Community Rescue Boats Ireland (C.R.B.I.) are a nationwide group of independent voluntary rescue boats declared available to the Coast Guard who respond to emergencies in their area of responsibility on a 24/365 basis. Other units include Cahore - Co.Wexford, Tramore -Co.Waterford, Bunmahon - Co.Waterford, Bantry - Co.Cork, Derrynane - Co.Kerry, Banna - Co.Kerry, Kilkee - Co.Clare, Limerick City, Corrib/Mask - Co.Galway and Schull - Co Cork. We are soon to have another unit, Ballinskellig CRBI.

Our schools programme is coming to an end in the next week or so with only a small number of visits left! Water Safety...
22/06/2026

Our schools programme is coming to an end in the next week or so with only a small number of visits left!

Water Safety Ireland Kerry Water Safety

Another great mornings training yesterday saw both the Alpha and Bravo IB1 D-Classes in the water in what can only be de...
22/06/2026

Another great mornings training yesterday saw both the Alpha and Bravo IB1 D-Classes in the water in what can only be described as tropical conditions in Ballybunion!!

While the water is calm and crystal clear, just remember that the water temperature is still cool and care should be taken when swimming.

✅ Always swim in groups

✅ Always swim on lifeguarded beaches

✅ Always listen to the lifeguards

❎ Never swim out of your depth

If you see someone in trouble, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard 📟 📟

More information from Water Safety Ireland here -https://watersafety.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/BSR-Booklet-2023-Print-Version.pdf

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟 This evening at 17:30 we were requested by Ballybunion Gardaí to preform a search of the waterline in Ba...
14/06/2026

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟

This evening at 17:30 we were requested by Ballybunion Gardaí to preform a search of the waterline in Ballybunion. Members assembled and our drone was launched. An area from the Cashen river mouth to Bromore cliffs (approx 6km straightline distance) was searched (waterline and 200m off shore) over a 1hr 30mins time frame. Visibility and conditions were excellent as can be seen from the photographs.

Following the search, we had nothing to report and An Garda Síochána stood the team down.

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟 Last night at 00:02hrs we were tasked to the Ferrybridge, Ballyduff by Ballybunion Gardaí to assist in t...
12/06/2026

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟

Last night at 00:02hrs we were tasked to the Ferrybridge, Ballyduff by Ballybunion Gardaí to assist in the search for a man missing in the area. Our members assembled and created an incident command location for the Gardaí to work from. Search teams were allocated areas and working with our colleagues in Ballybunion Coastguard, Ballybunion fire and rescue and Listowel Fire and Rescue , the river bank was searched. Rescue 115, the Shannon based rescue helicopter, commenced a search also and once they had concluded, our drone team was also utilised.

Due to the conditions, the search was called off shortly after 3am and it resumed this morning. Accompanied by Glenderry Coastguards drone team searching down river, our drone team searched up river with our IB1 D-Class being launched in the river at 09:45hrs. At 10:01hrs the boat crew reported locating the casualty and recovered his body into the boat.

Our deepest sympathies extend to the man’s family and friends. RIP.

We were delighted to be asked by Ballyduff National School to deliver a water safety talk to 4th, 5th and 6th classes to...
11/06/2026

We were delighted to be asked by Ballyduff National School to deliver a water safety talk to 4th, 5th and 6th classes today. Led by our Education Officer, John Kennelly, and assisted by John Walsh, David and Omar, the team delivered the Water Safety Ireland PAWS programme along with a bespoke talk of what we do, and the water hazards in the locality. With some fantastic questions being asked, it was a great morning of learning!

Thanks to WSI for their support and provision of educational materials as part of the visit. Our visits will continue right up until schools close at the end of the month

Big thanks to our training provider, Safe Water Training, for delivering part one of their bespoke SAR crew development ...
07/06/2026

Big thanks to our training provider, Safe Water Training, for delivering part one of their bespoke SAR crew development course yesterday and today to Robbie, Malcolm and Brian. All three will head to Lough Corrib for part 2 in a number of weeks which will take them out of their own environment to improve their navigation and boat handling skills.

Thanks also to Fenit Harbour for the use of their excellent facilities.

Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue would like to thank Kerry County Council for their continued support of financial assis...
06/06/2026

Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue would like to thank Kerry County Council for their continued support of financial assistance under the Community Support Fund 2026 in respect of a contribution towards the purchase of lifesaving PPE for our crew members.

Such a disappointment that faced our crews this morning as they arrived for training. The access control for our buildin...
31/05/2026

Such a disappointment that faced our crews this morning as they arrived for training. The access control for our building had been smashed by a large rock overnight. While our helmsmen and DLAs have remote access to the main and side doors, this type of senseless destruction that could cause a delay in the event of an emergency tasking, a delay where seconds matter.

So if you have kids who were in Ballybunion yesterday, Saturday the 30th of May, we need your help. We have the offenders clearly on camera, both from the side camera (shown in the photo circled) and the rear camera. The males who did the destruction, and the females who obviously thought it was funny can be clearly identified. The photograph with the yellow circle is a cropped photo showing the rock in mid air. We have it cropped so as not to identify those involved

It occurred at 21:31hrs (and 42 seconds). Please speak to the young people in your family and see if they were involved.

If you did the damage or were involved in the damage, we would ask that you contact us as soon as possible. We would rather educate people as to what this could mean for our service rather than report it to An Garda Síochána, however due to how dangerous this act was, we will have no choice but to report it to the Gardaí if the offenders do not come forward of their own accord.

We do not intend on publishing the screen captures of the offenders as to do so would jeopardise any criminal proceedings if it comes to that.

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟 At 14:15hrs today, the Marine Rescue Sub Centre at Valentia activated our pagers requesting an immediate...
27/05/2026

📟 📟 CALLOUT 📟 📟

At 14:15hrs today, the Marine Rescue Sub Centre at Valentia activated our pagers requesting an immediate launch to a report of persons trapped on the black rocks, having been cut off by a rising tide. Our IB1 D Class was launched and on arrival, found that the persons were back safely on land. The D Class returned to station, was washed down and made ready for service again.

The Ladies Beach was extremely busy today and we’d like to express our thanks to everyone who quickly moved their belongings, without complaint, to assist us in getting to the waters edge for launch. Your help is much appreciated.

When visiting the beach, always be aware of rising tides incase you are in a position that you could be cut off from land. Remember, lifeguards are not on duty yet. And if ever in doubt, always immediately dial 999/112 and ask for the coastguard who in turn will activate the appropriate resource. We’d rather turn out to 100 calls like these than not be called for that one where we are essential. So if in doubt, there is no doubt……make that call.

*File Photo Used

Massive thanks to Liosdoire Computers for donating an interactive tv for our meeting / lecture room. This comes only mo...
12/05/2026

Massive thanks to Liosdoire Computers for donating an interactive tv for our meeting / lecture room. This comes only months after they donated an overhead projector to us. The interactive tv has already been put to great use in a coastal navigation and VHF course and will be hugely beneficial for search operations in the future.

Liosdoire Computers supply photocopiers, interactive TVs and projectors nationwide. Huge thanks to Stevie and his team!

Address

Ladies Beach
Ballybunnion
COUNTYKERRY

Website

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