Arranmore Lifeboat Station
| All-Weather Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Launch Method | Afloat |
| Address | Poolawaddy, Arranmore Island, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Telephone | 074 9520123 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
Arranmore Lifeboat Station, on Arranmore Island off the rugged west coast of County Donegal, is one of the most storied stations in Ireland. Established in 1883 and crewed by islanders ever since, it is famous above all for the 1940 rescue of the Dutch steamer Stolwijk, which brought Coxswain John Boyle the RNLI Gold Medal. The station operates a Severn-class all-weather lifeboat, the largest in the fleet, from a mooring at Poolawaddy.
Following an appeal by local residents, the RNLI opened a lifeboat station on Arranmore Island in 1883, the first lifeboat — the Vandeleur, named for the Dublin benefactor whose legacy funded her — arriving that September, crewed entirely by islanders. The coast here is largely ironbound, harsh and rugged, with only occasional coves where a lifeboat can work. The station’s first motor lifeboat came in the 1920s, and over the decades its boats answered countless calls along this exposed shore, including many medical evacuations from the surrounding islands. Lifeboat service runs deep in island families — the Boyles, Byrnes and O’Donnells have crewed the boats across many generations. In 2000 the station received the Severn-class lifeboat 17-22 Myrtle Maud, kept on a mooring, and in 2024, 31 years after the station moved to Poolawaddy, a new €1.4 million boathouse and crew facilities were opened. Arranmore remains one of the oldest and most respected stations on the Irish coast.
