Helvick Head Lifeboat Station
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Launch Method | Slipway |
| Address | Helvick, Ring, Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland |
| Telephone | 058 46511 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
Helvick Head Lifeboat Station serves the County Waterford coast from the small harbour at Helvick, in the Irish-speaking district of Ring near Dungarvan. Its roots reach back to a Dungarvan lifeboat established in 1859, which moved along the bay before settling at Helvick Head in 1900. After the all-weather station closed in 1969, Helvick Head re-opened as an inshore station in 1997, and operates an Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat.
In 1858 the RNLI opened a lifeboat station at Ardmore and, the following year, established one at Dungarvan, on the recommendation of the Chief Inspector. The lifeboat was moved to Ballinacourty in 1862, and then, late in 1898, it was decided to move it further east to Crow’s Point at Helvick Head; the new station and slipway, costing £1,800, opened in 1900 as Dungarvan Bay (Helvick Head). The boathouse was built out over the water on stilts, with the lifeboat kept in a cradle on rails.
For 110 years an all-weather lifeboat served from Helvick Head, until the station closed in 1969. As inshore rescue needs grew, the RNLI re-opened Helvick Head as an inshore station in 1997, with permanent facilities completed in 1999. The station operates the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Robert Armstrong (B-874), launched down the slipway into the harbour and covering the coast between Tramore to the east and Youghal to the west.
