Howth Lifeboat Station
| All-Weather Lifeboat | |
|---|---|
| Inshore Lifeboat | |
| Launch Method | Afloat |
| Address | Middle Pier, Howth Harbour, Howth, County Dublin, Ireland |
| Telephone | 018 393 311 |
Explore two centuries of RNLI lifeboat history, heroic rescues, and the enduring tradition of saving lives at sea.
Howth Lifeboat Station sits on the middle pier of Howth Harbour, on the peninsula at the north side of Dublin Bay. A lifeboat was first stationed here in 1817 by the Dublin Ballast Board, and the RNLI took over in 1862. One of the busiest stations in Ireland, recording among the most callouts each year, Howth has a long record of gallantry and today operates a Trent-class all-weather lifeboat and a D-class inshore boat.
From 1801 the Corporation and Port of Dublin (the Ballast Board) placed lifeboats around Dublin Bay, including one at Howth in 1817. In 1862 the Board asked the RNLI to take over its three stations — Howth, Poolbeg and Kingstown — and the Institution assumed management. Through the 19th century Howth’s pulling-and-sailing lifeboats answered many calls along this rocky coast.
In 1899 the station received the James Stevens No.7, one of 20 lifeboats funded by a single £50,000 legacy, and the boat was kept afloat, the old West Pier boathouse being given up. The first motor lifeboat, the Watson-class Lady Kylsant, arrived in 1930, its greater range bringing about the closure of the Skerries station to the north. A D-class inshore lifeboat was added in 1967, and a new station built on the middle pier in 1984.
On 11 March 2002 the Trent-class 14-33 Roy Barker III, funded by the Roy Barker Memorial Fund and the City of Dublin Appeal, was placed on service; the current D-class Aideen Cresswell arrived in 2016, with a pontoon berth added alongside the boathouse the same year.
