Memories of 1977 rescue at fundraiser for the RNLI

THE RELATIONSHIP between the local RNLI and the public came full circle recently as three men, who were rescued by Rosslare Lifeboat 40 years ago, held a fundraiser in Hotel Curracloe for their rescuers.

Brothers Aidan and John Doyle, along with Tommy Roche, were herring fishing off the Blackwater to Rosslare coast on November 17, 1977 when the wind picked up and they got into difficulty. Gale force winds resulted in their boat being swept miles out to sea.

Unbelievably, the three men sent a distress signal using a pocket torch, which was spotted by another vessel closer to shore and they raised the alarm.

The Rosslare lifeboat was deployed and the three men were rescued.

40 years on, they marked the occasion with a social evening in Hotel Curracloe, with finger food, music and a raffle entertaining the hundreds of people who attended, including crew member Tony Kehoe who was on the lifeboat that rescued the men in 1977.

While a final figure had not been calculated, Rosslare RNLI PRO Jamie Ryan believed that somewhere between €17,000 and €20,000 had been raised from the event, referring to it as a ‘tremendous contribution’ from the community.

Mr. Ryan added that it was a fundraiser that the trio had been planning for a few months, adding that they had held fundraisers for them in previous years.