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Updated 17.41
A KITESURFER WHO got into difficulty in extreme weather conditions in Dublin Bay this morning was rescued by the Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI Lifeboat.
The man had been kitesurfing about 150 metres from the shore off Sandymount, Co. Dublin before getting into trouble in breaking surf at around 10.40am.
The RNLI say that the the man then abandoned his equipment in an attempt to swim to safety but was prevented from doing so by the tidal conditions.
He then used a waterproof mobile phone to alert the Irish Coast Guard Marine Rescue Co-Ordination (MRCC) and the RNLI Inshore lifeboat along with the Coast Guard unit from Dun Laoghaire were tasked to the scene.
The RNLI lifeboat was launched from Dun Laoghaire at around 10.50am with three volunteer crew members on board but they experienced heavy conditions at the harbour entrance due to the strong winds and rough seas.
The RNLI says that the lifeboat was operating at ‘extreme weather limits’ for its design.
The RNLI says that the lifeboat encountered breaking waves along the the entire shoreline from Blackrock to Sandymount before reaching the kitesurfer’s position which had been located by the Coast Guard unit in a shore search.
Due to the high risk of the lifeboat capsizing, the casualty was taken on board the lifeboat and returned to Dun Laoghaire instead of directly to the shore.
Stephen Wynne of Dun Laoghaire RNLI says that the rescue showed the skill of their voulteer crews.
“Despite the conditions, this rescue demonstrated the capabilities of this small but highly effective lifeboat and its crew. Considerable skill is needed to avoid capsize while rescuing a casualty.”
The rescued kitesurfer required no medical treatment when rescued and taken ashore.
A Coastguard helicopter at the East Pier in Howth, Dublin. (Pic: Brian Lawless/PA Wire)
Howth
In a separate incident, reports in Howth of a person being washed off the west pier into the water were found to be a false alarm.
A full team call out of the Howth coast guard unit was requested along with the Irish Coast Guard helicopter and Howth RNLI lifeboats after a member of the public reported seeing a jogger being washed into the harbour.
Following an extensive search in difficult conditions updated information from a witness was received and the search was stood down before noon.
The Irish Coast Guard say the call was considered a false alarm with good intent.
They have advised people not to walk along exposed areas of the coast line including harbour walls and seafronts with breaking waves.
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Incredible group of parents, thank you for advocating for our beautiful children
@Elena R: FFG over and over failing Irish children
Children start school here at 4 or 5 years of age. We have a census every 5 years, so the statistics are there for how many children need school places, and how many have extra/special needs.
And yet this issue has been ongoing not for years but decades.
If you judge a society by how it treats its weakest and most vulnerable then in this regard our republic is a miserable failure, and shame on successive Education ministers and their civil servants
Would love to know how many of these parents voted for ffg in the recent election
@Brian Molloy: none of them. When you are knee deep in battling the government every day for your basic rights, you tend not to vote for the incumbent government.
@James Smith: you’ll get a woeful boot up the hole if the others get in lol
@Brian Molloy: most of them probably, people in this country don’t like change,good or bad
@Brian Molloy: parents of children with additional & complex needs are often easy prey to the promises of politicians. As a father of 2 kids with autism I know the struggles & the fears. Politicians simply do not care one bit for us & our children.
@Peter Sponge: like the boot in the hole parents are currently getting off the incumbents. Your comment just doesn’t make sense.
@Brian Molloy: the people of Ireland vote for them,
@Peter Sponge: another feckin dope is what you are.
Bigger fool, anyone who believes the Irish government care about these kids.
At the stroke of a pen, a magic money tree appeared for Covid, then Ukraine, then pet projects eg bike shed, children’s hospital and self pay increases. Yes hard work will be involved in correcting these issues for the families, and unfortunately the Gov only put in the hard yards for cover ups.
@paul ruddell: The government will never do enough to support children with special needs or speech delays. Schools may be willing to help by hiring specialized teachers or assistants, but only if funding is provided. Meanwhile, the HSE (Health Service Executive) continues to neglect these children, leaving them on waiting lists for months—or even years.
Time is critical. Every day matters when a child needs speech therapy or a diagnosis. Delays in intervention cause irreversible damage, and once that damage is done, it becomes permanent. This permanence creates lifelong struggles for the child, and parents—along with every family member—are left to shoulder the burden alone. While parents and families fight tirelessly, becoming unsung heroes, the government remains detached, seemingly unaware of the depth of their suffering.
As a parent, I urge others to remember this: Screens and mobile devices cannot replace genuine human interaction and active engagement. Prioritize real communication and meaningful activities—they make all the difference.
I agree with your say
Every single person who gave Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil a vote, this is on you, and the record homelessness numbers this month.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: up yours you haven’t a clue with your flippant comments
@James Fields: on at 3.30am with new account…. berating parents with special needs kids? What’s it like being you?
These parents are so selfish. Don’t they know we need fighter jets?
A billion spent on aslyum seeker accommodation last year, a hundred thousand euro spent yesterday on deporting 30 people. The money is there but it is being spent on other things to keep the EU happy.
All in the name of protecting the vulnerable, yet truely vulnerable aslyum seekers are lost in the mass, while money being spent on free accommodation but the most vulnerable of our society, children with additional needs cannot be supported or educated in the country they were born and their tax paying parents cannot get support. This is insane, people say voting for fffg, but the opposition would still spend the money, look at social democrats who came out today denouncing the deportations and lack of aslyum accommodation,
Loudmouth Barrett, he would be happy to flood the country with Islamists
@Peter Sponge: that’s it you deflect as much as you can
@Peter Sponge: Reported you but in the meantime, maybe spend 2 mins thinking about this 1 of your million dum comments. You’ve attempted to antagonise and provoke folks about kids with special needs? You lo lyfe sk-um nugget. Get help.
@James Fields: Peter, jim, dave… you awake? If p .Sponge is already deleted, then I’ll just come after “james” and all your accounts. But seriously, are you paid to troll here? If not, then listen to everyone who tells you….. you need help.
@Peter Sponge: Clearly you know nothing about disability, highly offensive and ignorant comment. Stand with families who have kids with disabilities rather than such ignorance.
Does she not know what their concerns are. Typical of her,as usual .
The government will never do enough to support children with special needs or speech delays. Schools may be willing to help by hiring specialized teachers or assistants, but only if funding is provided. Meanwhile, the HSE (Health Service Executive) continues to neglect these children, leaving them on waiting lists for months—or even years.
Time is critical. Every day matters when a child needs speech therapy or a diagnosis. Delays in intervention cause irreversible damage, and once that damage is done, it becomes permanent. This permanence creates lifelong struggles for the child, and parents—along with every family member—are left to shoulder the burden alone. While parents and families fight tirelessly, becoming unsung heroes, the government remains detached, seemingly unaware of the depth of their suffering.
As a parent, I urge others to remember this: Screens and mobile devices cannot replace genuine human interaction and active engagement. Prioritize real communication and meaningful activities—they make all the difference.
Does she not know what their concerns are. Typical of her. As usual .
Lots of money and accommodation for those who don’t like us very much, but not for Irish children.
Sure we’re a great country.
Sadly this is not new news and each government have been fully aware of this ÿou need a country wide march with families standing together shake the core of them to their utter shame
HSE have loads of managers to compile reports and do assessments. But have rarely met any speech or occupational therapy people for my kid. The field is exclusively women and many go on maternity leave and never return. Or take years off for sabbaticals. Work life balance is great, but we need more people in general in these services and we need it to be gender balanced.
@DAN TEDSON: fathers can take sabbaticals too.
Badly behaved kids, a good clip round the ear is needed
@Peter Sponge: dear journal, can’t you delete anything that comes from this degenerates ip address?
Yeah, I totally agree. Tell me about it. I had to apply to 43 schools to secure a secondary school place in an ASD class for my son, balancing this with full-time work. Despite schools offering online applications for neurotypical students, many demand paper applications for ASD places, forcing me to deliver 12 applications personally. My husband even took a day off work for this nonsense. We’ve had to pay for everything—OT, speech therapy, private tuition, educational assessment—you name it. While the NDT shifts responsibility to parents after a one-hour course. The state offers just 40 summer tuition hours, and HSE assessments are inaccessible. Meanwhile, Sensational Kids faced roadblocks in opening a new Kildare assessment centre. The system is failing our kids.
T-h-e-r-a-p-i-s-t is a banned word on this platform?
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