Three people were brought to safety after their boat got into difficulty about seven miles off Inishmurray Island in North Sligo last night.
It’s understood the 30-foot vessel had engine failure and the crew was forced to call Bundoran RNLI for assistance.
The three people were brought to safety and did not sustain any serious injuries.
The vessel was then towed to Mullaghmore by the volunteer lifeboat crew.
Due to the size of the casualty vessel, the tow took a number of hours.
On reaching Mullaghmore, the volunteer lifeboat crew were replaced by their colleagues after spending a number of hours at sea in cold conditions.
It was after 1.30am before the lifeboat crew reached home.
The Malin Head Coastguard Rescue Helicopter also assisted in bringing those on board to safety.
Bundoran RNLI were a routine training exercise for the lifeboat crew at the time.
Commenting on the callout, Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Captain Tony McGowan said, ‘ Our exercise night turned into a long callout for the crew and I want to thank them for their great work. Towing a vessel to safety can be a long and arduous job for a lifeboat crew but it’s an important one and we are happy to be able to assist. I also want to thank our volunteer lifeboat crew’s families who wait patiently at home and support the work of the RNLI.’
The volunteer lifeboat crew on the callout were Helm Brian Faulkner, and crewmembers Mark Vaughan, Fergal Muller and Chris Fox.
