Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue - Ballybunion County Kerry Ireland

Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue was founded in 1986 to provide a rescue service to the locality of North Kerry and West Limerick.

The unit, manned by 35 volunteers, is situated on the Ladies Beach in Ballybunion and operates as a declared resource to the Irish Coast Guard. BSCR operate on 7 minute readiness for the D Class and 12 minutes for the Atlantic 75, always available on 24 hour pager alert. As a declared resource we form part of a group of voluntary rescue boats collectively called Community Rescue Boats Ireland. This is made up of 13 units around the country (listed below)

Although maintaining the name Sea & Cliff Rescue, cliff rescue was taken over by the Ballybunion Unit of the Irish Coast Guard in 1991 (then the Coast and Cliff Rescue Service). The Irish Coast Guard unit based in Ballybunion is a separate organization and should not be mixed up with BSCR.

We rely on public donations and all year round fund raising to raise the €45,000 needed to keep the service afloat each year. None of our members are paid and all give their time freely.

Our Equipment

Equipped with a D class inflatable boat, & a new Atlantic 75 RIB, BSCR covers the coast and Shannon Estuary from Ballyheigue, Co Kerry to Foynes, Co. Limerick, and inland to Abbeyfeale, Co Limerick. Having a declared night time capability also means we overlap with neighboring services to cover that area in the hours of darkness.

As well as providing 24x7 Sea & Cliff Rescue, the volunteers also provide First Aid and Ambulance assistance at a handful of horse races and other events around the Ballybunion area.

Watch, for ye know not the hour ...

The crest of Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue Service is made up of an anchor in the centre, a ring buoy around a figure of 8 (for climbing) and a plan view of a D Class boat, all of which is outlined by a gold rope.

The words "Watch for ye know not the hour" is the units motto and comes from Matthew 24:42. It reminds people to always be careful.......because you never know when you may need us!