On Saturday 3rd of January 2026, Brendan Dunne retired from his voluntary position with Dunmore East RNLI.
As far as I am aware, he was the longest-serving member at the time of his retirement. An incredible 40 years of service as a Crew Member, Navigator, and Mechanic. Of course, service to the RNLI is not just about the boat, the station or Dunmore, it is a selfless contribution to the entire community of the harbour, south coast and those that live, visit or just pass through.
l-r: Michael Farrell, Brendan and yours truly at the naming ceremony of the William & Agnes Wray, 2022
In that time, he served on three generations of all-weather lifeboats: The Waveney Class; St. Patrick (1975-1996), The Trent Class; Elizabeth and Ronald (1996-2021), and the current Shannon Class: William and Agnes Wray. There were a number of relief boats in there too.
The station provided a mighty send off which included a special afloat exercise, joined by the flanking stations of Kilmore Quay RNLI and Fethard RNLI. On his return to the station, Brendan was greeted with a guard of honour by the crew, and later a surprise gathering and send-off.
Of course, Brendan has also played a significant role in capturing the history of the Dunmore East RNLI station, and was instrumental in initiating and supporting David Carroll in the wonderful publication – Dauntless Courage. Brendan provided constant assistance and advice to David and was to the fore in the publication and marketing of the initiative too which realised a huge funding boost to the station – €31,050.
David and Brendan at Poole while on a research trip into the history of the Dunmore East RNLI
Needless to say, Brendan has been a reliable and generous friend to the Tides & Tales project too – along with so many of the Dunmore crew, both ashore and afloat. From advice, photos, and information on placenames and various incidents, Brendan has always made time from his hectic schedule. So we wish him a long and happy retirement and look forward to the next chapter in his fruitful endeavours.
As a retired mariner I should like to thank Brenden for his superior service.
Dunmore East was my Summer home during my teenage years We stayed at Mike Murphy’s home, 1 Island Road across from Fishermans Hall. Mike was a well know member of the lifeboat crew.
I am now in my 90th. year and a bit restricted in long distance travel living in South Florida however an inquiry from Brenden some years ago but me back in contact with Dunmore.
Good Watch