2001: First inland lifeboat station
Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is home to the RNLI’s first non-tidal inshore lifeboat station.
Lough Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is home to the RNLI’s first non-tidal inshore lifeboat station.
When Enniskillen RNLI opened on Lower Lough Erne in May 2001, it became our 225th lifeboat station, and our first inland station.
A year later, a second inshore lifeboat went into service – on Upper Lough Erne, at Carrybridge. Lifeboats have been in continuous service at Enniskillen (Upper and Lower) since 2002.
Enniskillen (Lower) is based at Killadeas, at Lough Erne Yacht Club, on the lower lough’s northern shore.
The facilities at Enniskillen (Upper) were initially basic, but have seen a big improvement. In 2015, we provided a brand new station building containing a boathall, mechanics workshop, and changing, training and other facilities.
Enniskillen RNLI is unique in two ways:
- When it opened it was our only station to operate four lifeboats: two B class Atlantic 21s and two inshore rescue boats! They had the last operational Atlantic 21s in our fleet, and now operate an Atlantic 85 and Rescue Water Craft.
- And it’s the only station to operate a search and rescue service in two separate countries. The 26-mile long Lower Lough Erne, and Upper Lough Erne that flows into it, straddle the border between the UK (Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland.
Lough Erne is a magnet for anglers, rowers, wakeboarders and other watersports enthusiasts, which keeps our Enniskillen crews busy.
