Two Irish journalists feature on RNLI 200 Voices podcast
Cork maritime journalist Tom MacSweeney, former Marine Correspondent at RTE and his erstwhile colleague Tom McGuire, recently retired Head of RTE Radio 1 both contribute this week to a special podcast series marking 200 years of the RNLI.
Tom MacSweeney presented more than a thousand episodes of the maritime programme ‘Seascapes’ on RTE Radio 1 and in Voice of the Sea reflects on the unchanging mission of the charity and the generous spirit of RNLI volunteers.
In this episode which, will be available from Thursday 21 December, he reflects particularly on the Lady Murphy tragedy in Kilmore Quay on Christmas Eve 1977 in which Kilmore Quay RNLI volunteer Finton Sinnott was lost at sea.
In his reflection Tom MacSweeney notes how the mission of the RNLI ‘to save every one’ has remained unchanged over two centuries. In particular he pays tribute to the contribution of lifeboat people and their families for the contribution and sacrifices they make in saving lives.
On Wednesday 20 December in Full Circle, Tom McGuire who is lifeboat press officer at Lough Ree RNLI talks about how his media career and his return as a volunteer to the same community he served in a pastoral role in the 1980s.
The unique podcast series will hear from people connected to the RNLI in Ireland and those whose lives have been touched by the lifesaving charity. Hear from locals with a special kinship to their lifeboat station, a crew member who’s been on service for a generation, or the family of someone rescued by an RNLI frontline lifesaver – each episode is sure to take the listener on a journey through a touching story.
Available across all podcast platforms and the RNLI’s website, listeners can hear from survivors, supporters, volunteers, lifeguards, celebrity ambassadors, historians and many more from across Wales, England, Scotland Ireland and beyond.
Launch into a podcast like no other: Listen to the RNLI’s 200 Voices daily, wherever you get your podcasts or at RNLI.org/200Voices.
To find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary, visit www.RNLI.org/200.
Notes to Editor:
· Episodes attached for preview https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/2024/200-voices
· An RNLI spokesperson is available for interviews.
· An audio trailer for 200 Voices can be downloaded here and a video trailer can be downloaded here.
· Find out more about the RNLI’s bicentenary at RNLI.org/200
RNLI media contacts
To arrange an interview or for more information about the 200 Voices podcast series, contact Tom McGuire, RNLI Regional Media Officer, on [email protected] or 00 353 87 476 4436
Alternatively, you can contact the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 00 441202 336789.
RNLI online
For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824 its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,200 lives.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.