‘I have really enjoyed my time working with the Arranmore crew’

Sean Curtin, a relief coxswain with the RNLI in Ireland, has decided to take a turn away from the helm and passes on his best wishes to all the Arranmore crew.

Sean, from Valentia Island, Co Kerry, joined his local lifeboat at the age of 17 in line with the family tradition. Sean’s father and uncle both served as relief mechanics on the RNLI fleet in Britain and Ireland, and in keeping with the sea-faring tradition of the islands, Sean then joined the Irish Navy, where he trained as a mechanic and continued to answer the call with the lifeboat on his days off.

He also continued to train with the RNLI and successfully completed his mechanic and relief coxswain training. On leaving the Navy, Sean then became part of the RNLI, serving on the relief fleet, travelling the length and breadth of RNLI stations in Ireland.

He has been providing relief service with Arranmore Lifeboat Station since 2019 and took charge of the lifeboat for the final time on Monday evening, taking the volunteer crew out on training exercise in the all-weather Severn class Lifeboat. Sean will still be in the business of saving lives at sea as he joins the Coast Guard.

“I have really enjoyed my time with the RNLI - it involved a lot of travelling and being away from home quite a lot,” Sean said. “I have a 12-year-old daughter Saidhbh Rose, and it was difficult not seeing her in the various stages of growing up so when the opportunity arose to work with the Coast Guard, especially as it still involves saving lives at sea coordinating search and rescue services, I felt it was the right move for me. I will be undergoing training with the Coast Guard at their various stations, and I’m really looking forward to the new challenge.

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“I have really enjoyed my time working with the Arranmore crew and didn’t really want it to be my last run as I loved the area from day one. I would like to thank all the crew and the people of Arranmore for making me feel welcome and wish them well in the future.”

Trainee coxswain Kieran O’Donnell added: “It was a pleasure working with Sean, who is a really experienced coxswain, and I learned a lot from him during his time on Arranmore. I would like to thank him for sharing his expertise and patience with myself and the crew and wish him every success in his role with the Coast Guard.”