Coast Guards of Malahide - Declan Howard (Retired Irish Coast Guard, Howth).

Following the reorganisation of the Preventative Water Guard in 1822 which was established to combat smuggling the newly titled Coast Guard continued the work which had been the task of the Water Guard along the east coast. A station which was established in 1821 facing the Green (now called Town Park) in Malahide was expanded and consisted of a terrace of 2 storey buildings housing the guards and their families. This was prior to the construction of the railway in 1849 , thus the station had very good oversight of the Broadmeadow both upper and lower estuary A flagstaff or yardarm was placed on the green for parade and signalling purposes. The station was closed in 1886 when a new and larger station was built on the eastern side of Robswalls close to High Rock and not too far from the Martello Tower at Portmarnock. Although still well within living memory the original building at the Green are now long gone replaced by apartments and only an artist’s picture is available of the original front elevations of the station.

Following the burning by anti- treaty forces in 1921 of a number of Coast Guard Stations including the one at Robswalls which were completely destroyed and many were subsequently demolished. However a number of stations did survive and can be identified by the distinctive architecture and stone wall surrounds. Near the former Martello Tower converted by the famous architect Hicks there is a small dwelling which is called coast guard cottages which may have provided additional accommodation for families of the guards.

Cottages were still occupied over the decades at the site of the Robswalls station although completely renovated and in private hands they effectively mark the location of this station.

The role of the coast guard was essentially revenue protection and observation with rescue at sea last but not least the other role. Staffed by sailors which formed a Royal Navy reserve and managed by retired Royal Navy Officers the guards were armed and had small vessels at their disposal, Following the outbreak of the Great War many of these men were called up for naval service and as we know many never returned. The locations of these stations was carefully chosen for observation and communication value and as can be seen followed closely the location of many Martello Towers which were constructed to repel an invasion by Napoleonic forces 1803 to 1815.

Incidents: 59

​​Jan
Assist NAS Bull Island
Assist Person Clontarf
Concern For Canoe, Howth
Dog On Rocks Dollymount
Faller Howth
Hems -Sligo To Beaumount Hospital
Vessel Aground Balscadden Bay - East Pier Howth
​
Feb
Assist Ags - Wooden Bridge, Clontarf
Assist NAS - Spinal Injury Co. Louth
Assist Person Howth
Cabin Cruiser Aground - Malahide Estuary
Concern For Dog - Howth
Dog Stuck On Balscadden Cliffs
Kite Surfer In Difficulty Sutton Beach
Kite Surfer Reported In Difficulty - Dollymount
Person On Rocks Malahide Marina.

Mar
Assist Person Bailey Lighthouse
Concern For Paddle Boarders Howtrh
Object Alight Broadmeadows Estuary
Possible Diesel Spillage Balscadden
Report Of 2 Kite Surfers Possibly In Difficulty Howth

Apr
Assist NAS - Howth Head
Concern For Kite Surfer Sutton
Concern For Paddle Boarder South Of Howth
Concern For Swimmer Balscadden
Concern For Swimmers Low Rock Malahide
Faller Bailey Cliffs - Howth
Person Possibly Stranded Sutton Creek
Piw Howth
Piw North Bull Wall Dublin
Report Of Persons Stranded - Sandymount Beach
Rtc Ravensdale

May
Assist Dfb - Faller Portmarnock Beach
Assist Dog Owner Howth - Red Rock
Assist Neoc, Faller Howth
Concern For Persons Returning From Irelands Eye
Concern For Wind Surfer Clontarf
Hems - Castlebar - Beaumont
Jet Skiers Portmarknock
Kitesurfer In Difficulty Sutton Creek
Missing Child Dollymount.
Persons Stranded By The Tide Sandymount
Piw From Trawler Alongside Howth
Report Of Dog Stuck Between Bull Island And Coast Road
Yacht Adrift Clontarf

Jun
Assist Ags Howth Object In Water
Assist Dfb To Access To Dollymount Beach
Assist Dog Owner Dollymount
Concern For Paddleboarder Portmarnock
Concern For Persons Sandymount
Concern For Swimmers Howth
Concern For Swimmers Malahide
Concerns For Object In The Water Portmarnock
Missing Child - Sutton
Mop Concern For Swimmers Malahide
Persons Stranded On Irelands Eye
Piw Clontarf
Piw Lions Head - Howth
Piw Vico

There are a few ways you can help someone who is feeling down:

• Let them know you care and are there to listen.
• Accept them as they are, without judging them.
• Help them to stay active, eat good food and get a good night's sleep.
• Find support groups and psychological therapy services which may be available.
• Stay in touch with them by messaging, texting, phoning - people who are depressed can become isolated.
• Try to be patient.

As 2020 closes the Irish Coast Guard team in Howth have responded to 116 incidents. This has been our busiest year since the station reopened in 1999.

The team of 25 responders operate 24/7, with personnel living and working close by we are mobile within minutes of a 999/ 112 call.

However with any call Time is Critical. We ask the public to consider the following for the new year.
1. Make the Call. Never assume someone else has called us. A False Alarm with good intent is always well received. 
2. Where are you? New year, New skill. Google how to get GPS co-ordinates on your phone if you need help.
3. Access all Areas. Park with care and kindness, emergency access just might be needed.

Here's to a safe 2021. Remember for Emergencies on the Beach, Cliff or Water call the COAST GUARD at 112 or 999.

#      Date            Incident 
97   11-Oct-20   2 Persons On Cliffs Bailey
98   14-Oct-20   Body Balscadden Bay.
99   15-Oct-20   Concern For Females Dollymount
100   23-Oct-20   Despondant Howth Head
101   28-Oct-20   Concerns For Object In Water - Jameson'S Beach Howth
102   31-Oct-20   Report Of Collapsed Male - Dollymount Beach
103   01-Nov-20   Dinghy Overdue Malahide
104   08-Nov-20   Kite Surfer In Difficulty Velvet Strand
105   10-Nov-20   Possible Cliff Faller Gormanstown
106   14-Nov-20   Swimmer In Difficulty Portmarnock
107   23-Nov-20   Concern For Swimmer Portmarnock
108   05-Dec-20   Swimmers In Difficulty North Bull
109   10-Dec-20   Person in the water Howth
110   19-Dec-20   Concern For Mop Dog In Water Clontarf
111   20-Dec-20   Report Of Car Driven Off Wooden Bridge Dollymount
112   20-Dec-20   Paddleboarders Possibly In Difficulty - Dollymount
113   28-Dec-20   Assist Ags Missing Person Howth
114   28-Dec-20   Report Of Possible Body In The Water Howth
115   29-Dec-20   Car Stuck In Water - Dollymount Strand
116   29-Dec-20   Female In Difficulty Burrow Beach

Total Calls Q3 - 43
Total Calls Year to Date - 96

#     Date           Incident Details
54   02-Jul-20   Faller Baily
55   05-Jul-20   Swimmer Portmarnock
56   05-Jul-20   Faller Balscadden Bay
57   05-Jul-20   2 Persons Stuck On Stack Balscadden Bay
58   12-Jul-20   Paddle Boarder In Diff Howth
59   12-Jul-20   Nuisance Jetskiers - Clontarf
60   13-Jul-20   Assist Kayakers Dublin Bay
61   13-Jul-20   Assist Persons Ashore Collymore
62   16-Jul-20   Assist Holyhead Cg Missing Sail Vessel
63   18-Jul-20   Jet Skiers Howth
64   26-Jul-20   Hems Motor Cycle Crash- Ferns
65   26-Jul-20   2 Kayakers In Difficulty Howth
66   27-Jul-20   Kayakers In Possible Difficulty Howth
67   29-Jul-20   Yacht In Difficulty - Howth
68   02-Aug-20   Concerns For Wind Surfer Howth Sound
69   04-Aug-20   Assist Ags Howth.
70   06-Aug-20   Inflatable In Difficulty, Malahide
71   07-Aug-20   Report Of Upturned Vessel - Malahide Estuary
72   07-Aug-20   Piw Baldoyle Estuary
73   08-Aug-20   Missing Children Portmarnock Beach
74   09-Aug-20   Assist NAS - 52 Yo Faller - Carrick Mtn Wicklow
75   09-Aug-20   Concern For Persons On Inflatable Howth
76   12-Aug-20   Injured Male River Liffey
77   21-Aug-20   Lifeguard Hut Off Station Malahide Estuary
78   21-Aug-20   Faller Howth Sutton
79   22-Aug-20   Report Of T4 Off Bray Head
80   28-Aug-20   Concern Surfer Malahide Estuary
81   29-Aug-20   Assist Faller - Howth Cliff Walk
82   29-Aug-20   Debris Off Howth
83   07-Sep-20   Person In Difficulty Bailey Lighthouse Area
84   08-Sep-20   Faller At Bailey Lighthouse
85   12-Sep-20   Sutton Faller
86   12-Sep-20   Persons Stranded Balscadden Beach
87   13-Sep-20   Concern For Paddle Boarder Howth
88   13-Sep-20   Assist NAS, Faller Glencullen
89   15-Sep-20   Concern For Persons At Sutton
90   19-Sep-20   Swimmer Reported In Difficulty Portmarnock
91   20-Sep-20   Yacht Broken Down Malahide
92   20-Sep-20   Two Kayakers In Difficulty Howth
93   26-Sep-20   Hems-Letterkenny To Beaumont
94   26-Sep-20   Concern For Children Dollymount Strand.
95   27-Sep-20   Speedboat Broken Down Dalkey
96   30-Sep-20   Person in Water - Howth Harbour

Period: 1/1 to 31/3 2020
Numbers of Callouts: 23

​Injured Dog Recovered - Red Rock, Sutton
Date 27th Mar, 2020
Assist Dublin fire brigade & National Ambulance Service casualty on Portmarnock beach
Date 24th Mar, 2020
Person in Water - Dollymount Beach
Date 19th Mar, 2020
Male requiring assistance, Howth
Date 14th Mar, 2020
Dog in difficulty, Burrow Beach, Sutton
Date 13th Mar, 2020
Person requiring assistance, Howth
Date 13th Mar, 2020
Assist Heli Landing, Beaumont. R118
Date 09th Mar, 2020
Assist Dublin Fire Control, PIW Liffey
Date 08th Mar, 2020
RTC, Howth Road.
Date 04th Mar, 2020
PERSONS STRANDED BALSCADDEN, HOWTH
Date 03th Mar, 2020
VEHICLE STUCK IN SAND DOLLYMOUNT
Date 02nd Mar, 2020
Assist Gardai, faller Howth Head
Date 01st Mar, 2020
REPORT OF SEMI SUBMERGED SAILBOAT
Date 12th Feb, 2020
Medivac Stena Estrid ship Dublin Port
Date 09th Feb, 2020
Assist Gardai Howth
Date 08th Feb, 2020
Windsurfer in difficulty North Bull Wall
Date 31st Jan, 2020
Female cut-off Portmarnock
Date 27th Jan, 2020
Concern for members of public Howth Pier
Date 16th Jan, 2020
East Pier Howth - Precautionary check
Date 13th Jan, 2020
Faller Sutton Cliff
Date 12th Jan, 2020
HEMS - HOSPITAL T/X - MAYO GENERAL TO BEAUMONT
Date 10th Jan, 2020
Assist member of public Bailey LIghthouse
Date 08th Jan, 2020
EPIRB alert ALIZE vessel
Date 04th Jan, 2020

#26/19 - 2nd June
Missing Person Search Portmarnock. Body located and transferred to Gardai.
Att: CG (HW; R116), Gardai

#27/19 - 6th June
Report of unusual lights. False Alarm Good Intent
Att: CG (HW IRT)

#28/19 - 10th June
Walker sustained broken leg on Howth Cliffs. Transferred to Ambulance.
Att: CG (HW), NAS

#29/19 - 11th June
Yacht broker mooring and went aground at Malahide.
Att: CG (HW IRT)

#32/19 – 26th June
Beaumont Hospital. Heli Landing.
Stood Down while mobilising.

​#33/19 – 27th June
Beaumont Hospital. Heli Landing.
Att: CG (HW IRT), DFB, NAS
 
#34/19 – 29th June
Jet Ski Broken Down. CG Boat on exercise recovered.
Att: CG (HW Boat)
 
​#35/19 – 27th June
Dollymount, person stuck in mud. Person freed and reunited with Dog.
Att: CG (HW), DFB
 
​#36/19 – 29th June
Red Rock Beach, walker with leg injury
Att: CG (HW), DFB
 
​#37/19 – 29th June
Beaumont Hospital. Heli Landing.
Att: CG (HW IRT), DFB, NAS

#21/19 - 5th May
Landing at Beaumont. Site cleared and casualty transferred to NAS amublance.
Att: CG (HW IRT, R116), NAS, DFB (Kilbarrack)

#22/19 - 5th May 
Person Needing Assistance Howth Cliffs.
Att: CG (HW, R116), RNLI (HW ILB), Gardai

#23/19 - 7th May
Landing at Beaumont. Site cleared and casualty transferred to NAS amublance.
Att: CG (HW IRT, R116), NAS, DFB (Kilbarrack)

#24/19 - 9th May
Malahide  - Concern for persons near water. False Alarm Good Intent.
Att. CG (HW IRT)

#25/19 - 19th May
Bull Wall. Person in Water. Person Recovered to Ambulance.
Att: CG (HW), RNLI (DL ILB), DFB (Nth Strand), Gardai

​37/18 – Request for assistance from National Ambulance Service with casualty on Dollymount Beach.
38/18 – Coast Guard Helicopter landing at Beaumont Hospital.
39/18 – Casualty on rocks in Howth assisted to ambulance.
40/18 – Coast Guard Helicopter landing at Beaumont Hospital.
41/18 – Concern for swimmer at Dollymount. Medical assistance provided.
42/18 – Missing Child at Portmarnock Beach. Child Located.
43/18 – Car recovered from sand at Dollymount Beach.
44/18 – Car recovered from sand at Dollymount Beach.
45/18 – Unconscious Swimmer at Claremont Beach. Full Resuscitation achieved.
46/18 – Swimmer under water at Burrow Beach. Rescued, treated and transported to hospital.
47/18 – Missing Child Portmarnock Beach. Located by R116 and reunited with parents.
48/18 – EPIRB Activation. False Alarm.

Sun May 27
Incident 29/18
Details: Check on Kayakers Person on Cliff Path needing medical assistance.
Location: Howth
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: False Alarm Good Intentions.
 
Sat Jun 2
Incident 30/18
Details: Boat Drifting
Location: Howth Harbour
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
 
Wed Jun 6
Incident 31/18
Details: 8 children stuck on Sand Bank
Location: Wooden Bridge, Dollymount.
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth), Beach Lifeguards.
Outcome: Casualties recovered safely.
 
Thur Jun 7
Incident 32/18
Details: Child with foot injury in forest.
Location: Deer Park, Howth
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth)
Outcome: Casualty recovered safely to Car Park.
 
Fri Jun 8
Incident 33/18
Details: Concern for member of public on beach.
Location: Burrow Beach, Sutton
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth), RNLI ILB
Outcome: Casualty recovered safely.
 
Sat Jun 9
Incident 34/18
Details: Concern for members of the public
Location: East Pier, Howth
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT
 
Wed Jun 13
Incident 35/18
Details: Kayaker in Difficulty
Location: Malahide
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth), RNLI ILB
Outcome: Kayaker returned safely to shore.
 
Thur Jun 14
Incident 36/18
Details: Report of Person in the Water
Location: Malahide Estuary
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth), CG R116 (Dublin)
Outcome: False Alarm Good Intentions.

​Sat May 5
Incident 24/18
Details: Person on Beach needing medical assistance.
Location: Portmarnock Beach
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth), DFB
Outcome: Casualty transferred via CG Jeep to DFB ambulance.
 
Sat Apr 28
Incident 23/18
Details: Missing Person
Location: Malahide
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth), AGS
Outcome: Person located during search.
 
Wed Apr 25
Incident 22/18
Details: Flashing Lights – Possible distress signal.
Location: Ireland’s Eye
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: False Alarm Good Intentions.
 
Sat Apr 21
Incident 21/18
Details: Boat requiring assistance
Location: Near Bailey LIghthouse
Assets Tasked: CG Boat (Howth)
Outcome: Boat and crew towed to safety.
 
Fri Apr 20
Incident 20/18
Details: Boat requiring securing.
Location: Portmarnock
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)

​Sat Mar 17
Incident 14/18
Details: Kayak in Water
Location: Nose of Howth.
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth), RNLI ALB
Outcome: Kayak was recovered by ALB, believed to have been in the water for some time.
 
Sat Mar 17
Incident 15/18
Details: Car with family on board stuck in sand
Location: Dollymount Beach
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: Car recovered from sand.
 
Mon Mar 19
Incident 16/18
Details: Waves breaking over pier, concern for Public walking
Location: East Pier
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: Public Advised of danger.
 
Mon Apr 2
Incident 17/18
Details: Waves breaking over pier, concern for Public walking
Location: East Pier
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: Public Advised of dangers.
 
Mon Apr 9
Incident 18/18
Details: Person in Water
Location: Vernon Avenue, Clontarf.
Assets Tasked: CGU (Howth), RNLI (Dun Loaghaire), DFB, AGS
Outcome: AGS recovered person.
 
Wed Apr 11
Incident 19/18
Details: Report of boat on rocks
Location: Castle Avenue, Clontarf.
Assets Tasked: CGU IRT (Howth)
Outcome: False Alarm, Good intent.