No two days are the same for dedicated team guarding Cork's coastline 

Since 1914, perched on the windy Wireless Point in Kerry, the Valentia Coast Guard station has proudly managed the Cork coastline, keeping those who utilise our waterways safe and secure.

With a rich historical background, having answered calls from the notorious sinking of the Lusitania, the bombing of Air India flight 182 and the deadly 1979 Fastnet race, those who work diligently within the Valentia Coast Guard station cover the area from Youghal to Slyne Head, encompassing the counties of Cork, Kerry, Clare, and Galway.

Boasting a team of highly-trained radio watch officers (RWO) and search and rescue mission coordinators (SMC), the group of 12 employees within the Valentia post foster an environment of open communication and deep rooted camaraderie.

After spending a day with the team, observing the ins and outs of a missing persons search, a medical evacuation from the Aran Islands and the retrieval of two fishing vessels reported to be in trouble, it was clear to see that the ups and downs of the job make it all the more worthwhile.

During my site visit, I was greeted at the door of the Valentia Station by the regional divisional controller, John Draper, who, once I passed the threshold, took me by a touching memorial for past employees who were sadly lost in service aboard the rescue 116 helicopter in 2017.

With employees at the station having witnessed tragedy on more than one occasion, it’s obvious that working for the Coast Guard is no easy feat.

Despite staff and volunteers both coordinating and embarking on dangerous life-saving operations on a daily basis, from speaking to employees on the ground, it’s evident that the job not only brings people together but also serves as a driving purpose for those that watch over the coastline.

In addition to taking calls, launching volunteers, lifeboat crews, helicopter crews and other emergency responders to a reported casualty, there are other aspects to the role which see RWO’s broadcast navigational warnings to vessels highlighting hazards through Very High Frequency (VHF) channels, as well as the sea area forecast, lakes forecast, small craft, gale and storm warnings issued by Met Éireann.

Nationwide hiring campaign

On August 9, the Coast Guard launched a nationwide hiring campaign, looking to recruit a further five RWO’s to join the team in Kerry.

Seeking applications from people with a minimum of five years maritime experience, preferably with experience in search and rescue, industries to apply from include the naval service and the fishing sector from skipper level, to be trained in search and rescue communications, resources, resource management and planning.

As part of the general intake training, new employees will be spread across the three stations of Valentia, Dublin and Malin Head for six months, with a further six months of on-the-job training before receiving official certification as a RWO.

The five roles upcoming in Valentia provide candidates with on-the-job education, offering those that complete their training 20 level 7 degree credits and a QQI certified special purpose award by the National Maritime College of Ireland.

Those that are successful in their appointment to the role can expect to come in on a base annual salary of €51,695, inclusive of 27% shift allowance and a grade allowance of €4,334.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr Draper said that prior to his current role he operated as a RWO for seven years from 2003 to 2010.

Reflecting fondly over his career to date, he described his favourite part of the role as “the satisfaction of seeing people rescued,” and “the positive outcomes” which were what made the position fulfilling.

“The job of an RWO is to try to calm the person down and extract information,” he said.

“You’re giving people hope, and keeping them motivated.

“On a human level the worst thing you can see is fatalities, and the grief that people go through, [so] it’s a job with high responsibility and a wide range of aspects on jobs you’ll be dealing with every day.

“There’s always something to be doing,” he added.

Speaking about the difference in team members and the experience held by most coming into the role, Mr Draper said: “We’ve all come from different backgrounds, some from the naval service, some from the fishing industry and some radio officers.

“There’s a great team spirit in the centre, and we want people who are team players.

“At the end of the day if you’re qualified, you can do the job, but you have to be able to get on with people.”

Daily tasks

Walking from the entrance to the watch room, the walls of the station are adorned with images, some of its many retired officers, and some of the original structure that was erected more than 100 years ago.

While the building has seen many refurbishments since its original construction, it maintains its coastal charm, utilising large windows to allow its occupants to drink up the picturesque views right from their work-spaces.

Speaking about the daily tasks undertaken by a RWO, Amy O’Neill, who serves as one of only two female RWOs for the Irish Coast Guard nationwide, said: “No two days are the same here.

“There’s always a different factor and that’s what makes it so interesting.

“You never know what you’re coming in to.

“I was initially a volunteer and I really enjoyed it,” she added.

“With my experience at sea there wasn’t a lot of careers open to me at the time, so I fell into this and it’s perfect.

“You can have very tough shifts, but at the end of the day you can say ‘I made a difference here’, or ‘that person got home because of me’, so it’s great.”

As part of their day-to-day tasks, the team is expected to coordinate a number of different operations including both land and water rescues, by interacting with several emergency response groups and more than 1,000 coast guard volunteers.

In 2023 alone, there were 2,812 incidents coordinated by the Irish coast guard teams, with 2,248 people assisted, 668 of which were saved from a dangerous or potentially life threatening situation.

Throughout this time period, the helicopter units were tasked 922 times, the RNLI units 935 times, the air ambulance 75 times and community rescue boats 99 times.

Having been appointed as the first female RWO for the Coast Guard in 2020, Ms O’Neill is primarily stationed in Dublin, but spends some time between the three national coast guard stations.

Staff diversification

Testifying to the workplace environment, and what she would say to other women considering a career as a RWO, she said: “Do it, absolutely do it.

“There is no difference, I’m treated the same as everyone else.

“Once you can assess information, take it in, and give it back out, that’s the main port of call.

“It’s interesting,” she added. “If you like a challenge and something different, you should do it.

“The background that you needed historically was not open to women, but the lifestyle is different now.”

Ms O’Neill likened the day-to-day process of investigating reports to “building a jigsaw” saying “incidents are like buses, once you get one, you get three”.

“When it goes from 0 to 60 its stressful, but it’s a good stressful because you have support,” she said, referencing the group around her as she spoke.

“For me that’s what keeps me interested, no two incidents are the same.

“It’s tough,” she added. “You need to know what you’re dealing with and you need to know what it’s like out there.

“You need to have some kind of life experience to be in here, you have to have some maritime background.”

As a single working mother to two daughters, Ms O’Neill said that the role offers her the “perfect” work-life balance.

Having come from spending many years at sea as a navigational officer on oil tankers prior to taking up a volunteer-based role with the Coast Guard in 2018, she said: “The time that I get to spend at home now, it makes it so much more worthwhile.

“[In Dublin] I work two evenings, two day shifts and two night shifts, but there’s a twelve hour shift here [in Valentia] which is great, and we’re confident that will be introduced in Dublin too, so it’ll make it a lot more of a viable prospect for people.

“So you do two nights, then you’re off for 24 hours for your rest period, then on for two days, and off again for four and a half days, so it makes a good work-life balance.

“Now, you will miss things, you will be here on Christmas, but in a general sense, it’s great.”

Further speaking about the diversification of staff amongst the Coast Guard, station officer Denis O’Leary, who hails from Ballingeary in Cork said: “It’s way more equal now.

“You can see how far Ireland has come as a society.

“I went to sea at 19 and when I came back I was like ‘Jeez, Ireland are way ahead.’

“We’re so progressive now. It’s great to have the girls here.”

As an employee with more than ten years experience with the Coast Guard, Mr O’Leary echoed the sentiment that while the job is fulfilling in more than one regard, there are aspects of the role that require a certain skillset.

“It’s very satisfying, you’re helping people in difficulty,” he said.

“It’s interesting like, every day is different here.

“It’s definitely not a boring job,” he added. “It’s far from a regular 9 to 5.”

“You can never legislate, there’s not a set routine.

“You can have bad days as well, where you don’t get the results you’re hoping for [but] you’ve got to remain calm.

“You have to be practical, it’s not easy. You have to be the calm voice on the other end of the phone.”

Safety when using waterways

As the day came to an end, and my time at the Valentia Coast Guard station was running short, the team sent me off with a final message to the general public to take heed of when using our waterways.

“We always want to push the safety message, to remind people to always wear their life jackets, have some form of communication with them, and to always tell someone where you’re going,” said Mr O’Leary.

While the job described by Draper, O’Neill, and O’Leary requires a lot from an individual, it was clear to see that the rewards associated with undertaking and coordinating life-saving missions are ten-fold.

The hiring campaign was launched last week by the Coast Guard and will run until September 26, and will see successful candidates immersed amongst the team in Kerry upon completion of training.

New recruits will work side by side with the team to ensure the people who utilise our coastline remain safe and cared for at all times.

For more information on how to apply for one of the upcoming RWO roles, visit www.jobs.ie.

For further information on the qualifications and requirements needed for the RWO roles, email: admin@irishcoastguard.ie.