The volunteer lifeboat crew launched at 5.46pm, following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to carry nine firefighters to Heir Island.

The run takes place on Saturday, August 9, and the starting gun will sound at 2.30pm.

The initiative, which is a community-centred arts development programme, was established by Cork County Council in 2023 for the seven inhabited islands of Oileán Chléire, Sherkin, Heir, Long, Whiddy, Bere and Dursey.

The Bere Island Project Group, which oversees community development projects on Bere Island, Whiddy Island and Dursey Island, is under threat due to a lack of funding, a meeting heard.