Killybegs boat owner comes to the rescue of Achill RNLI crew

When an Achill RNLI crew found themselves stranded in Killybegs recently, Achill native and Killybegs-based boat owner Eamon McHugh came to the rescue.

The crew took the lifeboat to Killybegs on Thursday for a bottom scrub at Mooney Boats. 

On arrival at the boatyard, a serious engine  problem was detected which involved the Lifeboat coming off service for a number of days. This resulted in the crew of seven having to return home by road to Achill. But any available local taxis were only licenced to carry five passengers. 

A spokesperson for Achill RNLI took to Facebook to share how ‘one of their own’ came to their rescue.

“The dilemma soon came to the attention of Eamon McHugh,” said the spokesperson.

“Eamon is the owner of the 63m fishing vessel ‘Antarctic’ and managing director of the Antarctic Fishing Company based at Killybegs for over 40 years.

“He is also a native son of Achill, a member of the well known and highly respected McHugh family from Bullsmouth. 

“When our crew’s situation reached Eamon, he quickly dispatched his company mini bus to collect them from the boatyard and transport them directly to their homes in Achill and at absolutely no charge to the RNLI. 

“Eamon and his family have been long standing supporters of the RNLI and the Achill Island Lifeboat since our station opened here in 1995. 

“We are delighted to publicly thank Eamon for coming to our rescue on this occasion and to him and his family for their continued support of our Lifeboat all down the years in saving lives at sea. 

“Truly, one of our own.”