Over 14,000 lives have been saved by the Irish Defence Forces overseas.

The crew of the LÉ Niamh handed over to Italian authorities around 30 people smugglers during the ship’s tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea, which resulted in the rescue of 4,127 refugees.

Proud families gathered on the quayside yesterday to welcome home the crew of LÉ Niamh, who apart from rescuing migrants, assisted in the birth of one and the double resuscitation of an infant who nearly drowned.

Update 1.07pm Leading Seaman Alex Casey has been speaking to Cork's 96FM about an operation in which the crew managed to save over 350 refugees after a boat capsized.

The LE Niamh has rescued another 125 people in the Mediterranean.

The LE Niamh is on the way to Sicily with 513 people who were rescued from the Mediterranean today.

The LE Niamh has rescued 124 people from a rubber boat in the Mediterranean this morning - and is now on its way to a second rescue operation.

The Commander of an Irish naval vessel deployed in the Mediterranean has been speaking of the emotional toll the work takes on his crew.

The LÉ Niamh has docked at the port of Pozzallo in Sicily.

More than 300 people have been rescued by the crew of the LÉ Niamh in the Mediterranean today.

Members of the Irish Defence Forces are carrying out a refugee rescue operation off the coast of Lybia.

The Irish navy have rescued another 551 people in the Mediterranean.

The Irish Naval vessel the LÉ Niamh is bringing more than 220 people rescued in the Mediterranean to port this morning in Sicily.

Italy’s coast guard said it co-ordinated the rescue of some 4,400 migrants in a single day, a record-setting number.

The crew of LÉ Niamh will return home on Friday, October 2, but it is still unknown if the Government will send a replacement ship out to the Mediterranean Sea to aid the EU-led operation to save migrants attempting to make the crossing from North Africa into Europe.

The humanity shown by the naval branch of our Defence Forces on the high seas in such difficult circumstances brings great credit to our country and will no doubt be officially recognised by government in due course.

The Irish Navy has rescued another 125 people in the Mediterranean.

The Defence Minister is preparing to extend the Irish Naval Service’s humanitarian mission in the Mediterranean beyond next month’s original deadline.

Another 125 people have been rescued in the Mediterranean by the LE Niamh.

Our colleagues aboard the MSF Dignity were on the scene second to the LÉ Niamh, which was present and of course witnessed the whole catastrophe.

The personnel of the LÉ Niamh, and the LÉ Eithne before her, are a source of national pride as they continue their life-saving Mediterranean missions.

Aid workers say that 360 migrants rescued from the latest boat disaster were heavily traumatised and many could not communicate.

The LÉ Niamh, which rescued almost 400 migrants from the Mediterranean in one operation this week, has arrived in the Italian city of Palermo.

More than 360 migrants are recovering in Italy after being rescued by the Irish Navy off the coast of Libya.

The Irish naval vessel the LE Niamh is set to arrive around now into port in Palermo, Sicily - with over 350 migrants on board.

Irish navy ship the LE Niamh is en route to Palermo in Italy this morning with almost 400 rescued migrants on board.

Hundreds of migrants are feared drowned after a fishing boat said to be carrying as many as 700 people capsized in the Mediterranean yesterday.

UPDATE (9.40pm): Approximately 200 people are still missing after a boat, carrying more than 700 people capsized off the Libyan coast.

Latest reports suggest 25 migrants have died and 400 rescued after a fishing boat carrying over 600 people capsized off the coast of Libya; An evangelical Belfast preacher who branded Islam “satanic” has said his prosecution is a “waste” of public money and Zimbabwe postpones the trial of the guide who oversaw the shooting of Cecil the Lion. Catch up with these and more of the latest and most read news stories on irishexaminer.com.

A specialist team has flown out to Sicily to offer counselling to crew members on LÉ Niamh, who have been given a four-day break from migrant rescue operations.

If wind or rain had whipped up before the LÉ Niamh reached a wooden barge crammed with more than 500 migrants, the death toll onboard would probably have been far higher.

Fourteen bodies have been discovered on an overcrowded barge in the Mediterranean Sea.

Another 243 people have been rescued by the Irish Navy in the Mediterranean.

The LE Niamh has rescued 468 migrants from the Mediterranean in the last two days.

The number of migrants rescued by the Irish Naval Service has passed the 4,000 mark after LÉ Niamh crew rescued 358 people from a wooden barge.

The crew on board the LÉ Niamh has rescued 358 migrants from a wooden barge in the Mediterranean today.

A spokesperson confirmed naval vessels flying the Irish flag are considered Irish territory.

A woman rescued from the Mediterranean has given birth to a baby girl on board Irish naval vessel the LÉ Niamh.

Irish naval vessel the LÉ Niamh has rescued 256 migrants in the Mediterranean.

In her second operation in just 24 hours LÉ Niamh rescued a further 256 migrants off the cost of Libya, bringing to 3,691 the total rescued to date by the Naval Service in the Mediterranean Sea.

The LÉ Niamh rescued almost 100 migrants yesterday.

Naval Service history was made yesterday as LÉ Éithne and LÉ Niamh saluted each other in the Mediterranean, with the former heading home and the latter on her way to rescue migrants trying to get from North Africa to Europe.

A second Irish naval vessel will set sail from Cork today, bound for Mediterranean for humanitarian search and rescue duty.