The husband of Caitríona Lucas has said it is “a great honour” that one of her paintings has been featured on two new stamps issued in recognition of the Irish Coast Guard.

A long-serving coastguard member has outlined the benefits of setting up a new national representative body for more than 900 volunteers countrywide.

More than 120 volunteers converged on the tiny village of Aughleam near Blacksod Bay in Co Mayo yesterday to assist in the search for the crew members of the ill-fated helicopter R116.

Not in Caitríona Lucas’s wildest dreams would she have imagined that she would have had such an effect on people.

When coastguard volunteer Bernard Lucas was paged to take part in a search and rescue mission in Kilkee, he had no idea that his wife was the casualty.