Crowds turn out for naming of new Courtmacsherry RNLI lifeboat 'Val Adnams'

The Val Adnams lifeboat was offically named by the principal donor, Ms Val Adnams, who had travelled all the way from her home in Idaho, in the US to Courtmacsherry with a small group of friends and family. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Huge crowds turned out in the sunshine in West Cork on Saturday to witness the naming of the new Shannon class RNLI lifeboat. 

The lifeboat was officially named by the principal donor, Val Adnams, who had travelled all the way from her home in Idaho, in the US to Courtmacsherry with a small group of friends and family. 

Ms Adnams has been a lifelong supporter of the RNLI, is an avid sailor and sportsperson and grew up in Preston and Weymouth in England.

She said her respect and admiration for the RNLI increased as she witnessed the callouts of the local Weymouth Lifeboat going to the help of others in distress at sea. 

Val Adnams from Idaho  with  Mark Gannon (coxswain), An Tánaiste Michéal Martin, Stewart Russell (mechanic) and crew members Conor Dullea and Tadhg McCarthy. Picture: Martin Walsh.

Ms Adnams then moved to Washington DC when she was 23 and worked at Capitol Hill for some years before meeting her partner Ed and settling in Idaho.

Wearing a stetson and a pair of cowboy boots for the occasion, Ms Adnams told the crowd that it "warms [her] heart to know that this lifeboat will be helping the crew to keep the water around Courtmacsherry lifeboat station safe". 

Most of the crew are volunteers who give up their time to help others.

"This lifeboat is the best of its kind and the crew who will use it, deserve nothing less," she added. 

The Val Adnams lifeboat was received on behalf of the station by the Courtmacsherry Lifeboat operations manager, Brian O'Dwyer, who paid tribute to his predecessor Gerry Turner who had passed away after an illness the day before. 

It will replace the station's previous All-Weather lifeboat Frederick Story Cockburn which went on 370 callouts during its life at the station. 

The lifeboat did a display in the harbour for the watching crowd and the Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 117, did a flyover.

Ms Adnams was given a personal tour of the lifeboat by the crew and poured champagne over the bow of the lifeboat, as tradition dictates.