Ballycotton RNLI member shares remarkable lifeboat link with Prince Edward

Áine Flynn showed Prince Edward a photograph of her great grandfather meeting the duke’s father in Westminster in 1936 just months after he and his lifeboat crewmates had been decorated for bravery following their heroic Daunt Rock rescue

Áine Flynn, centre, in Westminster Abbey at the RNLI's thanksgiving service.

An Irish RNLI volunteer whose family is steeped in lifeboat lore has spoken of her pride after sharing with the Duke of Kent her heroic great-grandfather’s remarkable lifeboat link to his father.

Áine Flynn, 33, a volunteer crew member on the Ballycotton lifeboat in Cork, played a key role at a special service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London at the weekend, carrying a candle up the aisle during the event to celebrate the RNLI’s 200 years of saving lives at sea.