Dempsey’s life-or-death decision on coast station

I AM distressed at the thought of Transport Minister Noel Dempsey contemplating the closure of Valentia coastguard station.

I have been Valentia lifeboat coxwain since 1982. Before that I worked all around the coast of Ireland on fishing boats and also spent five years in England fishing the North Sea where I qualified as a skipper.

I have been at sea since I was 17 and I am now 54. Therefore I have some knowledge of the sea and what goes on out there.