A new RNLI lifeboat station built at a cost of €1.4 million has been officially opened on Árainn Mhór off the west coast of Co Donegal.
Malachy Doyle, who was rescued by the Árainn Mhór RNLI, was among those present at the opening ceremony.
While kayaking at a sea cave near Oileán Uaighe last year, a wave overturned Mr Doyle's vessel and he was unable to get back into it again as it filled with water.
He managed one call on his phone which he kept in a ziploc bag before the battery died.
Mr Doyle said that he "wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the Árainn Mhór RNLI, the Coastguard and R118".
"They saved my life."
The new boathouse has been designed to accommodate the lifeboat crew and to house the boarding boats that provide access to the station's Severn Class Lifeboat.
The CEO of the RNLI Peter Sparkes said: "Successive generations of lifeboat crews at Árainn Mhór Lifeboat Station have been keeping this island and surrounding coastline safe.
"This new station facility will ensure that lifesaving tradition continues."
The RNLI is funded by donations, receiving no state support.
Mr Sparkes said there was no major donor behind the new Árainn Mhór boathouse.
"It took a lot of fundraising effort and energy by the people of Árainn Mhór and the crew to generate this lifeboat station," he said.
Mr Sparkers paid tribute to the "tenacity, fortitude and patience of all those involved in the project".
The Árainn Mhór RNLI crew were operating out of portacabins while the new building was under construction and are delighted to be using the modern facilities.
This is the fifth boathouse to be built by the RNLI on the island.
Árainn Mhór RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Tony Ward, who accepted the new boathouse on behalf of the station, said there is a very proud history of lifesaving at this station.
"Located as we are, on a small island, off the coast of Donegal and facing out into the Atlantic, the sea is our neighbour and one we respect," he said.
"Generations of lifeboat crew have provided an excellent service to our community and will continue to do so," he added.
Since 1883, successive generations of lifeboat crews at the island have launched 1,458 times to people in trouble and saved 265 lives.
Last year, the lifeboat crew launched 49 times.
Reverand Pat Ward, Reverand Liz FitzGerald, Reverand Michael Classon, Fr John Joe Duffy, Fr Liam Boyle and Fr John Attoh led the Service of Dedication.
The Donegal Person of the Year Máire Ní Bhraonáin was special guest and unveiled a specially commissioned plaque for the opening.
Music was performed by the Árainn Mhór Pipe Band, Dennis McSweeney, John Muldowney, Green Island and local musicians.
The RNLI has a presence on Árainn Mhór island since 1883.
The RNLI’s first lifeboat on Árainn Mhór called the 'Vandeleur’ was named after Rev Richard Vandeleur from Merrion Square, Dublin who donated £420 (€497) towards its cost.
The first boathouse built on Árainn Mhór at An Leadhb Gharbh was completed in 1886 and is still in use as a family home and business.
