All those who lost their lives around Irish coasts this year have been remembered at a ceremony in Dún Laoghaire this afternoon.
The ceremony at the lighthouse at the end of town's east pier is organised by Dún Laoghaire RNLI.
David Branigan of the Dún Laoghaire RNLI said that volunteers are "at the heart of the RNLI, both at sea and as fundraisers".
"We are a charity. We rely100% on donations and remembering the people who have gone before us, (they) are the people who drive the commitment our volunteers have, all around the coast of Ireland and Britain," Mr Branigan said.
The lifeboat crews were joined by colleagues from the Irish Coast Guard who formed a guard of honour as wreaths were brought out of the lighthouse.
Irish Olympic sailing medallist Annalise Murphy read out a contemporary account of the tragic loss of the 15 crew members of the Civil Service No.1 Dún Laoghaire lifeboat, which launched in gale force conditions on Christmas Eve 1895.
Their mission was to save the crew of the SS Palme of Finland, but their boat capsized 600 yards short of the stricken vessel and all on the lifeboat were lost.
Their names were John Baker, John Bartley, Edward Crowe, Thomas Dunphy, William Dunphy, Francis McDonald, Edward Murphy, Patrick Power, James Ryan, Francis Saunders, George Saunders, Edward Shannon, Henry Underhill, Alexander Williams and Henry Williams.
A second Dún Laoghaire lifeboat, the Hannah Pickard, was launched but it too capsized. Fortunately, all of its crew returned safely to shore.
The captain of the Palme, his wife, their child and 17 crew members were eventually rescued by the SS Tearaght on 26th December.
Several hundred members of the public gathered on the east pier for the ceremony, which included an ecumenical prayer service and a moments silence.
Two wreath bearers from the Dún Laoghaire RNLI made their way down steps from the pier to board a waiting lifeboat.
It made its way outside the harbour, where the wreaths were laid on the waters in memory the 1895 lifeboat crew and of all those who have lost their lives through drowning.
Piper Ruairí Somers played a lament from the Lighthouse Battery and musician, William Byrne performed the Ballad of the Palme.
The ceremony comes as the RNLI prepares to mark its 200th year in operation in 2024.
Earlier this week, the coast guard, Water Safety Ireland and the RNLI issued a joint appeal for the festive season, urging people to be mindful of potential risks of water-based or coastal activities.
For those taking part in winter dips and swims the advice is to never swim alone, ensure that somebody ashore is monitoring your activity, acclimatise slowly, stay within your depth and always be seen.
Organisers of Christmas Day or new year swims are advised to have suitably trained personnel in attendance and to appoint a Safety Officer.
Water Safety Ireland’s Deputy CEO Roger Sweeney said that a full moon during Christmas week will "heighten the risks for walkers and swimmers as the resulting higher high tides will make our coastline more precarious".
"Stay away from the water’s edge on family walks and swimmers should watch out for stronger rip currents," he said.
"Stranding will also be a risk for many walkers as the lower low tides caused by the full moon will expose even greater areas of the coastline. Children are often tempted to explore these sandbanks but risk being surrounded by an incoming tide.
"Parents and guardians should provide constant undistracted adult supervision of their children at all times."
