This lifeboat house was built in 1886 at a cost of £603 and remained in service until the disaster of the Helen Blake lifeboat in 1914.
The Helen Blake Lifeboat disaster occurred on 20 February 1914. That afternoon the Norwegian schooner Mexico ran aground on the Keeragh Islands. The Fethard Lifeboat launched to rescue the survivors but due to the weather conditions it too was washed onto the rocks and of the 14 crewmen of the lifeboat, four managed to get to the islands and one was brought onboard the schooner, the remaining 9 we lost to the sea. The five survivors managed to help the crew of the schooner to the safety of the islands until all were rescued by the Wexford lifeboat.
The old station is easily accessible right next to the road going to Fethard dock. There you can see the old building and the launching slipway ending in a gravel beach.
This is an extreme summary of the Helen Blake for more information check out the book, “Heroes of the Helen Blake” by Brendan Power (heroesofthehelenblake.com)