Last year, the lifeboat responded to almost 50 callouts.

In order to qualify for the Blue Flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

Regional Infrastructure Delivery Lead, Eunan Canavan says the current overused system is not capable of holding excess water during heavy rain periods.

The local group says the cost of equipment and training is a significant annual expense.

The funding covers the cost of the new lifeboat station on the lake which is manned by a team of 46 volunteers.

The volunteer crew responded to three call-outs.

This celebration had been postponed due to the pandemic.

Hodson Bay and Coosan Point are hugely popular areas for swimming on the shores of Lough Ree during the summer months