The Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team is an emergency service, tasked by the National
Ambulance Service and An Garda Síochána; we often work alongside the Coastguard
Helicopters (particularly R116). We operate 24/7 and are entirely voluntary – there are no
paid staff and we contribute towards our own kit and training. We require €160,000 per
year to operate and we respond to over 120 callouts per year. We receive approximately
€60,000 per annum via grants from various government departments, namely The Department
of Transport, The Department of Health for medical equipment and the Department of Sport for
capital spend. The balance required is funded by public donations (c. €30,000) and three
fundraising events we run and staff ourselves (€70,000). We have put a great deal of effort into
these events in the past six years to generate additional income and save up for our base
development.
Mountain Rescue in the Dublin & Wicklow Mountains spans back as far as the year 1966.
The team ethos was and still is: “mountaineers helping other mountaineers who get into difficulty”. These mountaineers came from An Óige and were highly trained to carry out a rescue service to the mountaineering community.
The Dublin/Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team was formed in May 1984 with the original membership made up of these highly trained rescuers from An Oige. So although the Dublin/Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team celebrated it’s 40th Anniversary in 2024, we are proud to be associated with mountain rescue for the last 58 years!
For more information about the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team check their website here.