A new groom was left speechless after fellow members of an RNLI lifeboat crew were forced to rush to answer an emergency call-out – during his big speech!
Francy Burns was doing a sterling job complimenting his new wife Helen at their nuptials in Buncrana at the weekend.
But just seconds from making it a speech to remember, his and several emergency pagers went off.
Buncrana man Francy, a volunteer member with the Lough Swilly RNLI crew, initially thought it was a prank.
“I thought what ‘so and so’ has done that? But soon other pagers started to go off and a number of crew members had to go to the shout,” revealed Francy.
As the wedding was taking place at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel, volunteers didn’t have too far to go to check that their Shannon class vessel was put to sea safely.
As with all good pre-planning, arrangements had been made to ensure that enough members were on standby in case of such an emergency.
As it turned out the rescue involved a single person in a boat which had lost power and had been drifting for three hours.
Francy told Donegal Daily there was never any question of him having to leave his new bride on their big day but admits that his speech might now go down in history.
He also said the call-out was a reminder of the terrific support all RNLI volunteers get from their families.
Smooth seas for Francy and Helen as they start out on their journey together. Pic by Jay Doherty Photography.
“There I was having just married the most amazing and beautiful woman and all this drama happens in the middle of it.
“Happily we had prepared for it as we always have to. All the crew members were sat the back of the room so they could leave with the minimum of fuss.
“We had plenty of cover arranged but they just popped out to ensure that the boat got away as quickly as possible and responded to the call,” he said.
And once again he paid tribute to his stunning bride who took it all in her stride.
“Helen is used to the call-outs but that doesn’t make it any easier. I was in a shop getting a few things for Sunday lunch a few weeks back and I had to answer a call. I thought it would take a few minutes but I didn’t get back to Helen for half an hour.
“We’re the ones who get all the publicity and praise when we answer a call but people forget about the wives and the famous left behind wondering if we are safe.
“Without that support we could not get out quickly on shouts and do our job,” he said.
Lough Swilly RNLI press officer Joe Joyce said everything went smoothly on the call-out and congratulated Francy and Helen and wished them many happy years together.
“Francy is a great character and a terrific volunteer and Helen is such great woman. We didn’t think it was a big deal as we all took it in our stride but everything worked out fine.
“I don’t think many people are going top forget Francy’s speech too quickly,” laughed Joe.
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