KILMORE QUAY, Ireland — Dermot O'Leary posed for a photo with Kilmore Quay RNLI volunteers beside their new memorial bench after the station’s May Day mile fundraiser in the seaside village.

The television presenter was in the area when the volunteers came across him in the local shop and asked whether he would join them for a picture, Elaine Walsh said. “A couple of our guys spotted him in the shop and asked if he’d step in for a photo and he kindly agreed,” she said. Walsh added that O'Leary is an RNLI ambassador and “an absolute gentleman,” and said it is always good to see him in the village.

The informal launch brought an added moment of attention to a bench that was paid for by fundraising from the family and friends of former crew member Michael Roche, who died last year. Walsh said the tribute had been planned as a memorial to past members, and described the support behind it as exceptional. “They’ve done a phenomenal amount of fundraising in his memory,” she said.

The walk that preceded the photo was itself a local effort with plenty of support. Up to 60 people took part in the May Day walk, Walsh said, describing it as a family event with a strong turnout and a lively atmosphere. “There was a great buzz around the place and everyone enjoyed it,” she said.

O'Leary has strong Wexford roots through his parents, Maria and Seán, and is a frequent visitor to the county. That link helped make the sighting feel less like a celebrity appearance than a familiar face dropping into a village event. The RNLI connection also fit naturally, given his role as an ambassador for the charity.

The bench, though, carries the sharper meaning. It is a public tribute built from local fundraising and placed in memory of people who served the station, with Roche’s name at the center of that effort. Walsh said the volunteers were grateful for the backing they have received and for the wider support that keeps the RNLI’s local work going. “We are so grateful to them and all who support the work the RNLI does locally,” she said.

The scene in Kilmore Quay offered one of those small moments that can carry the weight of a bigger story: a village fundraiser, a memorial kept alive by neighbors, and a visitor whose family ties to Wexford make him part of the landscape rather than just passing through it. Separately, the property market in the area has also drawn attention, with an unrelated award-winning garden listed for €750,000.