An 11-year-old girl is recovering in hospital after she was injured in a fall in the Burren this evening.
Gardaí requested assistance from the Irish Coast Guard to locate and assist the girl and her family. The three had been hiking on Aillwee Mountain south of the famous caves when the accident occurred.
The young girls mother, understood to be a nurse, had raised the alarm at around 5.00pm. She reported that her daughter had suffered an ankle injury and that they were attempting to make their way back to the carpark at the caves.
The Shannon based search and rescue helicopter, which had been on a training mission in the area at the time, was diverted to the scene and requested to locate the family.
The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and an ambulance were also dispatched to the incident.
The young girl and her family were airlifted from the mountain by helicopter and flown to an open field below Aillwee Cave where an ambulance was waiting.
Coast Guard volunteers had laid down a canister of orange smoke to indicate wind direction for the helicopter crew so they could land.
The child was assessed at the scene and was transported to hospital by road.