A man is recovering in hospital after he was rescued from a cliff ledge in North Clare this morning.
The alarm was raised at around 9.45am when the Irish Coast Guard received reports of a person stranded on a cliff face between Lahinch and Cregg on the Miltown Malbay road.
It’s understood the man had been walking along a cliff trail when he fell several feet and landed on a small ledge about 100 feet above the rocks below. The tide was out at the time and it’s believed the man may have been there for over two hours before emergency services were alerted.
Watch officers at the Irish Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre on Valentia Island in Kerry mounted a rescue operation. The Doolin unit of the Coast Guard was alerted and mobilised while the National Ambulance Service and Gardaí were also notified.
After a search of the area, a Coast Guard volunteer located the man and managed to secure him until additional resources arrived. The Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter arrived soon afterwards however it was deemed too dangerous to attempt to winch the man from the ledge.
As the Coast Guard member continued to hold onto the man, Rescue 115 landed close to the scene and the winchman/paramedic assisted with bringing the man back to the cliff top.
The casualty was assessed at the scene by paramedics and stretchered to the helicopter by Coast Guard personnel before being airlifted to University Hospital Limerick for treatment. His injuries are not believed to be serious.
