A swimmer has been rescued from the River Shannon near Killaloe/Ballina this afternoon.
The alarm was raised at around 3.30pm when a woman was reported to be in difficulty in the water south of the bridge the connects the two towns.
It’s understood the woman had gone for a swim but found herself struggling with the current.
A member of the public raised the alarm while a friend of the swimmer located a lifebuoy and threw it to the casualty.
In the meantime, the Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard and local Gardaí responded to the scene. The National Ambulance Service was also alerted.
A Coast Guard mobile unit made its way to the scene by road while a boat crew prepared to launch. On arrival at the scene, emergency services found that the woman had been safely pulled ashore at a local pontoon by her friend. As a result, the Coast Guard boat was not required.
Gardaí spoke to the woman and established that she did not require medical assistance.
Currents on the river are reported to be strong and too dangerous for swimming.
A Killaloe Coast Guard spokesman said: “We would like to remind people swimming south of Killaloe Bridge that currents can make swimming very difficult and to please swim with caution.”
It was the fourth time in 24 hours that the Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to incidents on Lough Derg and the River Shannon.
The volunteer team responded to a boat aground on the river, a report of another boat in difficulty on the lake and a fire on board a vessel in Killaloe last night.
