Tag Archives: Doolin Coastguard

A MEMBER of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard has helped to talk down “11 or 12 people” contemplating taking their own lives at the Cliffs of Moher. Thomas Doherty has been a volunteer with the unit for the last 30 years and he said that over the course of that time, he has talked down 11 or 12 people from the cliff edge “from an 80-year-old woman to a woman in her 40s”. The softly spoken and self-effacing Doolin man said, “Anybody that has been on the edge has come back for me. It is a good success rate actually. I hope it stays that way.” Asked what he says to people he suspects may be about to jump, Mr Doherty said, “I ask them straight out, ‘are they thinking about self-harm?’ You have to get straight to the point.” Mr Doherty has undergone specialist training to deal with such situations and said, “If they say they want …

Two people were treated in hospital following separate accidents at the Cliffs of Moher. Emergency services were alerted around 10am yesterday after an Italian visitor suffered a serious leg injury after falling. The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and a HSE ambulance and rapid response advanced paramedic unit were sent to the scene and the woman was transferred to hospital for treatment. A short time later, rescue teams were called out to a similar incident involving an Australian woman, who suffered a fall at the popular cliff trail. The woman was taken to safety and transferred to University Hospital Limerick.

Two German tourists were removed to hospital following a two-vehicle collision in North Clare. The men had been travelling along a narrow country road at Toornahooan, a short distance from Doolin, when the accident occurred. Two units of the fire brigade from Ennistymon along with ambulances from Ennistymon and Ennis responded to the incident along with gardaí. Members of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard were also requested to assist. The two male occupants of the rental car were injured in the collision while the driver of the second vehicle was unhurt. The injured were taken by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick for treatment.

The Doolin Coast Guard unit has recovered the body of a male in an area known as Doonacore Bay, south of Doolin Point in North Clare. The body was initially spotted shortly after 8am this morning by members of the Doolin Coast Guard team, who were conducting a shore line search. The body was subsequently recovered by a RIB operated by the team. The remains will be transferred to Ennis General Hospital for post mortem and formal identification.

  A major search for a missing Quilty man involving emergency services and volunteers will resume tomorrow morning. The 20 year-old man, who was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning, is believed to have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean in the vicinity of Spanish Point. The Irish Coastguard was contacted and they in turn dispatched units from Kilkee and Doolin Coastguard around 11 am this morning for the start of the official search. The Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter conducted an aerial search in a bid to locate the missing man. It is feared that the man may have entered the sea near Spanish Point as some of his personal belongings were found in this area. He was first noticed missing by family members in the early hours who contacted emergency services. Family members, volunteers and the coastguard units conducted a land search earlier today until it was stood down a few hours ago due to a …