A former Doolin Coast Guard volunteer has confirmed plans are underway to try and set up a new search and recovery group after Monaghan-based divers completed a 555 kilometre round trip to recover the body of an Armagh teenager recently.
Bernard Lucas confirmed this was one of several incidents where he and colleagues have helped families who lost relatives below the cliffs, as the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coastguard’s cliff climbing unit was not available.
He said that a few days after the body of the Armagh teenager was recovered, a woman fell off the Cliffs of Moher, was floating on the sea and had to be recovered by the lifeboat from Inishmore, which is almost 50 minutes away.
Mr Lucas and a group of former Coast Guard volunteers now planned to set up their own search-and-recovery group once they can secure insurance and funding.
“You can’t have a father looking down at his son at the bottom of cliffs and nothing being done,” he said.
“Something has to be done because if it is a live casualty what happens?
“If the helicopter can’t come or someone falls out of a kayak from Crab Island?
“Does the Doolin Coast Guard unit have enough crew to launch the boat or does the person have to wait for the Aran Islands lifeboat to come? What is there in its present form is not fit for purpose?”
He said there are ten volunteers, which includes some of the ten who claim they were previously dismissed from the unit, and some new members.
In addition to securing insurance, he acknowledged a fund raising drive will be needed to purchase a boat.
The first priority will be the provision of search/ climbing team with the ability of descending Aill na Searrach with ropes to extract a casualty.
There is currently no official climbing team based in Clare so there is no rope access for rescues.
If there is an accident in the Fisherman’s Climb at Ballyreen between Doolin and Fanore and the helicopter can’t come, he explained this would involve a rope extraction exercise.
When the new search and recovery group is up and running, he said there is no reason why Valentia Coast Guard can’t contact this group once all their insurance, health and safety policies and training meet the necessary standards.
When this is done, he believes there is no reason why the group can’t be another dedicated resource if it is needed.
He hopes that issues around insurance, training and equipment may be completed within the next six weeks.
“The skills we have amassed among the ten of us, if they can be of any benefit to a family like Lochlann Murray why not use them,” he said.
Doolin Coast Guard unit, once one of the busiest and most experienced in the State, has not been fully operational since November 2021 when the unit was stood down.
Responding to Clare Champion queries, a spokesman for the Department of Transport stated on the 5th of July the Coast Guard responded to a request from An Garda Síochana to assist in an incident involving a young male at the Cliffs of Moher.
“The Doolin Coast Guard attended in support of An Garda Síochana to a search and recovery operation from the 5th to the conclusion on the 7th of July.
“Extensive shoreline, boat and drone operations were conducted during the search by the Doolin unit. The body was recovered and transferred to An Garda Siochana on the 7th of July. The Coast Guard extends its sincere condolences to the family on this sad occasion.
“The Doolin Coast Guard Unit are a team of dedicated local Volunteers providing a 24 seven search and rescue service to the area. The Doolin Coast Guard Unit conduct shoreline search, drone and boat search and rescue operations while also supporting An Garda Síochana in search and recovery operations. As one of the busiest search and rescue teams in the country, the Volunteers from Doolin Coast Guard Unit have responded to almost 100 incidents since January 2023.
“In relation to the use of Coast Guard vessels by members of the public for operational purposes, it is not Coast Guard practice. In the case in question, the Garda water unit was expected on scene on Monday the 8th July to effect the recovery of the body. The Irish Coast Guard has absolute confidence in the various SAR assets in the area (Doolin Coast Guard Unit, Aran Islands lifeboat, Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115) to conduct operations in the Cliffs of Moher area,” he stated.
Dan Danaher
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.