Man airlifted to safety from Mutton Island

A MAN airlifted from rocks off Mutton Island on Monday has thanked rescue services for winching him to safety. Doolin Coast Guard was called just after 6pm to assist in a search for the man, who was reported missing after he failed to return at the expected time.
The Shannon Coast Guard helicopter, Kilkee Coast Guard Unit and Kilkee Marine Rescue were all sent to find the boat, which was travelling from Quilty to Doonbeg Pier.
Doolin Coast Guard team members searched piers in the area and also searched the coastline. The Doolin D Class boat was launched from Dough Mór beach and began searching that area and on to Doonbeg Pier.
The Doolin Coast Guard Delta launched from Doolin, searching for the RIB on the way.
“As they were coming around Mutton Island, the boat crew saw the man waving from a large rock just off the south side of the island. They were able to speak to him until the coast guard helicopter returned and winched the casualty onboard the helicopter.
“This man was an hour overdue when we were tasked,” said Mattie Shannon, officer in charge of the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard.
“The journey should only have taken him half an hour. He was lucky he was reported missing so quickly. I would like to remind people that they should check the weather and inform someone of their return time and the route they are taking so that if they fail to come back at that time, it will be reported straight away.”
According to Mr Shannon, the man had been thrown from the RIB when a wave hit it and he had managed to swim 500 metres to the rocks.
He was taken to Shannon where an ambulance was waiting. The missing boat was later seen by another boat in a cave on the southern side of Mutton Island.
The boat was recovered from the cave by the Coast Guard D-Class and towed back to Quilty pier by the Doolin Coast Guard Delta boat.
The man, from Limerick Sub Aqua Club, thanked the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard and the crew of the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter for rescuing him.
In a message posted to the Doolin Coast Guard blog, he added, “I really did not fancy spending the night on it. No hospital treatment required. Fortunately, I was well prepared, a good warm drysuit, lifejacket and the dead man’s [switch] activated to kill the engine. Alas, the drysuit also hindered efforts to return back on board the craft in that strong south-westerly.
“Thanks to all the search and recovery teams involved in my rescue and naturally to members of Limerick Sub Aqua, who made that vital call when I was overdue.”
The Doolin Coast Guard team was also called out on Sunday evening to assist a HSE ambulance crew with an incident at Cream Point, near White Strand, Miltown Malbay. A 75-year-old woman had fallen and sustained an injury while walking near the coastline.
“An ambulance was sent to the scene but the casualty was 300 metres from the road so they couldn’t transfer her from the beach to the road. We went to assist the ambulance crew, as did the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter. Members of the unit assisted the paramedics moving the casualty,” Mr Shannon outlined.
The Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter landed at the scene and the casualty was stretchered to the helicopter and taken to hospital.
While attending the Redbull Cliff Diving event on Saturday, members of the Doolin Unit assisted the North Aran Coast Guard team with a medical evacuation after a woman fell on rocks and had a suspected spinal injury. She was later airlifted to Galway University Hospital.