A MAN is being treated in hospital after he was injured in a rock climbing accident in North Clare on Friday evening.
The man in his 20s had been climbing with a female companion at Ballyreen between Doolin and Fanore when the accident happened. It’s believed he fell about five metres (16 feet) after experiencing an issue with his climbing equipment.
The alarm was raised at around 7pm when emergency services received a call to report that a person had fallen at the well-known climbing location. The area is a popular with recreational climbers but is also used by search and rescue crews for training.
The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard was tasked to the incident along with National Ambulance Service paramedics including an Advanced Paramedic. It’s understood that an off-duty paramedic, who lives close to the scene, also attended the incident and offered assistance.
The injured man was assessed and treated the injured man at the scene before he was safely recovered from the location by Coast Guard volunteers and stretchered to a waiting ambulance. The incident occurred a short distance from the roadway.
He was taken by ambulance to University Hospital Galway for treatment. He is understood to have sustained back injuries which are not life-threatening.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.