A MAN HAS been airlifted to hospital after suffering a fall while hiking in the Burren in Co Clare this afternoon.

The man is understood to have been injured in a fall at around 12.30pm on Turlough Hill near Bellharbour close to the Clare/Galway border.

Members of the volunteer Galway Mountain Rescue Team (GMRT) were tasked to the incident at around 12.45pm. On reaching the scene, rescue personnel set off immediately to reach the casualty who was located on a steep slope on the mountainside.

Over two hours after the alarm was first raised, the Shannon-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter was requested to respond to the scene.

Rescue 115’s winchman/paramedic was dropped off at the location where he assessed and treated the casualty. The man was then prepared for evacuation from the mountain before the helicopter moved into position and airlifted the casualty to safety.

He was flown to University Hospital Galway for treatment at around 4.10pm however his condition is not known.

The flight to UHG was less then 10 minutes while it would have taken almost an hour to transport the casualty to hospital by road.