A MAN HAS been airlifted to hospital after he was injured in a fall while rock climbing in North Clare this afternoon.

The alarm was raised at around 12.30pm when emergency services received a report of an incident on a mountain at Fanore More near Fanore on the coast road.

It’s understood there were two experienced climbers attempting to scale a rockface when the accident occurred. It’s believed the injured climber was struck by a falling rock and was knocked around 5 metres to the ground. The man’s climbing partner raised the alarm.

An ambulance and advanced paramedic response car were dispatched to the scene and soon located the casualty. On reaching the scene, around a kilometre from the nearest road, paramedics decided to requested additional assistance from the Irish Coast Guard.

Watch officers at the Coast Guard’s marine rescue coordination centre in Kerry alerted the Doolin unit of the service while the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter was also tasked to the scene.

While paramedics assessed and treated the injured man, Rescue 115 was able to land close to the scene. Coast Guard personnel assisted with loading the casualty onto the helicopter before he was airlifted to University Hospital Galway for treatment. The man’s injuries are not believed to be serious.

The area where the accident occurred is a popular climbing and hiking location while several other sites in the area are regularly used by amateur climbers as well as by Defence Forces personnel and mountain rescue teams for training exercises.