A MAN HAS died in hospital after he got into difficulty while swimming in Co Clare this morning.

The man, understood to be in his early 40s and from Clare, was plucked from the sea by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter before winched onto the beach at Lahinch.

Efforts to resuscitate him quickly got underway and he was flown to University Hospital Limerick where he was later pronounced dead. 

The alarm was raised at around 10.40am after a person was reported to have disappeared beneath the surface of the water at the popular Clare resort. It’s understood that a surfer spotted the man in trouble but was unable to reach him.

The surfer returned to shore to seek further help and raise the alarm. Several others surfers then rushed into the sea and commenced a search for the missing man.

In the meantime, the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter, Rescue 115, and the Doolin and Kilkee units of the Irish Coast Guard were alerted and requested to respond to the scene. The Aran Islands RNLI lifeboat was also tasked to the incident.

The helicopter crew carried out a detailed search of the area and about 15 minutes later observed the man in the water.

The helicopter’s winchman/paramedic was lowered into the sea and quickly recovered him.

Coast Guard volunteers secured a safe landing site for the helicopter on the beach before the casualty was brought ashore. National Ambulance Service paramedics were waiting to take the man into care and commenced efforts to resuscitate him. It’s understood that two off-duty paramedics also offered assistance.

The man was then flown to University Hospital Limerick where he was later pronounced dead.