Woman in labour brought from Clare Island aboard lifeboat

Achill lifeboat responds to Clare Island labour


Anton McNulty

A PREGNANT Clare Island mother had the Achill lifeboat to thank for getting her to hospital in time to give birth to a baby girl last week.
The Achill lifeboat was called to a medical emergency evacuation from Clare Island at 1.50am on Wednesday morning when a young mother went into labour and had to be transported to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.
Due to tide and wind conditions, the lifeboat were unable to land at Roonagh Pier near Louisburgh and had to travel back to its base in Cloughmore on Achill Island where a ambulance was waiting to transfer the expectant mother to hospital. It is understood that the ambulance ‘just made it’ to Castlebar in time for the delivery where the mother gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
A spokesperson for the Achill RNLI lifeboat told The Mayo News that they have been called out to a number of medical evacuations to the islands in Clew Bay involving expectant mothers and it was only a matter of time before a baby was born aboard the boat.
“It nearly happened before [a baby being born on the boat] and it will happen sooner rather than later,” the spokesperson said.