Climber airlifted from Ballycroy National Park

Anton McNulty

A HILL climber was airlifted to hospital after he spent the night in a remote part of the Ballycroy National Park after injuring his leg.
The male was among a party of 14 hill climbers who were planning to camp over night in the park before climbing some of the hills in the Nephin Range. At approximately 9.30pm on Monday, August 8, the male,who is aged in his 30s, injured his lower leg in one of most remote parts of the park.
The remoteness of the location meant it would take Mayo Mountain Rescue close to three hours to locate the party. The group were made up of experienced climbers, and because the injured party was in a comfortable position, they were happy to camp over-night and wait for the rescue team at first light.
However, the Coast Guard rescue helicopter was also notified, and it flew to the location at 6am and airlifted the patient to Sligo University Hospital.
A spokesperson for Mayo Mountain Rescue told The Mayo News that the group were from the Dublin region and were experienced climbers, and had the equipment to safely spend the night in the park. They also had the grid reference of their location and were well prepared to care for the casualty.
The Ballycroy National Park covers over 11,000 hectares, and while emergency call-outs to the park are rare, the spokesperson urged climbers to ensure they know where they are going.
“The park is huge and is very remote and anyone who is planning on hill climbing in it needs to know what they are doing and have the necessary skills. The group had the grid reference of where they were … had they not, it might have taken along time to find them,” the spokesperson said.