Camper blown off Achill cliff edge

LUCKY ESCAPE The tent which was blown down an embankment with a person inside near Keem Bay on Sunday morning.

Anton McNulty

A VISITOR to Achill had a lucky escape when a gust of wind blew both him and his tent over a steep embankment near Keem Bay early on Sunday morning.
The male, who was in his twenties and from Co Louth, was visiting the island with two friends over the weekend and decided to go camping close to Keem Bay.
The incident occurred at approximately 4.40am on Sunday morning, when the male, who was in a tent on his own, got up to go to the toilet. When he was attempting to get back into the tent, a gust of wind blew down from the mountain and blew both the man and the tent down a steep 12-foot embankment close to the beach.
His friends, who were staying in another tent, raised the alarm, and the scene was attended by the Achill Island Coast Guard Unit. A spokesperson for the unit told The Mayo News that the man, who received a cut to his head and eye, was lucky to escape with minor injuries.
He was stretched from the scene to an awaiting ambulance and transferred to Mayo University Hospital, where he was given a clean bill of health.
The Keem Bay area has been a very popular destination this summer, with hundreds of people visiting the beach each day, particularly during the recent good weather. It also attracted a number of ‘wild campers’ who pitch up close to the beach.