Woman Rescued After Cliff Fall Near Ballybunion Following Swift Multi-Agency Response
- Pat Nolan
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Wednesday 15 July 2026
A woman is expected to make a full recovery after a dramatic rescue operation off the Nine Daughters Hole near Ballybunion, Co. Kerry, on Wednesday morning.
Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue was tasked by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Valentia at 10:19hrs following reports that a woman had been seen falling from the cliff top into the sea.
In a fortunate coincidence, three Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue helmsmen were already gathered in the town with service engineer Neptune Marine Solutions, allowing the charity's IB1 D Class inshore lifeboat to be launched within minutes in calm sea conditions.
Upon arriving at the scene, the volunteer crew found that three local kayakers had already reached the casualty after witnessing her struggling in the water. The kayakers secured the woman alongside their craft, helping to keep her afloat until the rescue boat arrived.
The casualty was carefully transferred aboard the D Class lifeboat, where she received immediate medical treatment from one of the unit's Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs).
The lifeboat then made best speed back to Ladies Beach, where the casualty was taken to the rescue station's boathouse and further treated by two EMTs while awaiting the arrival of National Ambulance Service paramedics.
Rescue 115, the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter based at Shannon, also responded to the incident. Members of Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue, assisted by Ballybunion Coast Guard, established a helicopter landing zone. However, following medical assessment, it was decided that the casualty could be transported to hospital by road ambulance rather than by air.
The woman is expected to make a full recovery.
Speaking after the rescue, Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue Public Relations Officer Omar Fitzell praised both the volunteers and the kayakers whose actions proved critical.
"By sheer luck we had three helmsmen meeting our service engineer from the UK this morning in the town and once the pagers were set off, the team were able to launch, ably assisted by our service engineer who is a qualified Talus driver. From the pagers being activated at 10:19 to having a boat in the water and being with the casualty was less than six minutes. There is, of course, a massive credit due to the kayakers, without whom the ending could have been far worse."
Ballybunion Sea & Cliff Rescue thanked all agencies involved in the successful outcome, including the National Ambulance Service, An Garda Síochána, Ballybunion Coast Guard, Rescue 115, and the local kayakers whose quick thinking and decisive actions undoubtedly played a vital role in saving the woman's life.
