A boy with serious head injuries and suspected spinal injuries was airlifted from Croagh Patrick in Co. Mayo this afternoon.
Responding to a request for assistance from Mayo Mountain Rescue, Malin Head coast guard dispatched a helicopter to the scene at around 3pm. The boy (11) who is from Dublin and was climbing with his father fell at the final ascent to the peak.
Sustaining serious head injuries and suspected spinal injuries, he was airlifted to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar.
The helicopter then returned to Croagh Patrick to deal with a separate incident in which a man (50) sustained an open fracture to his upper arm in a fall. He was also airlifted to Castlebar General Hospital.
Conditions at the time of the rescue were described as poor.