A man who was badly injured during a major cycling event in the Burren area of Co Clare at the weekend is expected to make a good recovery.
Martin Clancy (49), from Kilmaley, Co Clare, a member of Dolmen Cycling Club, sustained serious injuries after a crash during the An Post Tour de Burren cycle.
Mr Clancy was airlifted to hospital in Cork following the incident at Ballyella near Fanore, and underwent surgery that evening.
An Ennis-based hospital consultant, Dr Terry Hennessy, who had been taking part in the same event, was one of the first to arrive at the scene.
Dr Hennessy, a friend of Mr Clancy’s, assessed the injured man on the roadside.
He concluded Mr Clancy had sustained a serious head injury and required urgent transfer to a specialist unit.
The alarm was raised and an ambulance sent to the scene, while the Irish Coast Guard service was also requested to assist. The Shannon-based rescue helicopter, co-ordinated by staff at the marine rescue co-ordination centre at Valentia in Co Kerry, was diverted to the incident from a training exercise in Galway Bay.