A woman who fell down the stairs of Blarney Castle in Co Cork on Wednesday was assisted by Valentia Coast Guard and the Rescue 115 helicopter, along with ambulance and fire service units.
It is understood the woman suffered a fall at the top of the castle shortly after 2pm, and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
A member of the Coast Guard had to go down into the castle by winch before bringing the woman into the helicopter. The helicopter landed in a field nearby and the woman was transported to hospital by ambulance.
In a post on Twitter, Cork City Fire Brigade described the rescue as a “difficult and technical extraction of a patient from Blarney Castle”. They praised the ambulance service and the Coast Guard for “great inter-agency work” which gave the woman “the best care possible”.
Blarney Castle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country and attracts thousands of visitors every year.
In September 2018, an American tourist who suffered a heart attack at the top of the castle earlier that year returned to kiss the stone.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter airlifted David Motte to Cork University Hospital on April 20th, 2018 after he collapsed while visiting the castle.