Couple rescued from Mayo island cliffs after getting engaged

A joyous occasion for a couple who got engaged near cliffs on a Mayo island almost turned into a disaster when they became trapped by the rising tide.

The couple who travelled from Newbridge in Co Kildare to Achill Island for the bank holiday weekend were rescued in horrendous conditions by members of the Achill Island Coast Guard on Monday evening.

The couple got into difficulty when rising tides and crashing waves trapped them at the bottom of the Minaun cliffs near Dookinella beach where earlier that afternoon they had got engaged.

The alarm was raised at around 3.15pm on Monday afternoon just as weather conditions on the island started to deteriorat.

Members of the Achill Island Coast Guard were tasked to the scene and located the couple. They attempted to reach them by foot but the weather conditions prevented them and the sea conditions meant it was too rough to reach them by boat.

The rescue helicopter R116 from Sligo was tasked but the down wind close to the cliffs meant it was too dangerous to winch them to safety.

A spokesman for the Achill Island Coast Guard unit told The Mayo News that the decision was taken to revert to Plan C and climb 170 metres down the cliff to try to reach them.

At this stage the tide was coming in around the couples feet and they were advised to climb as high as they could.

A team of 14 volunteers from the Coast Guard set up the climbing equipment at the top of the cliff while a climber went down the cliff edge.

"It was pitch black at this stage with driving rain and at time blowing force ten," said the spokesperson.

"The conditions were really bad and it was like being in a shower with the rain belting down."

When the climber reached the couple the waves was crashing close to them and the decision was taken to bring them to higher ground on the cliff edge. They were then brought one at a time up 160 metres to the top of the cliff edge.

Paramedics from the ambulance service were waiting for the couple who were both frightened and cold. The female was suffering from slight hypothermia and treated at the scene and they were both brought to Mayo University Hospital.

The successful rescue operation was stood down at 10.30pm and the coast guard spokesperson said that the couple had a lucky escape.

"They were very lucky because the conditions were very poor. They did the right thing by calling the emergency services when they did.

" This was a very difficult rescue for our unit but I cannot praise the team of volunteers highly enough. This is where our climbing training every Tuesday night comes into action and everyone knew what they were doing and it ended with a successful rescue," the spokesperson said.