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A WOMAN HAS died after being swept into the sea by a wave in Co Clare.
It’s believed the adult woman was fishing on rocks near Fanore as part of a group when she was swept into the water.
The Irish Coast Guard says that it was notified of the emergency shortly after 9am and an operation coordinated by Valentia Coast Guard was put in place. The voluntary Doolin Coast Guard team was also tasked to the scene and was supported by the Shannon-based Rescue 115 helicopter.
The woman was located by the rescue team and she was immediately transferred to the helicopter which took her to Galway University Hospital.
She has since passed away while at the hospital.
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Rip. Thoughts are with her family and friends at this time. So sad.
I had operated a powerful craft in and around Cork Harbour for a good few years before I took it to Doolin & Lahinch one day. Clare’s coast put me back in my box and sent me back to Cork with tail between my legs fairly lively. The ‘race’ of water at the turn to go from Lahinch up toward Doolin is terrifying and that big swell coming in to The Cliffs … puts hairs on the back of my neck up again just thinking about it! So, never again, this rebel is very thankful for the protection yet, variety, afforded by Cork’s vast harbour!
I have often gone down there in a RIB launched a Doolin. An old pal of mine from Fanore used to saw that there were only about four days a year when it was safe in a small boat. Those big soft swells are really something ok. Sympathies on the loss of the deceased person, as others have said it happens all to often to people more used to the Baltic coasts.
Eastern europeans constantly fall foul of atlantic swell on clare coastline. 9 times out of 10 a report of a drowning in Clare is a pole, latvian or lithuanian. RIP to the poor lady.
Unfortunately people don’t realise the danger the Atlantic sea poses, especially on the Clare coast where it’s accident happened, so called rogue waves there are actually very common. The Co.Council should put up warning signs there as there are too many accidents happening there, especially Eastern Europeans who won’t have experienced the force of the Atlantic.
Yes and the thing is the weather forecast may be fine but a swell could persist from a mid Atlantic storm days earlier. So light breeze but huge unpredictable swell…Atlantic ain’t no Baltic and ain’t no lake.
Why do authorities have to spoon feed us constantly with signage etc, people should be able to use their noggin and common sense
An_Beal_Bocht……Noggin and common sense usually don’t work when you are facing the Wild Atlantic.
A horrible awful way to go. r.i.p
Fishing from rocks should require the use of a life vest. It’s as dangerous if not more so than fishing from a boat.
If you go into the water at the rocks you have more the fear than downing but it could help
In a lot of these cases in Clare people are fishing on a ledge and the wave knocks them backwards into the cliff, then the returning water drags them out to sea. Cood chance of injury being bashed against the cliff but even if uninjured and a reasonable swimmer the coldness of the water can get you very quickly.
4 deaths have occurred in similar circumstances on the same stretch in as many years according to today’s Indo.
It’s sad. RIP. Whatever about fishing ……….. I am always astounded by the amount of prize gobshitos that congregate on piers and outcrops during stormy weather, sometimes with kids in tow, to see the waves crashing and try get pictures. The next one being very likely to take you or yours with it.
Used to fish for makeral along this stretch of the Clare coast, beautiful area of the county but can get dangerous real quick especially when the wind picks up. RIP
Unfortunately it looks like the emergency services were lead astray with an incorrect location leading to a delay. The scandalous behaviour of the DCENR and ministers Rabbitte & White blocked smart GPS based postcodes in favour of the dumb dwelling only Eircode. A code such as Loc8code could have helped enormously here,it may not have affected the outcome but time is of the essence in accidents like this.
I think maybe harnessing yourself to the rocks using one of those mountain climbing yokes wouldn’t be going too far in terms of keeping you safe. Better than a life jacket because it would keep you out of the water
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