Woman plunges 45ft from top of Inis Mór cliff, and survives

A 21-year-old woman has had a miraculous escape after plunging 45ft off a cliff on the Aran Islands and suffering only a broken leg.

The Coastguard has said she was very lucky, with most falls of that height ending in far more serious injury or even death.

Forty five feet is roughly the equivalent of a four to five storey building.

The woman fell while walking on Inis Mór at about 2.45pm during a period of fine weather which saw plenty of activity along the island’s cliff and coastline.

She was near the popular tourist attraction “the Wormhole”, a naturally formed rectangular shaped pool south of Dún Aonghasa.

While it is unclear exactly how she slipped, locals saw her plunge into the surf beneath the cliff.

“She was ok. (However), she landed in the surf or what broke her fall, she was very lucky,” said a member of the Coastguard.

Those nearby scrambled to haul her out of the water in which she had become stuck and initial efforts to contact emergency services were hampered by a lack of a mobile phone signal.

However, while people in the area ensured her safety, a Coastguard unit from the island responded as did the Shannon-based helicopter which airlifted her to Galway University Hospital where she was treated for a broken leg.

Meanwhile, another woman was airlifted from the Cliffs of Moher after twisting and breaking her leg while out walking.

The Shannon helicopter responded to that call immediately after its return from Aran Mor and, low on fuel, transported the casualty to its base where she was met by a waiting ambulance which brought her to Limerick.