Holly the K9 heroine as widower, 91, survives for six days lying in field

A 91-year-old man who survived six days and five nights lying in a field was last night sitting up in his hospital bed, enjoying tea, toast and a boiled egg.

And the specially-trained sniffer dog who tracked him down was being treated to a well-earned game of catch.

The gardaí, civil defence and rescue teams involved in the search were toasting a happy end to what they feared would be a tragic loss. But for the mild spell and the super instincts of Holly from the K9 Search and Rescue Team, Joe Walsh, a widower from Caherclough, Lisronagh, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, would almost certainly have died.