Private airfield comes to teen’s rescue

A PRIVATE airfield in west Cork has staged its first air ambulance airlift.

Brian Daly, 17, from Skibbereen in Co Cork, was successfully airlifted from Rowa Pharmaceuticals’ airstrip on the shores of Bantry Bay two weeks ago for treatment in Dublin.

Mr Daly was transferred to the airstrip by ambulance from Bantry General Hospital where he was met by an Aer Corps Eurocopter air ambulance.

His mother, Carmel Daly, and nurse Noreen Lynch, travelled with him for the one hour journey. The trip would normally have taken up to five hours by road.

Airfield manager Denis Connolly said the operation highlighted the importance of the airfield and the vital life-saving link it is providing to the people of west Cork.

The airfield is privately owned by the pharmaceuticals company and is fully licensed by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA).

The site was used in the late 1960s as a staging area for massive pipes used in the construction of the Whiddy Terminal.

The airstrip was developed in the early 1970s and the 500m runway.

The airfield is inspected by the aviation authority every 12 months.

It is due to stage a full-scale disaster training operation within the coming weeks.