Mountain rescue team log 1,000 hours in 7 weeks

ONE of the country’s oldest voluntary mountain search and rescue teams has recorded its busiest ever summer so far, with almost 1,000 hours logged over a seven-week period.

Kerry Mountain Rescue Team responded to 10 accidents in July and August, mainly centred on the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks —and, in particular, its highest peak Carrauntoohil.

The casualties sustained a variety of leg injuries including torn ligaments, broken ankles and busted knees.

Most of the incidents involved full team call-outs to help stretcher the injured to waiting helicopters.

Up to 30 volunteers, it emerged, have been tasked on at least seven occasions.

However, unlike call- outs of previous years — in fact winters are usually the busiest period — lack of experience, walking alone and poor footwear were not to blame this summer, Kerry mountain rescue spokesman Damien Courtney emphasised.

“A lot of the accidents were sustained coming down from Carrauntoohil and even the most experienced can have these kinds of mishaps,” he said.

Those injured were also walking in teams or in small groups so had not ran the risk of walking alone, he said.

Interestingly, all were Irish — from Cork, Dublin and Clare mostly.

“This summer saw a huge amount of people on the Reeks. We don’t realise just how many go up there on any given day,” Mr Courtney said.

The increase among home holiday makers was visible in nearby Killarney and this meant more people took to the hills this summer, or hill walkers this year chose to holiday at home perhaps, Mr Courtney suggested.

The number of hours spent tending to injured mountaineers amounted to five full days work for a team of 30, all of whom are volunteers.

“After call-outs like these, there really is no complaining. We are all mountaineers ourselves and we all recognise these kind of accidents could happen to us just as easily,” Mr Courtney added.