Plea for safety upgrades at Blarney Castle after tourist injures himself

The wife of an American tourist who was airlifted from the top of Blarney Castle after sustaining leg and wrist injuries in a slip on its internal steps has called for safety upgrades to the historic visitor attraction.

New York-based photographer Sherrie Fryxell said she and her husband, Tom, 64, a fit bodybuilder, had to abandon their “dream vacation” to Ireland after the incident on June 23.

Tom was airlifted by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter from the top of the castle to a waiting ambulance which transferred him to Cork University Hospital (CUH).