Man survives 40ft fall from cliff

A MAN has miraculously survived a mid-afternoon 40ft cliff fall onto a pebble beach, hours after gardaí interrupted a rave party.

The 35-year-old Limerick man was recovering in Cork University Hospital when after his ordeal on an isolated cove near Clonakilty in West Cork.

The man who accidentally plunged from the cliff top at Nun’s Cove near Ring village, about three miles from Clonakilty, was found unconscious on Sunday afternoon at 2.35pm.

Garda Inspector Sean Healy said that, after gardaí disrupted the planned weekend party, only a handful of people were left at the scene.

“Obviously, a few stragglers stayed behind. The man who fell was one of those and when the emergency services arrived at the scene, two other people from the Limerick area disclosed symptoms of being in distress. They were under the influence of controlled substances and one was in convulsions, in a hallucinogenic state. Together with the injured man, they were all taken to hospital.”

There is no suggestion that the man who fell from the cliff was under the influence of drugs.

Aided by a garda escort, he was brought by ambulance to Cork University Hospital.

After regaining consciousness, medical staff discovered he had no serious injuries.

“It’s a miracle, of sorts,” Inspector Healy said. “The divisional drugs unit was operating in the area as a result of information received. Assisted by local gardaí, a number of cars were stopped and individuals searched. As a result, there were 14 or so seizures under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Revellers from Cork City, Waterford and Limerick together with locals were searched at the party. The rocky Nun’s Cove is on a quiet headland overlooking Clonakilty.