South East Mountain Rescue Association crews at Murrintown, Co Wexford, on Saturday.
The presence of the Coast Guard Rescue 117 helicopter was enough to spark major fears in a rural Wexford village over the weekend.
Several theories circulated over the weekend as to the reason behind the presence of the helicopter, which landed in Murrintown cemetery on Saturday, ranging from a road accident or a mountain bike crash, to a poacher having been shot.
Thankfully, the truth was somewhat more mundane. The Coast Guard helicopter was called in to assist a crew from the South Eastern Mountain Rescue Association (SEMRA) in rescuing a walker who had wandered off track in the area and found themselves “stuck in heavy undergrowth and couldn’t progress in any direction”.
The person was able to summon the emergency services at 3.30 pm. and a multi-agency response ensued with the helicopter crew liaising with the SEMRA team on the ground below.
“Rescue 117 flew over the area to pinpoint the walker’s exact location and a lowered a winchman,” a SEMRA spokesperson said. “They were then met by a member of our team who guided them back out onto a track and back to their car.”
The search and rescue operation was officially stood down shortly after 6 p.m. with “everyone safely off the hill”.