A 28-year-old man who was rescued in darkness after falling about two-thirds of the way down Slieve League in Co Donegal on New Year’s Day said yesterday it was a miracle he survived.
Cormac Nolan from Ballon, Co Carlow, who travelled home yesterday after being released from Sligo General Hospital, said: “It was a miracle. When I looked back up I wondered how on earth I survived.
“I can’t thank my rescuers enough for what they did. They were up against very tough conditions and they must have been exhausted.”
His fall ended when he was trapped in a crevice about 50 metres above the Atlantic.
Mr Nolan still had his mobile phone and telephoned his brother for help. He also dialled 999.
The rescue operation took nearly 12 hours and involved the Donegal Mountain Rescue team, Slieve League Mountain Rescue team, Killybegs Coast Guard, Arranmore lifeboat, gardaí, paramedics, a doctor, and a local priest.
