A student injured in a cave rock-fall was recovering at Limerick Regional Hospital yesterday after being rescued late on Saturday night.
Mr Luke McKinney from Moville, Co Donegal, a member of University College Dublin's Caving Society, was removed from the Pol na Gollum system of caves north of Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare almost 12 hours after he was injured.
Mr McKinney was pinned down by rocks for six hours while a full-scale rescue operation was mounted in appalling weather. A hospital spokeswoman said Mr McKinney's condition was stable and he was in intensive care.
Mr Mattie Shannon of the Doolin Marine Rescue Unit confirmed yesterday that Mr McKinney was suffering from severe bruising to his leg and that no break had been found in the initial examination.
Mr Ray Murphy of the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO), who helped to co-ordinate the rescue and was among the first group into the cave, said two of Mr McKinney's friends had stayed with him throughout his ordeal and he was given painkillers. He was removed from the cave at 11.10 p.m. to what Mr Murphy described as "loud cheers and applause" from the rescue services and local people at the scene.
Mr Murphy said: "At times he was very down. But at one time I radioed down and asked, `How's Luke?' and I was told, `He's singing a song at the moment'. When he was eventually brought out he was conscious and cracking jokes. Several people said that he is a very strong character."
Mr Shannon said that at one time it had been thought it could take 24 hours to free Mr McKinney.
The alarm went out soon after 11.30 a.m. on Saturday, when Mr McKinney was pinned down by a rock fall near the entrance to the cave, where he and three others from UCD's Caving Club were potholing. The cave is attached to a 14km underground system.
A Garda spokesman at Ennistymon said the part of the cave system where the rocks fell had been closed more than 30 years ago.
In response to the call a rescue operation by more than 100 people was soon under way, and an expert from Fermanagh was flown in by Air Corps helicopter. He joined colleagues from the ICRO, the Doolin and Kilkee Marine Rescue Units, Civil Defence, the Mid-Western Health Board, gardai, Fire Brigade personnel and local people.
Mr Murphy said: "It was very dodgy inside in the cave. There were loose boulders everywhere. Luke was located 30 feet inside and 10 to 15 feet underneath the surface. Fortunately, it was a case of him being pinned in rather than his leg being crushed."
He said there was never any question of rescuers or anyone else apart from Mr McKinney being trapped as had been suggested.
