A full night-time search was launched in the Dingle mountains at the weekend for an American tourist. However, it transpired that the woman was not lost at all but staying at a B&B in Tralee.
This was only learned when her mother in New York was contacted. She was able to say that she had been speaking to her supposedly missing daughter earlier that evening. The whole search operation may have cost in excess of €10,000.
The woman, who was in her 20s, had set out with a female friend from Cloghane to climb Mount Brandon on Saturday around midday. Half-way up the mountain, the pair decided to separate for an unknown reason.
One of them returned to Ballydavid, where it appears they had stayed the previous night. At around 10 p.m., when there was no sign of her friend, she alerted rescue services.
Valentia Coastguard co-ordinated the search, which involved 30 members of the Dingle Coastguard and local gardaí.
The Shannon-based Sikorsky marine-rescue helicopter was called out. Kerry Mountain Rescue was also alerted.
The truth only emerged when the woman's mother was contacted. It appears that the missing woman got down around 5 p.m. and went to Tralee, where she booked into a B&B. She was unaware of the massive search.
Members of the Dingle Coastguard, all volunteers, did not get home until 4 a.m. yesterday. Privately, some of those involved in the operation were scathing about the waste of time and money.
There have been a number of similar incidents on the Kerry mountains, especially with climbers leaving cars overnight at the base of mountains and not returning to their accommodation. Rescue services and gardaí have several times appealed to climbers to leave word of their route and expected return with people on the ground.