Two brothers rescued from Waterford cliff

Two brothers had to be rescued by emergency services late on Thursday after getting into difficulty on a cliff at Annestown, Co Waterford.

Martin Connolly (26), who received leg, stomach and torso injuries, had been lying at the bottom of the cliff for about 36 hours.

His younger brother, whose name has not been released, got into difficulties when he attempted to rescue him.

Mr Connolly had been unable to summon help in the sparsely populated area because the battery in his mobile phone had run out.

Mr Connolly, from Castlebar, Co Mayo, but living in Waterford, was reported missing to gardaí in Waterford on Thursday morning after failing to turn up for work.

Tramore gardaí were contacted at around 9.30pm on Thursday and immediately initiated a rescue effort.

The Coast Guard at Bonmahon and Tramore, the Tramore RNLI lifeboat, the Order of Malta and HSE ambulances and the Tramore cliff rescue team responded to the incident.

The Irish Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the scene but it was not required.

It is understood that Mr Connolly's family in Castlebar became concerned when they had no contact from him.

His 23-year-old brother travelled to Waterford with a friend on Thursday to establish his whereabouts.

They searched the cliff at Annestown as the missing man had been known to walk there regularly.

The younger brother got into difficulty himself some 20-metres down the 70-metre cliff face as he made a rescue attempt.

Both men were rescued and taken to Boatstrand, approximately 5km away, by lifeboat. They were then taken to Waterford Regional Hospital shortly before midnight on Thursday.

The men were yesterday said to be in a stable condition.

RNLI Tramore lifeboat operations manager Derek Musgrave said a "moonless sky" meant the rescue occurred in "pitch-black conditions".

Meanwhile a teenage girl who fell from cliff steps at Malin Head, Co Donegal, earlier this week remains critically ill in a Belfast hospital.

Amanda Kaye, from Coventry, England, survived the accident that claimed the life of her friend Brian Glackin (18), from Bree, Malin Head.

The two were attempting a steep descent of steps to get to a beach party at Sandport beach, Ballygorman, sometime between 1am and 1.30am on Wednesday.

It is believed they lost their footing in the dark where the handrail ended and fell to the concrete below.

Ms Kaye, who was visiting the area for a family wedding, underwent emergency surgery at Altnagelvin Hospital before being transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.