Sheepdog back home after rescue from Mayo sea cave

A RETIRED sheepdog is back home after being rescued from a sea cave in north Mayo.

The alarm was raised after locals heard barking, with lucky 'Jess', who had been missing for a number of days, safely retrieved by a team from the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation (ICRO).

The team was called out to assist with the rescue from a sea cave by Porturlin Harbour, near Belmullet, on Thursday evening.

Jess, a retired sheepdog belonging to a local family, had been missing since last weekend.

Locals could hear barking, but a boat rescue was considered impossible due to sea swell.

After being asked to help, ICRO members formed a small rescue rigging team drawn from core team members in Clare, Tyrone and Dublin.

Arriving to the scene around 9.30 p.m., two rescuers descended by rope some 50 metres down a grassy slope and over the cliff edge to get to Jess in the cave.

The dog was put in an animal rescue harness and given food, then hauled up from the base of the cliff and returned to her family.

The entire operation was brought to a happy conclusion before midnight.

ICRO chairperson Adam de Eyto said the ICRO team were glad to be able to assist.

“ICRO personnel are trained to carry out rescues of people or animals in caves and abandoned mines. When requested by An Garda Síochána or the Police Service of Northern Ireland, ICRO volunteers can respond anywhere in the country. In this case it was a sea cave at the base of a difficult cliff.”