Dramatic clifftop rescue of bride and groom-to-be

A couple who went for a beach walk shortly after getting engaged had to be rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after an incoming tide trapped them against a coastal cliff.

The bride and groom-to-be were hauled approximately 150m (490 ft) to the top of the cliff to safety because rescuers could not reach them by boat nor by helicopter.

The dramatic rescue took place during gale-force winds on Achill Island, off the west coast of Ireland, on Monday afternoon.

Coast Guard volunteer Peter McManamon, who coordinated the operation, told BBC News NI: “They were two very lucky people.”

It is believed the pair are originally from overseas but live in Ireland and were on a visit to Achill Island, off the County Mayo coast, when the incident happened.

McManamon said the couple had gone for a walk along Keel Beach when the tide began to come in behind them – at one point reaching above knee-level.

“They got engaged in Achill and they were just walking along [the beach] and they went out too far on the rocks,” he explained.

“The weather conditions were atrocious there, and in that particular area the tide has come in very quick.”

Unable to get off the sand because of the towering cliff behind them, the couple called 999 and asked for a coast guard rescue.

“It was too rough for a rib (rigid inflatable boat) to be tasked – it was blowing Force 8 to 10 at the time and the wave conditions wouldn’t let us,” McManamon said.

“We tried to walk out along the rocks to them but… the waves were just coming in and it was just too dangerous to put the crew in, so the helicopter was tasked.”