Dangerous climb for lifeboat crew membersThe director of the RNLI has written a letter expressing his sincere thanks to three crew members of the Donaghadee lifeboat following the difficult and dangerous rescue of a badly injured climber.Crew members Shane McNamara, Ruth Lennon and George Thompson were aboard the station's Arun City of Belfast in the early hours of 10 July 1988, taking part in a long search for another casualty, when the lifeboat was diverted to Muck Island where a climber had fallen down a cliff.

The call came at 0210 and the lifeboat reached the scene at 0220 in almost nil visibility, torrential rain and a southerly Force 5 wind.

The Arun could not approach closely because of the conditions and so the inflatable Y boat was launched in the lee of the land with the three crew members aboard The inflatable went first to Portrush to the fallen climber's companion and brought him to the area to help find the man.

In very poor conditions the crew beached the Y boat and climbed the cliff, made difficult by darkness, torrential rain and deep holes and gullies obscured by long grass. George Thompson fell down one of these holes, fortunately without injury, before the three located the badly injured man.

Trained nurse Ruth Lennon forbade the plan mooted by others at the scene to evacuate him by Y boat, insisting on a helicopter lift.

It was later discovered that the climber had broken ribs, a cracked pelvis and a collapsed lung- her assessment had been correct.

The helicopter airlifted the injured man to hospital and the Y boat crew made their way down the cliff, launched the Y boat and returned to the Arun - resuming the original search at 0330..