13th Century Castle Architects Failed to Foresee Need for Functional Emergency Exits, Helo Egress Required

The Cork City Fire Brigade was recently faced with an unusual rescue, one incapable of extraction without helicopter assistance.

Bereft of a suitable aircraft, the brigade turned to the nearby Irish Coast Guard to treat and transport an injured visitor to Ireland's Blarney Castle. The patient, who suffered a fall, incurred non-life-threatening injuries, but could not be safely mobilized downward through the tight corridors of the castle. Stranded in the upper level of the structure, the only viable pathway to safety was upwards. Once Rescue 115 arrived on scene, one of its crewmen descended to package the patient for transport and winch her up into the aircraft. Once she was secured, the helicopter landed in a nearby field and transferred the patient to an ambulance for the rest of her journey as the helicopter returned to its regular duties. 

Such an event is not new, say locals. The winding spiral staircases have been a point of difficulty in recent years, as the original architects in 1210 AD failed to account for the increased size and height of later generations. One visitor, a slender-framed, 5’7” tall woman, said that the halls were “quite cramped”, essentially impassable for boarded or carried patient extraction. The castle remains an international tourist destination to kiss the Blarney Stone, and is generally one of the busiest, most crowded destinations in the country, often surrounded by buses full of passers-by working their way to the top of the castle.

As the quantity of visitors increases, so do the chances of medical emergencies. Heart attacks and the usual gamut of spontaneous-onset afflictions can sometimes be brought on by the sometimes unexpected effort of ascending the 90-foot castle. Locals say it's not rare to hear visitors from abroad wonder aloud why no one has seen fit to install elevators to improve ease of access, or why the somewhat dilapidated sections of the building have not been rebuilt in accordance with modern liabilities. The castle stands as-is, however, with few changes over centuries. Kissing the infamous blarney stone, a rock suspended over the side of the parapets, requires a somewhat taxing extension while supine to get into position. Local guides and assistants remain in place to help visitors move into the correct posture, but panic attacks from the dangling position are known to occur. Unlike other, more tort-friendly countries, however, Irish authorities have no intent to radically alter the makeup of the castle. 

FMI: www.blarneycastle.ie