At 10.33am on Tuesday, July 31, Malin Head Coast Guard requested Lough Ree RNLI to assist in the rescue of a cow that was stuck in the mud at Long Island, two miles south of Athlone. Conditions at the time were blustery with force three to four winds recorded and misty rain.

When the lifeboat arrived at the scene, the RNLI crew were met with farmers who were there to assist in the rescue operation.

The cow was up to her shoulders in mud on the banks of the Shannon.

According to the RNLI, two of the crew members entered the water and got a rope around the cow’s neck to gently encourage the cow towards the shore in the hope that she could free herself.

Reports from the scene state that the cow could move, but was in too deep to be able to make her own way out. One of the farmers then entered the lifeboat and the crew manoeuvred alongside the cow to enable the farmer to tie a halter/bridle around her head.

The other farmers on the shore were then able to very gently pull the cow out using a tractor to free her. Once ashore the cow was reunited with the rest of her herd and the lifeboat crew returned to base.

Speaking after the call out, Lough Ree RNLI's Tom Bradbury said that he and his crew were “delighted" to "reunite her with her calf and the rest of the herd”.

Bradbury also urged the public to remember not to enter the water if a human or animal is struggling: “don’t get into the water yourself, call 999/112 and ask for the Coast Guard.”