A man has been airlifted from a ship off the coast of Co Cork this morning.

The medical evacuation was undertaken by the Waterford-based coastguard helicopter around 100 miles west of the Fastnet Rock earlier this morning.

The man was a crew member of the 292m-long, Swedish-registered container vessel MV Atlantic Cartier.

The rescue operation was conducted in challenging weather conditions with strong gale force weather conditions and rough seas.

The man is receiving medical attention at Cork University Hospital.

Search and Rescue Operations Manager with the Irish Coast Guard, Gerard O’Flynn, outlines what happened.