The coastguard is encouraging anyone taking to the hills or wooded areas to always carry a fully charged mobile phone.
It's after a family with three young children became lost in Cratloe woods last evening – it took emergency services almost three hours to find them.
Emergency services received a call at about 9.30 last night from a family who'd gone for a walk in Cratloe woods only to become disorientated.
They had gone into the woods for the walk and when they emerged darkness had descended – as a result they were unable to locate their way back to their car.
Gardaí from Shannon and the Irish Coastguard in Killaloe and Shannon Rescue Helicopter 1-1-5 were immediately dispatched to the scene.
However when the infrared camera on the helicopter and ground searches were unable to locate the group the coastguard in Kilkee and Doolin were also called to the scene.
The family was located around midnight after almost three hours of searching.
The youngest member of the group is four and all are said to be safe and well today.
However the coastguard is reminding people that incidents like these can happen extremly easily.
Damien Madden the Deputy Officer in Charge at Killaloe Coastguard was one of those who attended the scene.
He's praised the family for how the reacted to the situation and Damien's asking anyone going on long walks to have a mobile phone with them and to make sure it's charged.
Mr Madden says most people would be surprised by how easily incidents like these can happen.
