The Emergency Aeromedical Service, Ireland's national air ambulance, completed 652 "life saving missions" last year according to Tánaiste, Simon Harris.

The Tánaiste said that the "incredible service" responds to serious emergencies from road collisions to major trauma, getting patients to specialist hospitals like Beaumont, Tallaght, and Crumlin in record time.

He also described it as an "absolutely essential service, especially for rural areas".

"As Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, I’m incredibly proud of the air ambulance team and fully committed to ensuring they’re supported for the future," he added.

The Carlow - Kilkenny TD, Catherine Callaghan, received a county-by-county breakdown of missions which she also said "show first-hand how every county benefits from the Emergency Aeromedical Service (EAS).

Deputy Callaghan said: "Behind the numbers are real families and real people, lives that would not be here today were it not for our incredible defence force and healthcare personnel.

“I was really pleased to see the announcement by my colleague Simon Harris that Athlone will remain the home of the air ambulance service, ensuring our rural communities in particular are protected and supported," she added.

The county-by-county breakdown of EAS missions in 2024 is as follows:

The air ambulance responds to a wide variety of critical incidents across Ireland.

Missions frequently involve significant trauma resulting from falls, road traffic collisions as well as medical emergencies.

Callaghan added: "I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the team in our air ambulance service, that makes such a difference to communities across the country, including in my own counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.

“It’s a service that is provided 365 days of the year and has ensured some of our sickest patients received emergency care at the most critical of periods – making such an incredible difference to so many families the length and breadth of our state.”