Aha ! From CAP 999
Search and Rescue is a State activity and therefore not regulated under EU law;
it is consequently regulated by National Aviation Authorities (NAAs). In the UK,
operation of civil helicopters for SAR is considered to be for the purposes of
Public Transport (PT) and therefore subject to Article 12 of the Air Navigation
Order (ANO) 2009 requiring a national Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).
So let's see what the Irish regulatory hounds can dig up from their version.
PS If the Irish version has that same definition, I think I would consider it OK for technical crew members to do what you want. The radar, FLIR, and hover trim are aircraft/role equipment, and what could be better assistance to the flight crew than warning them about imminent terrain or using the hover trim to finesse the winching operation.