Be aware of poisonous jellyfish on beaches
VISITORS to beaches are again being urged to be aware of the dangers posed by poisonous jellyfish while walking on the sand.
Earlier this month, Joanna McNicholas, in our print edition, wrote of an incident in Achill where two children received nasty stings.
We've been asked to highlight her story again as people are still walking Mayo's beaches barefoot and with lifeguards no longer on duty, there's no one at hand to advise if someone gets stung.
So put those shoes on, and read Joanna's story below – it could help save someone's life!
A DAY-TRIP to Achill turned frighteningly nasty when two children were stung by a Lion’s Mane jellyfish – the size of a coffee table – on Keel Beach in recent weeks, writes Joanna McNicholas.
They were playing on the beach when the monster jellyfish washed in.
"It was the size of a small coffee table," Ger Rutherford, mother to one of the children, explained afterwards.
As the family retreated to another area of strand, both children began to complain of tingling in their feet and legs.
One of them became very distressed and immediately Ger sought help from the lifeguards, who applied ice-packs.
A lifeguard examined the jellyfish and discovered it was the poisonous Lion’s Mane which until recently wasn’t seen in the west of Ireland.
Its tentacles can be several yards in length and were embedded in the sand where the children were playing.
Said Ms. Rutherford: "The lifeguards didn't have vinegar but someone ran off to get some.
"The children were bathed in the liquid and one of them had to sit in the bowl for over an hour before the pain eased in her thigh.
"After 15 minutes she had begun to feel better and calmed down."
Next day the children had tiny lacerations on their feet and legs but both were feeling well.
"It all happened so fast and was very traumatic. The vinegar and water treatment was excellent. Fortunately, we didn’t have to go to hospital. The lifeguards were very professional, so kind and so good. They couldn’t have done enough for us," Ger added.
Lion’s Mane was regularly sighted on the east coast of Ireland but it never made an appearance on our western shores.
However, in the past two years there have been several sightings of it on the western coastline from Mayo as far south as Cork.
The giant jellyfish has a bell shaped top with thousands of tentacles which spread out in all directions and the stings can cause pain and nausea.
There have been many reported sightings this year and jellyfish experts claim the Lion’s Mane are much bigger than normal.
A number of stings have been reported from around the country, some requiring hospitalisation. The Big Jellyfish Hunt Facebook page has been set up for the public to record sightings.
Ice-packs are an ineffective treatment and the stings generally respond to an application of warm water and vinegar. In severe cases a sting can cause anaphylactic shock and hospitalisation is necessary.