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SINCE THE END of last month, runners and flip-flops have been regularly washing up along the west coast of Ireland.
The most recent discovery was on Tuesday when three pairs of runners washed up in Quilty, Co Clare.
In 2018, multiple containers fell off a cargo ship that was travelling from Shanghai to North Carolina.
The contents of the lost containers have now made its way towards beaches along Ireland’s west coast as well as hitting a number of European countries.
Donegal, Connemara, Valentia and Fanore are some of the locations in Ireland to have come across the flip-flops and runners while Jersey, Spain, Brest, Cornwall, Brittany and the Azores have also recorded sightings.
Liam MacNamara who runs the popular Facebook page, Burren Shores, says that none of the runners or flip-flops are in a fit state to be worn, adding that bite marks are evident on the footwear.
According to MacNamara, the items belong to two companies, both of whom “have confirmed that they had a shipment on that boat that lost the containers”.
“They are all very evasive about giving answers, of course, they don’t want to admit to anything really,” MacNamara added.
Branding belonging to Nike also appeared on runners at Fanore, however they have stated they were not aware of any missing containers.
An artist has expressed an interest in using the runners for a future project but apart from that, the cleanup will be left to volunteers.
MacNamara said, “Generally it’s left to volunteers to just dump and end up in your rubbish bin or left back on the floor when nobody collects it, generally that is what happens.”
In 2015, a number of ink cartridges belonging to Hewlett-Packard washed up in Fanore. The company subsequently made a donation to various environmental agencies and programmes, as well as issuing an envelope to return the ink cartridges.
McNamara said he’s not “holding his breath” that something similar will occur this time.
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The bite marks evident are the saddest aspect of the story – many fish obviously tried to eat the footwear.
The citizens of Ireland could throw them at Ireland’s largest flop! Leo Varadkar! Fg eight years in power with a booming economy for several years and the news is filled with nothing but scandals and scandalous situations ! #keep(leos)recoverygoing
@Shane Murphy:
Nonsense, bad news sells in the media.
If you turned on the news every evening and they instead covered everything good you’d bitch and moan.
I’m no fan of FG, but they’ve done a better job then FF and at least they can form a government unlike SF in the North.
@Shane Murphy: …I read that as – the news is filled with ‘sandals’ and ‘sandalous’ situations..
@Barry Somers: they’ve done a better job than the others of creating a situation whereby they are working towards a goal of turning many of us into lifelong renting serf wh0res to the likes of their Kennedy Wilson Mates. And if they think a e1.50 weekly income tax cut to those of us on e34,000 will keep us on side? I get it though , you aren’t effected by this , because of chance , because of timing. Well hundreds of thousands of us are! https://m.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/editorial-government-ignores-the-housing-crisis-at-its-peril-38071223.html
@Barry Somers: a better job of what? Running the country? Absolutely ridiculous statement, a country should be run for its people not a few rich individuals and large corporations, if you actually believe either ff or fg ever governed this country for the benefit of its people youve been fooled by leos spin unit and government lies.
@Thomas Maher: Who can do better?
@Mr Snrub: lazy argument in the hopes of playing on peoples propensity to not rock the boat, “vote for us, sure theres no one else”
Personally, ill be voting independent but i dont care, sf, greens, sd anyone but the 3 parties who have traditionally ran this country into the ground, enough is enough, what kind of idiots are we that we keep voting the same parties and expect a different outcome
@Mr Snrub: I’m happy to give renua a vote. Bear in mind, it’s highly unlikely that any party here will ever achieve even near a majority again. You’re looking at coalitions propped up by independents or rainbow coalitions etc…
@Mr Snrub: also this attitude is what fg prey on. We don’t force them to pull up their socks as a result. If they all of a sudden get the message that you can lose seats without destroying the economy. The might think twice about their do as little as possible approach the next time round.
@Thomas Maher: what kind of idiot? How about the sort of idiot who advocates votes for those who haven’t a hope in hell of forming a government, but expects that to make a change instead?
@Jumperoo: I don’t really agree with the voting for independents. If they want to make serious change , they’d be forming new parties. It’s far easier to just stand in the corner and shout!
@Barry Somers: yes, cause SF are the problem in the north… fool
Knot again
@David O’Brien: #keepthegravytraingoing
@David O’Brien: wonder will the Journal run this story again?
@Dave Barrett: ah shoe look it, if they have a sole they may do.
Any in a size 9.
A wipe of a cloth with some cif and they be grand
Could maybe sell them as flop-flips instead?
All Day I Dream About Sand!
I was wondering why there was a sharp increase in the amount of ads for the knock off nikes on adverts lately!!
@Graham Purtell:
The ‘sole provider’ bit was a giveaway – and ‘plaice your orders now’ obviously not a typo!
@Michael Kavanagh: Don’t be codding us now with your silly fish puns.We should scale back on those
a birra hinching and they be grand
Join us and share data on plastic pollution anywhere @ OpenLitterMap.com – it’s like Pokémon Go for Tidy towns
A pair of Air Max could be the difference between life and death at sea
Send them to Kenya, they make amazing sculptures and toys out of old flip flops!
Just checking them out, to see if I can find my gold beach babies, i really miss them, after they were washed out in the sea tide.
have your say