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'Painful': Storm Lorenzo brought huge number of dangerous man o'war jellyfish to the Irish coast

The creatures washed up in huge numbers in recent days.

THOUSANDS OF DANGEROUS Portuguese man o’war jellyfish have washed up along the west and south-west coast of Ireland. 

The man o’war is considered much more dangerous than regular moon jellyfish commonly found in Irish waters, and is usually found in warmer waters.

While there have been previous sightings of the creatures in Ireland, they have never previously arrived in such high volumes, with Dingle Oceanworld director Kevin Flannery putting the latest arrival in the thousands. 

He credits last week’s Storm Lorenzo as the reason for the latest invasion. 

“The infamous Lorenzo came direct from the Azores and these jellyfish are like floating balloons on top of the water,” he said.  

“Usually jellyfish would be under the water but these guys are on top. So when you put them in the middle of a hurricane, which Lorenzo was when he hit the Azores, they are displaced and blown up to our waters.”

While traditional jellyfish stings are usually treated with general first aid but a sting from the Man O’War can lead to more sinister symptoms. 

“If you’ve ever fallen into a handful of nettles or you’ve been splashed with boiling water then you know the sting. 

“They are seriously a lot more painful. The top of the balloon is OK to touch but the the tentacle is what they use to kill their prey. The minute they touch anything the will release their venom and it anesthetises their prey.”

“People who have breathing difficulties or young children are particularly at risk,” he added.

While the path of Lorenzo lead to them landing on Irish shores, the likelihood of them breeding in Irish waters is slim.

“They prefer warmer climates and it is basically only because they were inflated that they got thrown towards us.”

The jellyfish have been spotted along the west coast from beaches in Kerry right up to Mayo. 

In a statement online, Galway City Council warned local residents to be careful while walking along the coast. 

“A man-of-war sting is extremely painful and even dead ones washed up on shore can deliver a sting. The public are advised to exercise caution in the vicinity,” it said. 

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    Mute james Goodyear
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    Oct 10th 2015, 9:32 AM

    Women don’t make good comediennes.

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    Mute Lester Jeffcoat
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    Oct 10th 2015, 9:50 AM

    Says the over-thinking potato.

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    Mute Mjhint
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:01 AM

    No actually Christopher Hitchens said it & done an article in Vanity Fair about the fact that evolution may have made men funny as they have to be for the purpose of mating whereas women don’t require the same tactic. After several rebuttals by women including several successful female comedians it appears they only managed to confirm his hypothesis.

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    Mute Aoife Barry
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:13 AM

    James, you’re a gas man. Laughing my head off here at your witty joke!

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    Mute Beachmaster
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:26 AM

    Oh now!

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    Mute little jim
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:48 AM

    Boobies are not light entertainment, they have no need for cheap funbag jokes.

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    Mute Gavin Corrigan
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    Oct 10th 2015, 9:34 PM

    Similar to drivers, good women comedians are a minority

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    Mute catkins407
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    Oct 10th 2015, 9:36 AM

    Definitely” over thinking girl”. It’s a lot better than me. I struggle very much to read people and social situations so I end up being ” what inappropriate fecking thing did I say now ” woman. Lol

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    Mute Aoife Barry
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:24 AM

    Glad I’m not alone in that C! I think we all have situations where we overthink – and it can be such a pain. Often it doesn’t do anything positive for us either.

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    Mute little jim
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    Oct 10th 2015, 10:45 AM

    Is overtalking a thing?

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    Mute Ronan Stokes
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    Oct 10th 2015, 11:14 AM

    Jo Brand is a brilliant comedian, doesn’t take any crap and knows how to deliver a good story. Similar dead pan style Jack Dee. Im not a fan of Sue Perkins style as I think its very one dimensional, for me it’s more of a “look how clever and witty I am”, as opposed to delivering something funny about life. Her style seems very approval seeking.

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    Mute Ruairi O'Hagan
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    Oct 10th 2015, 11:34 AM

    Great stuff Aoife! Looking forward to the next part!

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    Mute Aoife Barry
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    Oct 10th 2015, 11:41 AM

    Thanks so much R! :D

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    Mute dj
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    Oct 10th 2015, 9:43 AM

    Go on,tell us a joke.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    Oct 11th 2015, 5:10 PM

    Enda and Joan are leaders of their parties in a government together, how’s that dj lol.

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    Mute Chauncey Gardiner
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    Oct 10th 2015, 12:23 PM

    Fair play to you Aoife! It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

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    Mute Richard Cheney
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    Oct 10th 2015, 1:06 PM

    Jim Jefferies,Doug Stanhope,George Carlin,Bill Hicks – all highly recommended

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    Mute Uncle Monty
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    Oct 10th 2015, 5:12 PM

    Oh yes, I’ll add Louis CK.if you don’t mind. Doug Stanhope talking about the death of his mother is worth a watch…

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