AS MANY AS nine cattle have been killed following a lightning strike in Co Clare.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon at Dunlicky on the coast road near Kilkee in the west of the county.

Met Éireann had issued a weather alert for most of the country warning of thunderstorms and torrential downpours in areas with a risk of hail and localised flooding.

A passer-by, driving along the scenic Dunlicky Road cliff drive, reported seeing a number of animals lying in a field with their “legs in the air”.

“We were driving up from the Bridges of Ross towards Kilkee along the Dunlicky coast road. There was a lot of thunderstorm activity in the area at the time and the sky blackened all of a sudden. The rain was pouring down really heavy for about 20 minutes,” one passerby said.

A number of poeple who had been fishing at a popular local fishing spot also ran for their cars the thunderstorm moved in over the area. Locals reported several claps of thunder and a lot of lightning.

“Just after we passed Dunlicky Castle we saw the cows in the field. There were a few cars and men in there as well. I think it was nine milking cows we counted. They are all lying dead in the field some with their legs in the air,” she said. 

It’s understood the animals died in one of the many lightning strikes that had been reported in the area during the early afternoon.

In August last year, eight in-calf heifers were electrocuted after being struck by lightning during a ferocious storm in Moneygall on the Tipperary-Offaly border.

Last month, a family in Co Limerick had a lucky escaped after their home was struck by lightning and caught fire. Gardaí on duty at a Covid-19 checkpoint nearby ran to assist the family.

Fire crews spent several hours dealing with the blaze at the property at Kilbehenny. A large section of the roof was extensively damaged in the incident.