Irish beach ‘reappears overnight’ in freak tide – 33 years after being washed away

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Instant beach

Nature reverses its own vanishing trick on the western Irish coast. The ‘freak tide’ seems to have lasted ten days.

An entire Irish beach that was washed away 33 years ago has reappeared – virtually overnight thanks to a freak tide, as ITV News reports.

The beach near the village of Dooagh, on Achill Island, vanished in storms in 1984 when waves washed away all the sand. Almost all the village’s hotels, guesthouses and cafes shut down because all that was left was rocky terrain.

Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sand were dumped on the beach over ten days in April during a freak tide, re-creating a 300m-long beach.

Local people are now hoping for the beach to be given blue-flag status during next year’s inspection.

Sean Molloy, manager at Achill Tourism, said: “Before it disappeared, the beach had been there for as long as living memory, almost continuously, until 1984-85.

“It’s so nice for the villagers to have their beach back. It is an incredible example of the force and power of nature and how the coast can change in a matter of days.”

Alan Gielty, 48, the third generation to run the local Gielty’s Bar and Restaurant said the beach has brought with it an influx of tourists.

Source: Irish beach ‘reappears overnight’ in freak tide – 33 years after being washed away – ITV News