Army experts called in for suspect bombs on beach

Donal Hickey

One of the devices was not sufficiently eroded and required a controlled explosion. The other four were in poor condition, declared harmless and removed.

The four-man disposal team from Collins Barracks, Cork, was called in after two devices were spotted by people on the blue flag beach at around 6pm on Sunday.

Three further devices were found yesterday.

People who first saw the devices said they looked like unexploded bombs.

The area of the beach where they lay along the shoreline was sealed off by gardaí until the army operation was completed.

An army spokesman said the shells were probably fired from Royal Navy vessels during World War I.

“They would have been fired into the air from cannon on the ships to illuminate the coastline,” he added.

The cylindrical devices measured three inches by nine inches.

A similar device washed up along the same stretch of Kerry coastline two months ago and also required a controlled explosion.

Meanwhile, the army asked members of the public to report any further sightings of such devices to gardaí.

The spokesman said that even though devices could be hidden in the sea for long periods, the material could still be live.

Large volumes of armaments were sunk off the coast during the two world wars and old, eroded devices are washed in occasionally.