Portuguese man o’ war wash up on south coast
Portuguese man o’ war were found on the Wine Strand beach in Dingle in Co Kerry at the weekend.
They have arrived with strong south-westerly winds, according to Kevin Flannery, who is attached to Dingle Ocean World.
He said that, even when dead, the sting remains in the creatures’ long tentacles, which are coiled up.
Mr Flannery said he and an assistant received a burn when handling the creatures.
“I am warning people not to pick them up on the beach. They may look colourful but they should not be handled.”
Water users should also be cautious, he said.
While the rest of the country had enjoyed fine weather in recent weeks, the South-west had been buffeted by winds, which had blown the creatures into waters in the Cork-Kerry area, he said, and more were expected.
The man o’ war, also known as a bluebottle, is not actually strictly speaking a jellyfish, but rather a colony of four organisms called polyps.
The tentacles can extend 165ft (50m) in length below the surface, although 30ft (10m) is more the average.
A man o’ war sting is excruciatingly painful to humans but rarely kills.
