Most parts of the country continued to bask in fine weather yesterday as temperatures reached a peak in Kilkenny, matching Monday's 29.2°. However, it was not the hottest day of the summer in some parts of the country.
Malin Head was distinctly chilly with a dip to 16°and Finner Camp, near Bundoran in Donegal, only reached 17.8°. Dublin was a hot 24.6° and elsewhere beaches were packed as people headed to the coast.
For those who longed for a sea breeze yesterday, spare a thought for the golfers at St Andrews in Scotland. They were experiencing the hottest day of the year at 30°when a haar, a local sea fog, swept in and caused temperatures to plummet to 5° in late afternoon.
Meanwhile, lifeguards at Banna Strand in Kerry were yesterday warning bathers to beware of a venomous jellyfish. The Lion's Mane, the largest of all the jellyfish, which can have tentacles of up to 30.48m (100 feet) long is thought to have followed the North Atlantic drift, which had arrived earlier than usual, according to John Leech of Irish Water Safety.
"Strong suncreams and vaseline can help reduce the risk of a stinging to the body and the stings are normally treated with calamine cream or lotion or paste made up of bicarbonate of soda and cold water," said Mr Leech. Most beaches were thought to be clear of the reddish brown Lion's Mane, whose powerful sting, contained in its tentacles, can be quite unpleasant, Mr Leech said.
In enough quantities it can cause paralysis and is potentially fatal. Even when separated from the jellyfish, the stinging cells live on in the tentacles. Lifeguards have been issued with jellyfish repellent suncream, and this is widely available in several factors, Mr Leech said.
Large numbers of the more common purple jellyfish were also reported on Kerry beaches and were spotted in Dublin and Donegal.
The fine weather of the last few days is expected to cool off as the weekend approaches and there may be some rain, but temperatures will remain in the 20s in sunshine.