At Lisfannon beach on the eastern shore of Lough Swilly in Co Donegal, in the first week of July, we saw many hundreds of jellyfish stranded on the high-tide line. They were clear in colour with purple, petal-shaped lines. Why were there so many and are they safe to touch?
Claire and Emer Farrelly, Derry
These were the common jellyfish, called moon jelly or Aurelia aurita. This is early for the stranding of jellyfish which usually occurs in autumn. They live for a year; after breeding they are weakened and at the mercy of the waves, and so are washed in on the shores. They are quite safe to touch.
Towards the end of June, on the Tarbert-Killimor ferry, I noticed a pair of swallows flying around the boat for the entire crossing. It transpired that the boat had been put back into service just that day, and while it was in dry dock the swallows had built a nest on it. I wondered for how long the swallows would survive this 20minute flight back and forth across the Shannon estuary every half-hour in pursuit of their nest.
Catherine Holland, Ennis, Co Clare