Commuters travelling by train from Dublin to Galway got the fright of their lives when they saw a snake roaming loose from one carriage to another.
Passengers jumped up on to seats and tables as the snake slid along after escaping from the box in which a pet-shop owner was transporting it.
"There was complete panic. People were very frightened and they really freaked out. It was an awful shock for us to get, I got the fright of my life," said one passenger.
"Someone noticed the snake on the floor and then the shouting started. People just tried to get away from the snake, because Irish people know very little about snakes and I know I am very afraid of them."
Iarnród Éireann is investigating the incident which resulted in the train stopping for 20 minutes in Kildare station on Monday afternoon.
"The snake escaped from the box in which the pet-shop owner was carrying it," said a spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann. "It made its way into the next carriage where people noticed it.
"The owner secured the snake back in its box again and the train stopped in Kildare to ensure that everything was okay. It is not against our bylaws to bring pets on trains provided they are safely secured away, and don't cause annoyance or offence. We will be investigating it fully and the pet-shop owner is co-operating."