After a 33-year absence, one small village in Ireland has its beautiful golden beach back.
Located off the coast of Ireland on Achill Island, Dooagh was hit with a wicked winter storm in 1984 that stripped its popular beach of more than 1,000 feet of sand. All that was left was a rocky outcrop and small rock pools, a stunning blow to the hotels and guesthouses in the area.
This past April, the ocean gave back what it had once taken away. A strong tide coupled with winds from the north deposited tons of sand in Dooagh Bay in the space of 10 days.
“Apparently what that does is, it blows the surface water back, because this is a south-facing beach,” Sean Molloy of Achill Tourism told CNN. “The sea then takes the sands underneath and brings the sands up. That’s what I’ve been told.”
As you might expect, locals were absolutely thrilled that the golden sands had finally returned.
“We have a beautiful little village as it is, but it is great to look out and see this beautiful beach instead of just rocks,” restaurant owner Alan Gielty shared with the Guardian. “Since people have seen the news of the beach, we have had plenty more visitors from the middle of the country.”
You can see drone video of Dooagh’s restored beach below. With the spring storms now concluded, the natural attraction is expected to stick around at least through summer 2017.
SOURCE: Mother Nature Network