I love a funny news story, and even more so when it happens in Ireland!
What happened?
Well, in short, two Irish guys dug a giant hole on the beach, probably just for fun. The next day an astronomer saw it thought it was a meteorite strike, and it made the national news!
On Wednesday, a “puzzling crater” at Portmarnock beach captured the attention of North Dublin residents, with a local astronomy enthusiast expressing hopes of a celestial connection. David Kennedy asserted his conviction that the small, dense rock discovered within the crater was a meteorite of extraterrestrial origin. “As you can see… there’s a scorch mark on this side here, indicating the angle at which it descended,” Mr Kennedy shared with Virgin Media News on Wednesday. “It is substantial. While I’m uncertain of its composition, we certainly need to investigate.”
Mr. Kennedy remained optimistic about the possibility of a meteorite impact, although no official confirmation was available. He spent the day reaching out to astronomy experts in an attempt to unravel the mystery.
However, a widely circulated social media video exposed the truth behind the “enigmatic pit” at Portmarnock beach. It was, in fact, hand-dug by Charlie Wallace and Peter McEvoy using green plastic shovels.
Virgin Media later confirmed that the mystery of the pit had “apparently been resolved, dashing the hopes of a local space enthusiast who had aspired to a meteor strike.”
Although Mr. Kennedy expressed disappointment at the absence of a meteor impact, he indicated that he would still have the rock analyzed “in the hope that the discovery was not entirely in vain.”
An expert noted that if the pit had genuinely resulted from a meteor, there would have been widespread media reports about the space rock’s descent to Earth. Frances McCarthy from the Blackrock Castle Observatory pointed out that if such a significant meteor had occurred, it would have produced a noticeable fireball, and reports of its atmospheric entry would have been widespread in the media.
Now let’s get to the video:
Here is the first original national news coverage on Virgin Media:
#WATCH A mysterious hole on a beach has caused a stir in North Dublin.
A local astronomy enthusiast is hoping the crater in Portmarnock, could be the aftermath of a cosmic event. @Hanelizaa reports ⤵️#VMNews pic.twitter.com/cGJiyd3eZj
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) September 13, 2023
🚨 Meteorite mystery solved! 🚨
The mystery of the hole on a north Dublin beach has apparently been solved – denting the hopes of a local space enthusiast, who had hoped it was the site of a meteor strike.#VMNews pic.twitter.com/zhqKbhzvNY
— Virgin Media News (@VirginMediaNews) September 14, 2023