![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0_hemlock2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe plant is among the most hazardous in the UK and Ireland, with skin contact frequently causing irritation – and consumption occasionally proving fatal within hours<\/p>\n
Hemlock Water Dropwort discovered on a beach in Youghal(Image: Cork County Council)<\/p>\n
A highly toxic plant that can prove deadly for both animals and people has been spotted on a beach in Co Cork.<\/p>\n
The Hemlock water-dropwort – also referred to as ‘dead man’s fingers’ – was discovered washed ashore on the Mall beach in Youghal, prompting Cork<\/a> County Council to issue an urgent alert to those walking in the vicinity.<\/p>\n It’s amongst the most hazardous plants in the UK and Ireland<\/a>, with skin contact frequently causing irritation – and consumption occasionally proving fatal within hours.<\/p>\n Ingestion among adults is rare, with just 13 cases of acute poisoning to humans recorded in Britain between 1900 and the 1970s – but tragically nine of those instances were fatal – and the heightened possibility of a dog or a toddler encountering the plant makes its presence on a busy beach during a sunny weekend extremely hazardous.<\/p>\n Belonging to the carrot family, the distinctive roots of Hemlock water-dropwort bear resemblance to parsnips, reports Cork Beo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cork County Council today stated: “Cork County Council is advising the public to avoid touching the Hemlock water-dropwort plant after it was found washed up on The Mall beach, Youghal.<\/p>\n “This plant is naturally occurring in Ireland but is known to be highly toxic, and its roots can resemble a parsnip. Direct contact may cause skin irritation, so we ask visitors to take care when walking along the shoreline.<\/p>\n “Please remain vigilant on beaches in the East Cork area, and ensure that children and pets are kept away from any unfamiliar plants that may have washed ashore.<\/p>\n “Anyone who believes they may have come into contact with the plant is encouraged to seek advice from a healthcare professional. Cork County Council will continue to monitor the situation and take appropriate steps as needed.”<\/p>\n Symptoms of ingestion include nausea, vomiting, seizures, hallucinations, involuntary muscle movements, and haemorrhaging of the brain and lungs.<\/p>\n In other news from East Cork, a minimum of 15 deceased swans have been collected from a lakeside beauty spot following an outbreak of bird flu.<\/p>\n Want to see more of the stories you love from the Irish Mirror? Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. To add Irish Mirror as a preferred source, simply click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The plant is among the most hazardous in the UK and Ireland, with skin contact frequently causing irritation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":346891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[46,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-346890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-cork","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/346891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}