Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The quake struck the Fanad Peninsula. File photo. Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

'I thought it was next door's washing machine': Earthquake strikes Donegal

“I thought it was next door’s washing machine,” a local woman said.

AN EARTHQUAKE STRUCK just off the coast of Donegal shortly before 7am, the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) has reported.

The quake measured 1.5 on the Richter scale and it hit the Fanad peninsula, just north-east of the town of Milford.

“I thought it was next door’s washing machine,” local woman Mary Kelly, who lives in Milford, told TheJournal.ie.

It sounded like a large bang, like an explosion in the distance. I didn’t think much of it but my husband came up and asked me did I feel the earthquake!

Tom Blake, the director of INSN, told Highland Radio that it was a fairly mild tremor. However it was “still capable of being felt”.

Our seismic stations picked it up as did the seismic stations in Scotland. It’s just at the area of being felt by people, animals would probably have felt it as well. Our seismic sensors are very sensitive and they pick up very, very minute vibrations in the Earth’s crust.

The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, of which the INSN is a part, said that tremors were reportedly felt by people in the town.

Donegal_20170802_seismo-1024x322 The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies The Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies

The institute for advanced studies noted that events of this nature are not uncommon in Donegal.

The largest event recorded in the area was a magnitude 2.2 tremor which occurred near Clonmany on 21 November 1994.

READ: Mourne Mountain rescue: 70 people in difficulty in bad weather>

READ: Two men arrested for knife possession after being chased by Hutch associate>

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
34 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
    JournalTv
    News in 60 seconds