Ten cattle have been killed following a lightning strike in Butlersbridge in Co Cavan.

Cavan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith, who lives in the area, said that what had taken place on Friday evening was a “terrible shock” to the farmer.

“The loss of ten animals is a huge loss to any farmer. Any farmer who has reared cattle and bred cattle when they lose them through disease or through a freak incident like yesterday evening well there has to be an emotional toll on the individual.

“It had to be an awful shock for the farmer. To come across ten cattle dead on your land. You wouldn’t expect that to happen. But it just shows that a sudden change in weather and a storm can bring desolation. It can bring so much damage and in this incident loss of valuable livestock.”

Mr Smith said that he grew up on a farm and knows the “huge emotional” toll it takes when cattle are lost to disease or a freak event.

“This is an exceptionally rare thing. You don’t switch on and off cattle production and cattle breeding.

“So many years of work have gone in to breeding cattle, rearing them, bringing them to market value or its dairy cows bringing them to milking ... Farmers work very hard and are committed to the best animal husbandry. So for an individual to walk in to their field and see such loss. It is an awful incident to witness.”

It is understood that the suckler-bred heifers had taken shelter from the rain under a tree when lightning struck the earth, instantly killing them.

Previous Incidents

Meanwhile, cattle death by lightning strike is relatively rare. In August of 2024, seven cattle were killed when lightning struck a high-voltage line in a field near Gort in Co Galway. A number of sheep and horses also died.

Nine cows were also killed by lightning in Co Clare on June 14th, 2020. The animals were found on their backs and sides after a thunderstorm in Dunlicky on the coast road near Kilkee. Eight cattle also died following a lightning strike in Moneygall in Co Offaly in August 2019.

Source: The Irish Times.