Six dead swans were found at about 9am at Loughaderra, a lake outside Castlemartyr, Co Cork, and another two swans were seen “struggling”. After 2pm, another five dead swans were seen there and the carcasses of the earlier reported six dead swans were still there. Bird flu has been a serious concern in the east Cork area since an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus closed Fota Wildlife Park, also in east Cork, in October. In January, Ireland was declared free of HPAI avian flu. It is now feared that there has been another outbreak in wild birds in east Cork.

Source: Irish Examiner March 12, 2026 20:18 UTC