A distinctive hard hat discovered washed up on the Co Clare coast is to be reunited with its owner - five years after he lost it in the Mississippi River.
Beachcomber Liam McNamara found the hat, customized in the purple and gold colours of the Louisiana State University football team, on rocks at Fanore earlier this month.
He posted a photograph of his find on his popular 'Burren Shores - Beachcombing & More' Facebook page, commenting that the owner must have been a fan of the LSU Tigers.
Two days later, Liam received a message on Facebook from Nicole Bonnette, who lives in Louisiana.
Ms Bonnette explained that her husband Matthew had lost the hat in the Mississippi while he was at work.
"He lost the hard hat right before our son was born in 2015, and he will be five years old on April 18th! That means that the hard hat has been on its journey as long as our son has been alive!"
So how was the connection made?
Liam says a fan of his Facebook page had noticed a "IUOE Local 25" sticker on the hat.
They then contacted IUOE Local 25, which is a marine division of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
After an appeal on their Facebook page, the hat was traced back to Matthew.
Liam is now returning the hat to Louisiana.
"I'm hoping to have the hat en-route back to Matthew early next week, so he can get back to wearing it with pride. Especially since the LSU Tigers won the US National Championship this year. It's been an amazing journey for a hard hat and it is stories like this that keep me addicted to beachcombing," he said.
