A Co Offaly woman had a lucky escape after she was struck by lightning while standing at her kitchen sink.
Lightning struck the village of Crinkle near Birr yesterday afternoon hitting an outside tap at the home of Caroline Blake, who was standing in her kitchen at the time.
Speaking to RTÉ's News At One, Ms Blake said she was making a cup of coffee as the electricity was going on and off during an intense storm.
"As I was putting the spoon down into the sink, like sparks came out of it, there was a massive explosion in the kitchen and the smell of burning," she said.
"The bang was so loud. It set me back a bit on my feet and I became a bit disorientated and didn't know what was happening.
"I could hear the buzzing of electricity and next thing it hit my hand as I was putting the spoon back down into the sink. It stopped after a few seconds, but it just seemed to go on forever.
"It's so hard to explain how quickly it happened and how quickly it ended."
Ms Blake added: "You know you put your hand on an electric fence - you could feel the pump into my chest.
"It moved me back a bit off my feet, but I was grand.
"I had my runners on, so I'd say that's what saved me, and the doctor even told me that's what would save you. I'm so happy."
Shortly after the event, Ms Blake's daughter arrived and noticed her mother's face and hands were red and they went to the local GP before being sent to Tullamore Hospital.
She was told at the hospital that a lightning strike can bring on a heart attack.
"They kept me in for a few hours and everything was OK and they gave me a few tablets," Ms Blake said.
"I just had a bad headache."
Ms Blake said she feels like she has a hangover today and a sore running eye.
She added that she also has two burns, a small one on her wrist and one on her stomach, but other than that she feels fine.
After surviving the lightening strike Ms Blake said: "Everyone keeps telling me to do the lottery."
Kitchen lighting strike 'very unusual' - expert
An expert has said what happened to Ms Blake as she went to put a metal teaspoon into her metal kitchen sink is rare.
"It is very unusual actually," said Christopher Scott, Professor of Space at Atmospheric Physics at the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading.
He said: "With modern construction now, all of the electrical wiring is earthed to ground, all the plumbing is earthed to ground so that's designed to make sure that any electrical energy from the lightning strike goes straight down those very conducting pathways into the ground and doesn't endanger the inhabitants.
"So being inside is usually the safest place to be."
Whilst Ms Blake suffered a headache and burn marks near her wrists, Prof Scott said the impact of a higher blast of electricity could have had more severe consequences.
"When electricity actually runs through a human body, it can cause burns on the skin if it runs over the surface of the skin and it can form very characteristic patterns of burns as well.
"But the main thing you have to worry about is that the electricity actually can travel through your body cavity and stop your heart.
"Our bodies operate through small electrical pulses and so yeah, a lightning strike like that can cause someone to have a heart attack."
The ESB advises its customers to unplug any unnecessary electrical devices during a thunderstorm as lightning can cause power surges unless a surge protector is in use.
Prof Scott said he would be surprised if the lightning in Co Offaly had struck Ms Blake's outdoor tap directly but said it could have reflected or scattered onto the tap as a result of a surge.
He said the shock she received from touching a metal spoon against the sink was likely only a small fraction of the impact had the strike hit her directly.
Additional reporting Eleanor Burnhill
