Tributes have been paid to a woman who died after being swarmed by bees in Co Mayo. She has been named as Kathleen Devine, who was 73, and from the Knockmore area.
It is understood she was attacked by bees while working with her husband at hives, outside the village of Ballycastle, on Monday evening.
The Mayo Beekeepers' Association offered its sincere sympathies to Ms Devine's family, saying she was an accomplished and cherished member of its community.
Eyewitnesses report seeing a huge number of bees surround her, with efforts to assist Mrs Devine compromised by the sheer volume of insects in the area at the time.
She is thought to have sustained multiple stings.
Emergency services were alerted, and the Rescue 118 Coast Guard helicopter was deployed to airlift the beekeeper to Sligo University Hospital, where she subsequently died.
The results of a post-mortem examination will form part of a file on the tragedy, which is being prepared for the local coroner.
Beekeepers say that fatalities arising from the practice are very rare, but in some cases, people can have severe allergic reactions to stings. Bees can be more protective in poorer weather conditions and more easily agitated when their crop is removed from a hive.
The local Beekeepers’ Association said honey bees are not usually aggressive and that it is "unprecedented" for a colony to become this defensive.
Ms Devine’s funeral will take place on Friday.
