Storm Ophelia Helps Harvest Cider Crop
Cider orchards in County Tipperary, Ireland, received a helping hand from Mother Nature in the form of Hurricane Ophelia.
The powerful storm, which struck Ireland last week, brought fierce winds that dislodged thousands of apples from the trees. When the storm subsided, staff at the Bulmers orchard in Clonmel were met with an astonishing sight: a vast carpet of apples stretching across the entire orchard.
Photos capturing this unusual scene quickly went viral on social media, generating widespread interest and comments.
“I wasn’t expecting the photos to take off like this,” said Jonathan Ryan, who captured the viral images. “Newspapers from Ireland and the UK have contacted me, along with a company from Germany.”
Ryan stumbled upon the scene while driving by the orchard. “I spotted the apples through the bushes and managed to find a safe spot to pull over and take some pictures,” he explained. “Right away, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime sight.”
The storm also brought heavy rain, which caused nearby rivers to overflow and flood the orchard. “The floodwater swept up all the apples and deposited them in a neat layer as the water receded,” Ryan added.
Irish cider enthusiasts can rest easy, however, as cider producers assure them it’s “business as usual.”
“Our harvest was scheduled to begin within the next few weeks anyway,” said Belinda Kelly of Bulmers. “The storm has simply expedited the process. Instead of manually picking the apples from the trees, we can now simply gather them from the ground.”
“To assist impacted growers and orchards, including our own, in managing production pressure and maximizing the use of Irish apples, the company has secured additional storage space and extra pressing capacity, if necessary,” Kelly concluded.
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