A NUDE beach-goer got into a stubborn standoff with a lifeguard at one of Ireland's top-rated holiday spots earlier in the year.
A woman in her 20s refused to put clothes on while paddle-boarding and sunbathing at Keem Beach on Achill Island off the coast of Co. Mayo back in July, eventually forcing a lifeguard to call the guards.
Records released under the Freedom Of Information (FOI) act note that the woman was naked for hours, and sparked a number of complaints from fellow sun-seekers who were at the beach with their young children.
A lifeguard on patrol said he first spotted the nudist while she was paddle-boarding in the shallows with two men and a dog.
"I blew my whistle [to get] their attention and asked the group to come into shore," the lifeguard said.
"[But] the man who wasn't on the board then pushed them out to sea and came in to speak to me. I made him aware that it wasn't a nudist beach and explained that we'd got a complaint from a lady who was concerned about her kids."
Keem Bay on Mayo's Achill IslandThe man agreed to pass on the message to the naked woman, but after she failed to come back to shore, more complaints were made, prompting one of the lifeguards to approach the nudist directly.
"I explained that it was illegal and that we’d now had several complaints. She reluctantly agreed and went back up to her towel and bags, where she made no effort to cover up or clothe herself.
"She remained on the beach, where she sunbathed for approximately an hour, still naked, and got back into the water on the stand-up paddle-board alone."
The lifeguards ended up having to call gardaí, who arrived at the beach an hour-and-a-half later and finally managed to ensure the woman covered herself.
