Mystery of ‘unidentified flying objects’ solved

On Tuesday night, a mystery emerged surrounding three aircrafts that appeared to be flying in formation seen from Araglin, Fermoy, Rathcormac, Glanmire and as far as Cork City,

The strange occurrence gained a lot of online attention, especially considering the sharp reduction in flights entering and leaving the country at this time.

At the time, Glanmire Noticeboard shared a post online querying ‘What’s with the helicopters over Glanmire at 11pm again?’ Another wrote: “Three helicopters flying in formation out of Cork airport. Not sure I’ve ever seen that.”

It is understood that the aircrafts were visible as far as Tipperary and Waterford. Deepening the mystery was the fact that popular aircraft tracking websites and apps did not display information on the aircrafts as would normally be done.

On Wednesday, it was confirmed however, that the unusual appearance which had created such a stir was part of a routine military exercise.

A statement issued by the Defence Forces stated that Óglaigh na hÉireann were conducting a ‘routine military exercise’ across Cork county.

“This exercise involves the use of a number of Defence Forces assets including several aircraft. Operational details are not being released,” a spokesperson said.