AN IRISH woman experienced every arachnophobic's worst nightmare at a house in Larne, County Antrim.
TV producer Máire Bhreathnach describes herself as "Donegal cailín through and through" on her Twitter account.
And she soon learned that things are a little different in Northern Ireland - or, at least, they are when it comes to the arachnid population.
Lurking within the frame of a door at the County Antrim property, Bhreathnach uncovered a huge spider, measuring some three inches in length.
"Jaaaaaaaysus.... Belfast spiders are big," the TV producer tweeted alongside an image of the huge arachnid.
Jaaaaaaaysus.... Belfast spiders are big😳😱 #LegsToDieForThough😏 #AnDamhánAllaAgusAnMhíoltóg🕷🕸 pic.twitter.com/Qp9AkA5cUA
— Máire Bhreathnach (@MBhreathnach) August 9, 2018
Though the spider was soon dispatched, the image is likely to spark fears among anyone living in Ireland that may have a pathological fear of the species.
According to Belfast Live, larger spiders are more commonly spotted at this time of year due to their mating habits.
Despite some concerns, however, Dr. Geoff Oxford from the Department of Biology at the University of York dismissed the idea of there being a noticeable influx.
"They are just more noticeable now. The idea of an invasion is total nonsense," he told The Irish Mirror.
"The spiders in the garden have mated this time of year and they will grow fat with eggs. It is not that there are more of them they are just a lot more obvious."
There previously had been some concern that Ireland was set for an invasion of the deadly false widow spider, though those worries have so far remained unfounded.
