The mysterious and violent bang heard in the Fermanagh village of Belleek on December 13th last was almost certainly a meteorite, according to the director of the Armagh Planetarium.
Dr Tom Mason and his planetarium team yesterday examined a three-foot crater in a field about 10 feet from the main Enniskillen-Ballyshannon road, half a mile from Belleek.
Dr Mason said he was basing his theory on extensive interviews with local "earwitnesses" and patterns of meteorite flights in that period. He said the description of the bang, a thud as opposed to a sharp explosion, the shape of the three-foot crater and the fact that another meteorite landed in Greenland two days previously, indicated the Belleek hole was highly unlikely to have been caused by a bomb, as previously reported.
"We are almost certain that all the evidence points to a meteorite, comet or shooting star. The distinct bowl shape of the crater and the very graphic descriptions I have got from local ear-witnesses leave me to conclude that this bang was almost definitely not caused by a bomb.
"One lady said she heard a loud hissing noise and that is consistent with meteors. Also meteorites tend to go in clusters. Another meteorite landed in Greenland two days before Belleek."
He added meteorites were not unknown in Northern Ireland. He said there were reports of a similar landing at Bovedy, Co Derry, and Sprucefield, Lisburn, Co Antrim, in 1969.
Security forces began an examination of the crater when it was discovered by a local farmer earlier this month. Then, security forces hinted the crater was linked with the massive bang on December 13th at 5 a.m.