Stick insects in Kerry...

...went out to feed my cat a few weeks ago, brushed off a little twig that seemed to cling to my shoulder. Not sure who was more shocked, me seeing that I was sporting a large stick insect, or Sticky finding out that he had suddenly fallen off a shrub and on to a human. I put him back near the plant, 2 days later he was back up it, basking in the winter sun.

Might be of interest to some here. South Kerry and Beara have stick insect colonies, it's thought that eggs were brought in in trees imported from New Zealand for ornamental gardens early in the 1900s, and their colonies were first recorded in the wild 60 years ago.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/oh-to-be-a-stick-insect-1.342399

I've seen them on 4 separate occasions over the past few years. One time, my wife thought she saw a giant one climbing up a wall facing the house, but it was standard one climbing up the glass pane of the window...the whole near/looks bigger issue...

So if you're in the SW keep your eyes peeled.

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Tell Biodiversity Ireland, they'd definitely be interested.