Naked man spotted walking through Cork's busiest traffic junction; Motorist said 'I almost crashed the car'

A MAN walked naked through one of the busiest traffic junctions in Cork with Gardaí describing it as a miracle that nobody was killed.

The man arrived in Glounthaune fully nude sparking alarm from passing motorists.

"He started at the Dunkettle Interchange," a garda spokesman said. 

"As he progressed further, more items of clothing were removed until he was completely nude. Onlookers said he had been crossing back and forth while speaking rapidly to himself."

Gardaí are working to confirm if he matches descriptions of anyone in residential care.

It was also suspected that the man may have been under the influence of hallucinogenics.

"No matter what the reasons behind the incident, this man will be treated with the same sensitivity as anyone else," the garda spokesperson. 

"Gardaí will ensure this man gets the help he needs. We would like to thank motorists for their concern for this man and for alerting us to what was happening. 

"We are glad that this was brought to a good conclusion and that the man and motorists didn't have their safety compromised. When the reports came in, it was initially feared that road users might be harmed if he jumped into traffic or caused an accident. 

"This was a potentially very dangerous situation and it was a miracle that nobody was harmed or killed."

The man was said to have made it to Glounthaune in a very short space of time.

"I'm not sure of the exact route he took."

A motorist who witnessed the event described the scene in Glounthaune near the Island Gate Restaurant and Bar where the man was seen walking nude at around 3pm.

"He was on his own and stark naked," she said. 

"I almost crashed the car as I couldn't believe what was happening. It was the maddest thing I've ever seen. Two people had pulled over and got out of the car. 

"They were discussing what to do and looked like they were calling Gardaí."