A woman who dropped her engagement ring on one of Ireland’s largest beaches found it just two days later in a million-to-one occurrence.

Antoinette Fitzgerald reckoned she had no hope of finding the ring after not noticing it missing until after a beach walk in Salthill, County Galway.

“It was only when we got home I realised the ring was lost. I was sickened. We went back to the beach but couldn't find it; we went back the following day but still had no luck.

"It was then somebody suggested we should put a few messages up online and I was amazed by the response we got from people all over the place trying to help," she told the Irish Independent.

One man, John Lally from Knocknacarra in Galway, gave her his metal detector.

"I couldn't believe how helpful people were. I had never met John Lally, but he went and collected the metal detector from a friend and even went and got new batteries. He and everyone else was so helpful," said Antoinette.

"We were searching for about an hour-and-a-quarter and, aside from finding bottle tops and all sorts of things, we had no luck, but then we found a key which I knew was mine and we realised we were close.

"Next we found an earring that had also been in the pocket and before long the thing was beeping again and there was my ring.

"I just couldn't believe it. I think it's a miracle," she said.