A refuse barrel from South Carolina has been found washed up in an unexpected spot — on a beach more than 5,500km away in Co Mayo.

Myrtle Beach City Government shared their surprise email exchange with Keith McGreal, who discovered the blue barrel at the weekend while walking his local beach in Mulranny, between Clew Bay and Blacksod Bay.

McGreal contacted officials in Myrtle Beach — perhaps best known in this part of the world for its abundance of golf courses — going by the labels that were still fastened to the trash can despite its epic journey.

It’s suspected that following strong winds or a storm blew it into the North Atlantic, a favourable Gulf Stream current was responsible for taking the coastal rubbish receptacle so far off course.

“We typically remove trash containers from the beach before a hurricane, but this one apparently had a mind of its own,” the city said on social media, adding: “We’ve already had a city employee volunteer to come fetch it.”