+34
Heavy downpours on Thursday evening led to the closure of all main roads into the Co Kerry town
Heavy downpours on Thursday evening led to the closure of all main roads into the Co Kerry town The heavy downpours led to the closure of all main roads in and around Killarney.
A number of vehicles that became stuck had to be removed by the fire service. Heavy rain began around 5pm but the worst of the downpour occurred between 7pm and 8pm with about 30mm recorded at Muckross House weather station outside the town. It recorded a total of 57mm in under four hours, akin to a red level alert.
⚠️ FLOODING IN KILLARNEY: Park Road and Countess Road in Killarney are impassable and should be avoided owing to significant flash flooding ⚠️The N71 Muckross Road, the main tourist road to Killarney National Park, was flooded, as was the N22 Cork-to-Killarney Road at Pike Hill. Irish man arrested over alleged anti-Semitic death threat to couple in French supermarketScramble to find new wedding venues as luxury hotel closes after norovirus outbreak Homes in New Street as well as domestic garages and houses in the village of Fossa outside Killarney were affected with water chutes and downpipes overwhelmed.
The fire service and gardaí worked to clear the roads of traffic while the Civil Defence was called in to deliver sandbags. Water was pumped from a number of areas including the railway bridge on the Park Road and Woodlawn Cross.
“Killarney got lashed with rain,” he said, noting that other parts of the county remained dry. “The whole town was submerged under water to a great extent,” O’Donoghue of the Kerry Independent Alliance said. Speaking on RTÉ’s David McCullagh show, he said some people had to abandon their cars after they drove into water not realising how deep it was.
He also said he received calls last night from “quite upset elderly people saying that ‘there’s water flowing in my door, I’ve never seen it before and I’ve lived here all my life, what can I do’, so very, very scary times. ” The county was not under a weather warning and the area is not typically prone to flooding.
O’Donoghue said the ground was “so hard” given the recent dry spell that there was no soakage and so it flowed out into the streets and roads. Paul Neary, director of services with Kerry County Council, said: “We had no indication. There was nothing to indicate this was coming. Effectively the skies opened.
” The town’s drainage system was overwhelmed in places. Leaves and twigs that had built up over the dry summer were washed down and caused blockages.
However, council crews managed to clear the system and as soon as the rainfall stopped, the drainage system worked, he said. A full assessment was being carried out this morning, Neary said and lessons would be taken on board. High Street business owner Johnny McGuire said he experienced an “apocalyptic storm” and he was assessing roof damage. McGuire of Bricín restaurant and craft shop paid tribute to the “fantastic emergency services” for their response.
He said the dry summer had left the ground extremely hard. Killarney was situated in a hollow and neither “God nor man could have stopped it ”. In a statement this morning, Kerry County Council said the town’s swimming pool and sports centre near the Park Road, one of the worst affected areas, would remain closed until further notice as an assessment was required.
Killarney experiences ‘worst flooding in a lifetime’ as ‘significant’ water levels seen in CabraChurch servicesKillarney experiences ‘worst flooding in a lifetime’ as ‘significant’ water levels seen in CabraAndy Burnham in Belfast: Mixing up Donegal and Drogheda, but crystal clear on Border pollKillarney experiences ‘worst flooding in a lifetime’ as ‘significant’ water levels seen in Cabra
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Heavy Rain and Thunderstorms Expected in Southeast Ireland; Teen Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run; Civil Servant Charged Under Official Secrets Act; HSE Funds Friedreich's Ataxia DrugSevere weather warnings issued for southeast Ireland, teenager killed in hit-and-run collision in Meath, civil servant charged with leaking sensitive information, and HSE approves funding for Friedreich's ataxia drug.
Read more »
Heavy rain warning for six counties on ThursdayDublin also faces chance of thunderstorms, intense downpours and surface flooding
Read more »
Coroner recommends pre-arranged air ambulance landing sites for rally events following young driver's deathThe coroner who conducted the inquest into the death of young rally driver Eoin McCarthy has recommended that landing sites for air ambulances be agreed in advance for such events. This is one of 16 recommendations made following the conclusion of the inquest, which found that McCarthy died after his car flipped into a flooded stream during the Killarney Forestry Rally in Co Kerry in February 2022.
Read more »
Festivalgoers warned of heavy rain and potential flooding at Electric PicnicMet Éireann forecasts a wet and unsettled weekend for Electric Picnic, with heavy rain expected on Saturday and Sunday. A status yellow warning is in place, indicating poor driving conditions and possible localized flooding. Campaigners are advised to prepare with waterproof gear and sturdy tents.
Read more »