The
2008 Irish flash floods
were a series of
flash floods
that occurred across the island of Ireland in August 2008. The floods and related weather conditions primarily affected the following counties;
Limerick
,
Cork
,
Dublin
,
Antrim
,
Carlow
,
Galway
,
Laois
,
Louth
,
Meath
,
Kildare
,
Kilkenny
,
Tipperary
,
Offaly
,
Sligo
and
Donegal
. Parts of Ireland's large urban centres, including
Dublin
and
Belfast
, were submerged, whilst
Carlow town
has experienced some of the worst flooding in the country. One person died; 31-year-old dad-of-one Przemyslaw Jablonski. He went missing in the
River Fergus
, in
Ennis
, and was found 6 days later (on
18 August
) in the same river. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
[1]
Conditions before the floods
[
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]
Rainfall in Cork for the month of July 2008 was the heaviest recorded since 1975. The combined total for June and July was more than twice the normal level of rainfall expected for that time period. Around the country the weather was wetter than normal for July with exceptional rainfall in County Limerick in the last 24 hours of July giving rise to this figure.
Met Eireann
described July as "a dull month generally". The highest average temperature recorded in July was 15.7 degrees (Shannon Airport); the same location also enjoyed the warmest day of the month at 25.2 degrees on 24 July. The lowest air temperature since the early 1970s was recorded at
Mullingar
during July ? a figure of 3.6 degrees was recorded on the 5th. The greatest level of sunshine was in the east of the country ?
Dublin Airport
recorded 156 hours of sunshine ? whilst the lowest level of rainfall was recorded at
Belmullet
? 54 millimetres fell during July.
Timeline of events
[
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]
1 August
[
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]
County Limerick
and
County Cork
were the first areas to be affected. On the night of 31 July/1 August, the
River Blackwater
in
Cork
burst its banks, causing severe flooding between
Banteer
and
Mallow
. Cork County Council issued a flood warning for Mallow on the morning of the 1st whilst cork council distributed sandbags. Bridge Street in Mallow was closed for a time but later reopened for motorist use. The Town Park Road in Mallow was closed for a longer period. Flood relief works had been ongoing in Mallow for six months but were not expected to finish for another 18 months. Further downstream, floodwaters reached
Fermoy
at around 10 pm.
In Limerick, it took several hours before electricity was restored to 3,000 homes in
Newcastle West
, where a major clear-up operation was underway after the
River Arra
burst its banks earlier in the morning. Up to 20 homes were badly affected by "freak" flash flooding overnight, with residents having to be rescued from their houses. There were few injuries; although an elderly woman was airlifted from her home and immediately diagnosed with
hypothermia
.
Met Eireann
said that the average rainfall for the last week of July was about 26mm ? three times that amount dropped between 7 pm and midnighton 31 July in Newcastle West. At one rainfall station in the area, a measurement of 90.1mm was recorded in that time. Around 100mm of rain would be expected in one month. The rainfall was said to be "tropical-like in intensity".
[2]
Limerick County Council issued a public drinking water notice residents of Newcastle West to boil their water before use. The areas affected by the boil notice included Newcastle West, Coolcappagh and Rathcahill and the Ballyine, Dually, Reens Kilscannell, Old Mill Road, Killoughteen and Killeline Group Water Supply Schemes.
[3]
2 August
[
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]
The
River Deel
threatened to flood in
Askeaton
,
County Limerick
. Localised flooding occurred earlier in the day in the town. The Newcastle West Business Association called on the government to help those worst affected by the flash floods of the previous day. Spokesman Pat O'Donovan stated that many businesses were uninsured or under-insured and needed financial assistance. A huge cleanup operation continued in parts of Limerick and Cork. It was estimated that millions of euro worth of damage was caused.
[4]
Met Eireann
claimed that the area around Newcastle West experienced the equivalent of four weeks rain in five hours.
[5]
9 August
[
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]
The record for a single 24-hour period of rain in August was almost broken in
Dublin
. 56mm of rain fell on
Dublin Airport
in 24 hours. The record (60mm) was set in August 1986, in the aftermath of
Hurricane Charley
.
Celbridge
was flooded and nearby roads were impassable. Flooding was reported between
Naas
and
Blessington
. A river burst its banks along the
Ballyroan
to
Portlaoise
road at Cashel Cross in
County Laois
. Only one lane of the road was open to traffic at the time. The road between
Portlaoise
and
Timahoe
was badly flooded whilst the
Stradbally
Village to
Athy
road was impassable. Other roads closed included the N3 (inbound and outbound at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre), the M1 (inbound and outbound after the
Port Tunnel
), the M50 (blocked at Ballymun northbound) with diversions in place.
Dart
services were suspended between the
Malahide
and
Howth
junctions whilst there was also disruption to Northern Commuter and Belfast rail services. Garda diversions were put in place and long delays were to be had. Dublin Airport authorities asked passengers to give plenty of time to reach the airport and, if possible, to check their route before they leave.
[6]
A
football
match between
Shamrock Rovers
and
Sunderland
, due to be played at
Tolka Park
at 7.30pm that evening, was cancelled due to the flooding.
[7]
In Dublin, it was reported that one vehicle was swept down a road in a torrent of flood water. "The combination of monsoon-like rain and a high-tide" prompted a spokesperson for Dublin Fire Brigade to report that crews spent most of the night rescuing people from houses and cars. He claimed that, between 4 pm and midnight, 800 calls were taken with 600 of these flood-related, going on to say: "We’ve never had anything like that. We wouldn’t generally get that many calls on
Halloween
.”
[8]
Hundreds of
Armagh
Gaelic football
fans, attending the
All-Ireland
quarter-final at
Croke Park
, were stranded by torrential rain when they left the stadium to discover their cars surrounded by water.
[9]
The rain prompted
GAA
officials in
Croke Park
to turn on the floodlights for the second half of the All-Ireland quarter final between Kerry and Galway in what was to be the first ever floodlight championship game in Croke park, the game was described by many as the greatest game of pure vintage football played in Croke Park in the 2000s (decade) despite the worst rain in Irish history.
[10]
10 August
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]
A clean-up operation was underway in Dublin and Kildare following the previous day's flash flooding. Gardai said flood water had subsided in most parts except for some areas in north county Dublin. The N3 near
Blanchardstown
was re-opened. On the M50 there was still severe flooding on both the northbound and southbound lanes. The M1 at
Whitehall
was re-opened on both sides following flood-related closures. According to
Met Eireann
, in the 24-hour period from midnight on 8 August until midnight on 9 August, 76.2mm of rain was recorded at
Dublin Airport
, a new record for the month of August. The previous record, 73mm, was recorded in August 1986.
[11]
Kildare County Council reported bad flooding in
Celbridge
. Eight houses in the Vanessa Close Estate were flooded with water of approximately 60 cm after the Toni River, a tributary of the
River Liffey
, overflowed. The
Clane
to
Celbridge
Road and Ardrass Road from
Straffan
to Celbridge were closed due to flooding. Flooded pumps caused sewage to flow into the streets of Celbridge, damaging some premises on the Main Street. 4,000 Scouts at
Jamboree 2008
in
Punchestown
had to spend the night indoors after being removed by the Civil Defence to the major events centre on the site.
Leixlip
and
Maynooth
experienced flooding although no damage to property was reported.
In
County Laois
the
Ballyroan
to
Portlaoise
Road was flooded at Cashel Cross after a river burst its banks. In
County Offaly
, the
Tullamore Show
, due to take place that day, was cancelled for the second consecutive year due to the weather. Dublin Fire Brigade said all areas of the capital had been affected by overnight flooding, particularly in
Swords
and
Drumcondra
. Houses in the Knocklyon and Firhouse areas of south Dublin were flooded. The Civil Defence was also called in to help pump water. On the M50 a bus full of people journeying to
Dublin Airport
was marooned in the floods and had to be pulled free with the aid of a tractor.
Racing at the Curragh
was cancelled because of a waterlogged track.
[12]
12 August
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]
Heavy rainfall in Dublin led to flooding and collisions on commuter routes. Dublin City Council described the situation as "serious". In
Mulhuddart
the Church Road was reported as closed at the cemetery through to the Hollystown Golf Club. Two open manholes were reported; one at the Drumcondra/Home Farm Rd junction, another outbound on the Ballymun Road outside the library, resulting in a flooded bus lane. The N3 at
Blanchardstown
was closed between the two exit slips which access the Blanchardstown Town Centre. Traffic was diverted around the flooded area via the Snugborough and Mulhuddart interchanges. The left lane of the M50 Southbound at J5
Finglas
was closed due to flooding. There were reports of "a lot of surface water" on the M50 at J4
Ballymun
in both directions. Flooding was seen at the
Strawberry Beds
approaching
Lucan
and on Tandys Lane in Lucan village, from the Old Swords Road to Coolock Lane, and at the Griffith Ave Ballymun Road junction. The flooding on River Road in Finglas was described as "heavy". Surface water and debris on the Killinarden side of the Killtipper Road at "a very bad bend" caused delays to motorists. On the Naas Road outbound there was surface water after
Newlands Cross
and at the Kylemore Road junction and Eglinton Road in
Donnybrook
was flooded. In Dublin city centre there was flooding at Westland Row, Lincoln Place. In
County Louth
, the R173 Carlingford to Newry Road was described as "flooded and impassable".
[13]
13 August
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]
Several hours of heavy rainfall led to flash floods in Dublin, with the
Phoenix Park
's Castleknock gate closed off and the road rendered impassable by the heavy floods. Some DART services were suspended for a time in the evening. Rail services between
Drogheda
and
Dundalk
were not operating overnight due to the flooding. In
County Leitrim
the Dowra to Drumkeeran Road was impassable when part of the road and a small bridge was swept away in heavy flooding.
[14]
There were widespread road closures elsewhere including
County Meath
,
County Louth
,
County Mayo
,
County Sligo
and
County Donegal
. Homes in Dublin affected by flooding included those in
Finglas
(a number of elderly women were rescued from a complex),
Glasnevin
,
Clontarf
and
Blanchardstown
? including an area around Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown. The N3 at Blanchardstown was closed for a time and there was flooding on the M50. Some lanes on the Naas Road and Carlingford to Newry Road in County Louth were also closed. In
County Kerry
, the main
Castleisland
to
Killarney
road was impassable in the morning due to flooding, with some cars being stranded. The Gneeveguilla Killarney road was also impassable after a river broke its banks. Ballinorig in
Tralee
town reported flooding whilst there was a tree down on the road to
Ardfert
quarries. A tree was also down on the road between
Tarbert
village and the ferry.
[15]
In
Northern Ireland
, three teenagers from
County Down
were rescued from the
Mourne Mountains
in the middle of torrential rainfall. The three girls, aged between 15 and 17, awoke at 05:00 to discover their campsite had been washed away, with a swollen river determining the need for mountain rescue. The chairman of the Mourne Rescue Service, Ed Kilgore had this to say:
"If they had decided to try to get across the river it could have been nasty"
and said the girls were "wet, miserable and relieved" upon rescue. The girls were met by relatives at the foot of the mountain, with dry clothes given out by the rescue team. Elsewhere in the county, a man in his early 40s was killed as a result of a two-vehicle collision near
Crossgar
, with heavy rain blamed for the treacherous driving conditions. Five other motorists had to be pulled from their vehicles near
Moira
when flood waters entrapped them.
[16]
14 August
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The
Irish Insurance Federation
said the cost of compensating the victims of the floods could reach tens of millions of euro. Victims of a 2002 flooding in
Ringsend
called on the
Irish Government
to provide humanitarian assistance to those whose homes were devastated by the 2008 series of floods. In
County Sligo
, the
Arigna
to
Geevagh
Road was reported to still be blocked due to a landslide around Gleann. In
County Leitrim
, the
Dowra
to
Drumkeeran
road was deemed passable as were the Drumkeeran to
Manorhamilton
and
Kiltyclogher
to
Glenfarne
roads. In
County Meath
, the flooding receded on the N2 at Balrath near
Kentstown
making the road passable.
[17]
16 August
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]
The new Broadway underpass in Belfast flooded to the roof in a few hours.
Severe weather conditions were witnessed across the country. The M4 between the
Maynooth
and
Kilcock
exits was closed as a result of "serious" flooding. The
Clane
to Kilcock Road was blocked and the Kilcock to
Summerhill
road was reduced to one lane due to the floods. Motorists were asked to use the M7 due to the
Newbridge
to
Naas
road being partially closed from Tuckers roundabout. The road from
Rathangan
to
Kildare town
was described as "impassable". The
Clifden
to
Westport
road near
Letterfrack
was blocked. In
County Wicklow
,
Rathnew
experienced what was described as "severe flooding" and the Wicklow to
Rathnew
and
Trim
to Dublin roads were impassable The
Skreen
to Walterstown road was closed, although the
Navan
/
Slane
road was later deemed passable. In
County Tipperary
, a bridge at Ballynunty collapsed following heavy rain. The Park Road in
Ravensdale, County Louth
was impassable. Severe flooding in
County Monaghan
blocked the
Castleblayney
to
Lough Egish
road at the bypass bridge whilst flooding was reported along the N54 Monaghan to
Clones
road and on the
Carrickmacross
to
Ballybay
road. The
Tramore
road in
County Waterford
was impassable from the Ballindud roundabout to Tramore. There were also reports of localised flooding in parts of Dublin.
[18]
A section of one of the busiest roads in
Northern Ireland
,
[19]
[20]
the
Westlink
in Belfast, was closed after flooding put the new Broadway underpass under six metres of water.
[21]
Five cars entered the underpass while it was under two metres of water and had to be abandoned.
[22]
Northern Ireland's
Minister for Regional Development
,
Conor Murphy
, ordered an investigation into why the recently constructed £104 million (€132 million)
[23]
underpass was flooded. It was the first time the underpass had had to cope with heavy rain.
[24]
Northern Ireland's
Environment Minister
Sammy Wilson
announced a compensation package for those whose homes were affected by the flooding.
[25]
17 August
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Carlow town
was the centre of the flood alerts on 17 August. Rising waters from the
River Barrow
led to over 100 people being evacuated from a four-storey apartment block on Centaur Street.
[26]
Kennedy Street was closed off. The Civil Defence was monitoring two other apartment blocks ready to evacuate them if waters rose further. Elsewhere in the county, the road between
Tullow
and
Rathtoe
was blocked after a two-car collision in which six people were injured. The wounded were brought to
St. Luke's General Hospital
in
Kilkenny
. Gardai reported that there was still flooding in
Daingean
and
Edenderry
in
County Offaly
where the canal had burst its banks. There were reports of flooding around
Clonygowan
. In
County Laois
,
Mountmellick
's main street was flooded, whilst the Mountmellick to Ballyfinn (R423) and Mountmellick to Derryclooney roads were both impassable due to flooding. Diversions were in place on the N77 Kilkenny to
Durrow
road because of flooding at
Ballyragget
. In
County Galway
the N59 on the
Oughterard
side of
Moycullen
was partially blocked after a truck overturned. In
Northern Ireland
, the M1 reopened inbound from Black's Road to Stockman's Lane and outbound from Saintfield Road. The M2 fully re-opened.
Stena Line
's fastferry sailings between
Rosslare
and
Fishguard
on the 18th were cancelled due to severe weather forecast for the south
Irish Sea
, causing severe passenger disruption.
[27]
18 August
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]
Carlow town
remained the worst affected area by the flash floods. Roads were flooded in
County Offaly
,
County Tipperary
,
County Kilkenny
,
County Laois
and
County Galway
. Parts of Carlow town were under almost two metres of flood water after the
River Barrow
burst its banks following heavy rainfall. Approximately 100 people spent the night in a hotel when they had to evacuate their apartment block on Centaur Street. Others were ferried to and from work in the morning by the Civil Defence.
Minister for the Environment
John Gormley
, visited Carlow to view the crisis, and said that the contract for flood defences would proceed "as quickly as possible". Staff at Winnie Dalgarno's flooded pet store in
Graiguecullen
had to take animals home when electricity was switched off. Winnie said: "We have lost a few reptiles, our birds have been badly affected, we had 20
hamsters
floating, I have had to put rabbits in bird cages."
[28]
In
Ennis
, the body of 31-year-old cook and father-of-one, Przemyslaw Jablonski
[28]
was recovered from the
River Fergus
. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
[29]
Meath County Council advised people in
Athboy
to boil all water they used from the mains supply. Supply was shut down as a precautionary measure after a local river burst its banks, threatening to contaminate the drinking water supply.
Eircom
reported nearly 4,300 faults over the previous weekend, with 6,500 reported faults that day. The worst affected areas included
Clontarf
,
Blanchardstown
,
Phibsboro
,
Portmarnock
,
Leixlip
and
Clane
.
Flooding at
Portadown
caused delays of up to 90 minutes on the
Dublin
to
Belfast
train service.
19 August
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]
Drinking water was delivered to hundreds of households in
County Sligo
where flood water caused problems with the fresh water supply. Sligo County Council issued notice for people to boil water before use. Boil notices were also in place in parts of
County Meath
?
Athboy
,
Kildalkey
and
Rath Cairn
? following the bursting of a river's banks. Speaking on
RTE Radio
's
News at One
,
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
John Gormley
said despite the economic downturn, money would be made available to provide flood defences for
Carlow
whose flood waters were subsiding (although a number of streets remained closed with dozens of residents who were forced to leave their apartments still being housed in temporary accommodation). The
Office of Public Works
said that contracts for flood defence systems would soon be finalised for towns such as
Mallow
,
Ennis
and
Clonmel
. Speaking on
Morning Ireland
, Tom Sherlock, principal officer of engineering services at the OPW, expressed confidence that new flood defence schemes already in place in some towns would hold for many years.
[30]
References
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External links
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