Midlands town hit by freak flood and mudslides

A freak mudslide and flood hit one town as the rest of the country enjoyed summery sunshine.

Doon, which is nestled in the countryside along the Limerick-Tipperary border, was hit by a deluge of water and filth in a freak storm on Thursday evening.

Bridges were swept away, homes were flooded, and graves at a cemetery were swamped when torrential rain poured down, lasting for an hour.

There was an eerie calm in Doon yesterday as the sun shone and the temperature read 27.5 degrees.

Caretaker of Doon’s old cemetery, Willie Ryan, said it was “a disaster”. A local woman described the events as being like Armageddon.

Elizabeth Power, 84, who resides at an elderly community housing complex, Glashan Talann, had to be evacuated when her bungalow was flooded.

Her nephew Eamon Power said: “The water came in, and the carpets had to be thrown out. It was a horrible scene, a nightmare.”

The Doon Community Housing initiative at the foothills of Glengar Hill, beneath Slieve Felim, took the brunt of the disaster.

Millions of litres of rainwater and dirt slid down the mountainside, swallowing everything in its path.

Another elderly resident, Lizzie Hennessy, said: “Every house down along got flooded... It was a terrible scene... It was coming in here as it was coming along a river.”

Some roads in and around the town were still impassable yesterday as emergency services, Limerick County Council, and Solas workers continued the clean-up.