Tennis club survives despite flood damage
When a combination of prolonged rain and pent up dam water surged with relentless destructive power to engulf Cork’s western boundaries, this scenic haven of sport and leisure found itself deep in the path of an unstoppable force which left the clubhouse and tennis courts submerged under six feet of water. “When the flood water receded and the full extent of the damage to virtually all areas of the club was revealed, it was, without doubt, one of our darkest days,” says John Walsh. “We had not been able to obtain flood insurance due to our location on the riverbank and therefore any recovery programme and the cost involved would have to come from our own resources — resources that just did not exist at the time.”
However, as a result of the indomitable spirit and good fellowship common to all sporting codes across the country, the members of the club dug deep — both financially and physically — to avert the crisis. “As access to the club cleared in the immediate aftermath, members began to arrive in amazing numbers to offer help and encouragement. The sheer scale of the initial clean up was daunting, but people just rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in,” he recalled. “All of this work was unpleasant and dirty, to say the least, but these members, regardless of their jobs, sex or age worked tirelessly for four days until all the silt, debris and even fish had been removed from the buildings and courts.”
