For rural Ireland, 2025 has been dubbed 'the year of the Meitheal'

'We have seen time and again the power of community and of the spirit of the people, and when it is challenged, our people rise.'

Workers push fallen trees trees to clear the road on the main N83 after Storm Éowyn. Photo: Ray Ryan

It is only seven weeks old, but 2025 is already being dubbed 'the year of the Meitheal' across rural Ireland because of the inspiring community response to two major storms that battered the country.

Many tributes were paid in the Dáil to the emergency services, including ESB and Uisce Eireann crews, local authorities and other statutory bodies for their tireless work in the aftermath of the storms.