Anglers and conservationists throughout Cork, Tipperary, and Waterford were joined by watersports clubs at the weekend to protest the damage to a salmon weir and the risks to migratory fish on the famed Blackwater River.

Fears have been expressed that one of the country’s best known angling rivers could soon be devoid of salmon and cost the economy millions of euro in lost revenue.

Homes in South East Clare near the Limerick border are under water after the Blackwater River breeched its banks.