Village hit by mini tornado as storms strike

FREAK storms that swept through parts of the country at the weekend caused long delays for frustrated airline passengers, electricity blackouts, damage to cars and houses and blew a popular festive ice rink into Galway Bay.

Forecasters yesterday warned of further wet, windy and possibly stormy weather this evening and for the rest of the week.

Hundreds of passengers bound for the United States spent a second night in hotels as the fallout continued from Saturday’s storm that caused the collision of two empty Aer Lingus planes parked at Dublin airport.

Electricity in parts of Meath was restored in most households by yesterday evening after locals were visited by what appeared to be a mini tornado. Centred on the village of Clonee, the tornado overturned cars, ripped up poles and trees and damaged houses and gardens.

Around 2,000 were without electricity overnight on Saturday.

The Hansfield estate was among the worst hit. “It was unbelievable. Roof tiles came flying through doors shattering the glass. Garden furniture from two doors away was lifted up and dropped in our garden. I have never experienced anything like it before,” Wayne Langenhouw from South Africa, who lives in the estate, said.

Kevin Smith from nearby Huntersrun Road said the area was like a bomb site. “It just went nuts for 30 or 40 seconds. Roofs were lifted off, garden fences ripped up, a transit van was blown over and trees knocked down. At least 50 houses were damaged,” he told a Sunday newspaper.

High winds, sometimes rising to gale force, also hit Galway.

The city’s premier festive event, Galway on Ice, has been dubbed the Rink in the Drink after the storm blew its tent and much of the ice in to the bay.

The rink, which opened pre-Christmas, was located precariously on the edge of Galway Bay at the Claddagh in Galway City.

At 11am on Saturday, an hour before it was due to open for the day, the high winds and driving rain pulled the tent and ice rink from their holdings and into the bay, where shocked children who turned up to skate watched as the rink and the tent drifted into the docks and then sank. Locals said it was a miracle no one was injured as the rink was dragged away by the wind, wrecking decorative lamp posts at the Claddagh.

The loss of the rink is a major blow to the promoters, who said yesterday they hope to rebuild and open it again as soon as possible.

Met Éireann said yesterday the very unsettled weather will continue for the rest of the week, with periods of heavy rain or showers, and some very windy episodes. Southwest winds gusting 50 to 60mph or more are expected this evening.