Devastating flood is true test of town’s resilience
Both traits are being tested this bank holiday weekend as the town’s 8,000 citizens come to grips with the damage caused by Friday’s nightmare flood.
Typical among them is Ailish Mullane, a young businesswoman with two boutiques in Newcastle West and Charleville, who was forced to look on as more than five years hard work was destroyed by mucky flood water which rose nearly five feet in her shop, Kimono on North Quay.
To make things worse the young businesswomen had just got new stocks in which included Bymalene shoes costing €320 and Coccineclle Italian bags worth up to €500.
“Everything is gone — destroyed,” she said. “The water came up over four and a half feet in the shop. All the dresses are destroyed and they cost between €300 and €600.
“But I’m an optimist and I plan to be open again in two or three weeks. I have to be as there are bills to be paid.
“I am determined I’ll be back, you have to be positive and hopefully the insurance will cough up.”
Solicitor Bobby Cussen, whose family law firm has been in the town since 1890, assessed the huge amount of damage to the ground floor offices with his wife Deirdre.
“This kind of incident is unprecedented here,” he said.
He plans to work over the holiday weekend to try and have the offices ready for business next Tuesday.
From the scale of damage, it is a daunting task with water sodden ledgers strewn all over the place.
“A lot of computer stuff and electrical goods will have to be thrown out,” he said.
Auctioneer Pat O’Donovan revealed how the flood water had destroyed his office at North Quay.
He said: “I have a lot antique furniture in the office which I have collected over the years.
“I couldn’t believe the damage when I managed to get here.”
Wine bottles littered the floor of The Mallard restaurant which took the full brunt of the flood.
Owners Nora and John Wallace revealed how they had gone to bed after midnight and on looking out the top window, Nora noticed the waters of the Arra getting very high.
“I said to John it was looking serious. When the water came over the river wall it came in on us. We had to stay up stairs as the water was nearly five feet high downstairs. My fear was that one of the walls of the building would cave in. We’ve been up all night,” said Nora.
County councillor Pat O’Donovan was one of the first on the scene.
He revealed how two cars and a van passed by floating on the water.
“There was a VW Polo, a Ford Focus and a transit van. One ended up lodged in bollards. The van was washed down to the end of the street,” he revealed.
Pat Hartnett, 76, who has lived at nearby Maiden Street all his life said his house was saved from the flood when a six-foot wall down the street was knocked down.
Pat said: “That relieved the situation and the water began to recede from our door at that stage.”
Publican Kevin O’Halloran who runs the Bridge House pub on North Quay said his premises will need a total refit.
Kevin who lives upstairs in the pub decided to go out and move his car which was parked outside at around 1am due to the height of the river.
He said: “After I moved the car I couldn’t get back into the building as the flood had erupted and I was helpless.
“There is a lot of contaminated water and the whole pub will need to be done and that will take three or four weeks.”
Elderly couple, Charlie and Mary Coughlan’s house was also flooded.
They were being comforted and helped through the situation by friends.
“There’s terrible damage,” said Charlie, who moved to Newcastle West many decades ago from Skibbereen.
On a positive note wedding boutique Patricia’s escaped the flood and Margaret O’Connor, who works in the shop, attributes their fortune to the Child of Prague.
She said: “The previous owners always had a statue of the Child of Prague to keep rain away on a brides wedding day.
“The new owner kept the statue. We had brides ringing from all over the place enquiring if their wedding gowns were ok.”
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