Road blocked by loose peat, not second landslide

SEVERAL tonnes of loose peat which poured down a river in north Kerry yesterday caused another road blockage.

Kerry County Council said it was not a new landslide but a dislodging of peat which had been lying on a river bank since the August 23-24 landslide, in the Stacks Mountains.

Council staff were monitoring the situation last evening and the road from Raemore to Kielduff, near Tralee, which had been blocked by the original landslide, was again closed.

Council spokesman Padraig Corkery described the latest movement as “minor” compared to the first, 20-acre landslide.

“’Our initial assessment is that loose peat which had been lying on the banks of River Glashoreag moved downstream, blocked off the eyes of Scanlon’s bridge and flowed onto the road,” Mr Corkery said.

“We dug a channel to take the water off the bridge and the road.”

The movement, reported just before 1pm, took place downstream from Harris’s bridge, which was covered by the landslide that cut off the Harris home for days.

There had been predictions of further landslides in the event of heavy rainfall, which occurred yesterday. The council and Shannon Regional Fisheries Board had hoped the landslide had stabilised.

However, fisheries board chief executive Eamon Cusack said they could not be 100% sure.

Heavy or thundery rain is forecast to spread from the south across Munster and Leinster tonight and to become widespread tomorrow.