Gales and flash floods blast country

THE north and west bore the brunt of gales yesterday, with flash floods, trees brought down and forecasters warning of hurricane- force gusts battering inland.

The high winds peaked in along Atlantic coasts in the evening and were expected to hit the east of the country through the night.

Motorists were warned to be extremely cautious, with cyclists urged to stay off roads, while gardaí in the north and west advised drivers to avoid unnecessary journeys especially along coastal routes.

Donegal was hit by flash floods on tributaries of the River Finn with several cars stuck in water which closed the N15 between Ballybofey and Lifford.

A small river burst its banks near the Roadhouse Bar near Ballybofey and the Harry Blaney bridge on Fanad was closed for hours.

James Foyle, Donegal County Council senior engineer, said the south of the county was worst hit with at least 20 trees brought down.

Several trees and branches were reported fallen across Sligo, Mayo and Galway.

Sligo County Council said County Road 435 would remain closed overnight after trees blocked the road.

In Co Clare, lifeguards reported seas of about 30ft in Kilkee and at Blackhead while there were trees and telephone poles down.

Fears of flooding along the River Shannon prompted Limerick city officials to put defences along O’Callaghan Strand and Clancy Strand expected to remain in place for days. Local roads around Athlone were also hit by bad floods.

People caught up in the high winds were urged to post accounts, pictures and footage on irishweatheronline.com.

Met Éireann warned westerly gales will continue throughout the evening but will ease overnight.

The ESB confirmed about 10,000 customers experienced electricity outages during the day, but power has now been restored to all but 1,500 customers.

Parts of the country most affected include Lettermore in Connemara and Ennis in Clare.

Irish Ferries cancelled all sailings last night on their Rosslare-Pembroke routes, while Stenaline cancelled sailings from Dublin and Rosslare.

Aer Lingus had to cancel a flight to Heathrow due to the weather conditions, but alternative arrangements have been made for passengers.

Aer Lingus and Ryanair both said there were some delays to flights at Dublin Airport tonight.

Chris Reynolds, director of the Irish Coast Guard, urged people to stay away from exposed coasts, cliffs, piers, harbour walls, beaches, promenades or any other coastal areas.

“Huge waves can be whipped up by high seas. These waves can pose hazards to anyone close to the shoreline,” Mr Reynolds said.

“Do not attempt to cross a fast-running river or flood water fords as they may be stronger and deeper than you think.

“Flooded urban areas may contain many hazards, not least of which include submerged open manholes and downed power lines.

“The combination of tides, forecasted gale warnings for the next day or so, high sea conditions and swollen rivers may result in very dangerous conditions.”