Urgent action required to save blue-flag Rossbeigh beach from erosion

Houses, streets, and some coastal areas of Kerry were flooded for the first time in almost a half century following a combination of high tides, heavy rain and 130kph gales on Thursday night and early yesterday.

Further serious damage was also caused to the erosion-hit Rossbeigh Beach, which will run into hundreds of thousands of euro to repair, according to local Independent councillor Michael Cahill.

Large chunks of tarmac were lifted from the roadway leading to the blue-flag beach and a 500m stretch of the road was covered by large stones and jetsam washed in by the waves. Slipways and a children’s playground were damaged,

“It’s like a tsunami, or an earthquake, hit the place,” said Mr Cahill. “Big boulders were tossed around like feathers. This high tide caused more damage than any tide in the past 30 years, which will require major repairs.”

A number of houses in the nearby Cromane area were also flooded for the first time in living memory and Mr Cahill attributed this to erosion at Rossbeigh following a breach of the dunes earlier this week.

Local people, bracing for another high tide last night, said they had never seen anything like the damage around Cromane, a fishing village, near Killorglin. Part of the road leading to Cromane Point was washed away and the embankment breached.

Mr Cahill renewed his call to Kerry County Council to seek funding from the EU environment and maritime affairs commissioners to tackle erosion in Rossbeigh which, he claimed, been neglected by the Office of Public Works and the council for decades.

However, the council has already stated that it cannot make a funding application until the causes of the erosion had been established.

Experts from UCC and Holland are engaged in research to gain a “full understanding’’ of the causes, but there may be no cost-effective remedy, according to the council.

However, Mr Cahill said there had been enough studies and surveys since the dunes were breached five years ago.

“We want action now and I will again be raising the issue by way of emergency motion at Monday’s council meeting,’’ he said.

People in the north Kerry village of Ballylongford reported flooding there to be the worst in almost 50 years. “Residents were throwing buckets of water out windows, which I never say happening here before. It was all quite frightening,’’ said Ballylongford Fine Gael councillor Liam Purtill.

Roads in Cromane and Tralee were closed due to flooding, while beach car parks at Banna and Kilmore will be closed for the weekend.

Rescue services yesterday paid tribute to a woman for remaining calm after her car became partially submerged in flood waters in north Kerry on Thursday night.

The woman, who was visiting friends, ran into high tide waters at Clounamon, Asdee, after taking a wrong turn. As the water started to rise in her car, she jumped on the bonnet for safety.

She raised the alarm at 7.15pm and Valentia Coastguard tasked Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue Service, the Shannon Coastguard helicopter and the Ballybunion Coastguard Unit to the scene.