FLOODING: 14 families stranded six times in two years by flooding in Kerry

A townland in Kerry where 14 families have been marooned six times in the past two years will not be designated an area of fur-ther assessment under the new flood-risk survey by the OPW.

Residents in Foiladuane, living near the River Flesk which runs into Killarney, saw waters rise 60cm last weekend. An elderly couple, not in good health, were removed by boat while hay sheds were lost, fences flattened, and sheep had to be ferried from fields by boat.

However, area county councillors were told the townland would not be considered for funding relief under a new scheme.

A county council engineer David Doyle told the Killarney municipal meeting that the scheme was based on the number of properties being flooded and nothing else.

“This is not the council who are saying this, it is the OPW,” he said.

Mr Doyle said that rural villages with small populations would be competing for funding for flood management with large towns like Bandon, Co Cork. The scheme was dependent on the number of properties likely to be affected, he said.

South Kerry Independence Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson claimed too many bodies and agencies were involved in river management. Along with the OPW and the county council, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (formerly the National Roads Authority) also had a role.

Inland Fisheries and the Department of the Environment were also involved along with Inland Fisheries and the wildlife services.

Independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae

There are too many bodies and agencies, contradicting each other, he said. “There’s a great lack of clarity about where responsibility lies. If the landowner acts, Inland Fisheries will be down on top of them,” he said.

Independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae said “even an average flood” was likely to maroon many of the families involved.

Glenflesk village, nearby, is included in the review but Foiladuane is excluded, the meeting heard.