FLOODING: Clare mother refuses to leave home unless autistic sons have a safe space

A mother-of-two, stranded by floodwater in Clare, said she will not leave her home unless she is able to secure a safe environment for her sons, who have been diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

Surrounded by several feet of water, which is contaminated with sewage and farmland dirt, Shirley Mulcahy claimed she was “told nothing about flood plains” when she and her husband bought their three-bedroom bungalow in 2001.

Since they moved in 15 years ago the family have seen flood after flood destroy neighbouring homes, forcing them to evacuate to hotels.