County-by-county: The impact of Storm Barra so far
A giant wave crashing over Fenit Pier on the out skirts of Tralee today. Picture: Domnick Walsh
Thousands of homes are without power this Tuesday evening as Storm Barra continues to track across Ireland.
Munster has taken the brunt of the damage, with Kerry and Cork both under Status Red wind warnings until later tonight while Clare's Status Red warning is in place until the early hours of tomorrow.
Schools will remain closed in Cork, Limerick, Clare, Waterford, Kerry, Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Galway, Mayo and Wexford tomorrow.
Reports of fallen trees, damaged electricity lines and floods are still widespread this Tuesday evening, with the public being urged to stay indoors and avoid travelling to coastal areas.
Met Éireann issued a rare "threat to life" warning in Cork, Kerry and Clare ahead of the storm which kicked off before dawn this morning.
Cork is under a Status Red wind warning which will be in effect until 9pm tonight, with Met Eireann warning of “severe or damaging gusts in excess of 130km/h”.
This Status Red wind warning will be replaced by a Status Orange warning, in place for Cork until 6am Wednesday morning.
Over 3,000 power outages were recorded by mid-afternoon across the county, while disruptions to water supplies also affected several hundred homes.
A huge outage was reported in Bishopstown, affecting 1,522 customers, while some 1,200 homes are without electricity in Macroom.
Bantry is believed to have been one of the worst-affected areas nationally due to what the National Emergency Coordination Group described as “significant coastal flooding event”, affecting 23 premises.
A video of a family in Bantry stopping their trampoline from taking flight has been widely circulated online as the public are urged to secure all garden furniture and large objects outside.
Flights from Cork airport have been cancelled, all schools and colleges in the county closed for the day and vaccine and Covid tests have been rescheduled along with hospital outpatient appointments.
Footage taken from Fastnet lighthouse shows extremely dangerous conditions out at sea in South West Cork, with violent gusts of 157km/h recorded here.
Further inland, Cork city avoided severe flooding this morning at high tide and the flood warning has since passed, though surface flooding from heavy rainfall remains an issue in parts.
In Fermoy, gardaí have warned road users against travelling in high winds after a heavy goods vehicle was overturned by strong winds on the M8 between Junction 13 and 15.
Kerry is also under a Status Red wind warning until 9pm tonight, with a Status Orange wind warning remaining in place until 6am Wednesday.
The storm has left around 7,000 homes without power this Tuesday in the county.
Tralee is one of the worst-hit areas in the county as it experienced widespread flooding and power disruptions.
Fallen trees were reported on the N71 at Gortamullen, the Roughty Rd in Kenmare, near Killaha on Castletownbere Rd, Muckross in Killarney and Brookhill in Kilgobnet.
In Killarney the roof has been partially blown off a tea room at Cronin's Yard in Beaufort at the foot of Carrauntoohil, though thankfully nobody was injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, a power cut is affecting water supply to nearly 2,000 people in the wider Killorglin area with a boil water notice issued for the Caragh Lake Supply.
Kerry County Council reported flooding in Tralee at Godfrey Place, Prince's Quay and Ballyard Road and had had pumps in place since 5am.
There are also flooded areas in Fossa, Ballylongford, The Tankard at Kilfenora, Ballyheigue, as well as at Ballyroe Hotel on the Ardfert road, and on the Killarney to Killorglin road.
Limerick is currently under a Status Orange wind warning, along with Waterford, Galway, Mayo, Wexford, Dublin, Louth, Wicklow East Meath, Leitrim and Sligo.
This weather warning is in place until 6am Wednesday, with local authorities prepared for this to be elevated to a Status Red.
Almost 6,000 homes had their electricity supply impacted by the storm throughout this Tuesday.
Fallen trees have been reported right across the county as council services attempt to clear debris, while power outages occurred in areas such as Abbeyfeale, Kantoher, Newcastle West, Ardagh and Askeaton.
Back of @HuntMuseum #Limerick #StormBarra pic.twitter.com/abJsjp4O4f
— Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) December 7, 2021
In the city, high tide occurred at 8.30am this Tuesday morning with flood defenses placed along Clancy's Strand and O’Callaghan Strands preventing serious damage.
High tide will be between 8pm and 8.45pm this evening, though water levels are not expected to be as high as this morning.
Clare came under a Status Red wind warning at 4pm this afternoon and it'll be in place until 1am tonight, replaced by a Status Orange warning until 6am tomorrow morning.
Over 2,000 homes are without power in West Clare as of 5pm today, including Miltown Malbay, Kilrush, Kilkee and Quilty.
Shannon Airport cancelled this afternoon’s Aer Lingus services from and to Heathrow Airport, as well as Ryanair ( FR108) flight to Stansted Airport scheduled for 9.15pm tonight.
Some farm buildings have collapsed due to strong winds from storm #Barra. Shed down near N67 in Bealaha #Clare pic.twitter.com/mHnI5aw3wG
— Tomás O Mainnín (@omainnintomas) December 7, 2021
Crews from many of the county’s stations attended incidents though in some cases, where it was deemed too dangerous for crews to work, they left the scene to return later when conditions improved.
One farm building in Bealaha, on the main N67 Kilkee to Doonbeg road, was extensively damaged after its roof collapsed in the high winds, though nobody was injured.
Under a Status Orange wind warning until 6am Wednesday, Waterford has also reported widespread power cuts throughout the day.
Storm Barra tore apart cocktail bar Pink's outdoor area, with the manager telling the Irish Examiner that violent winds "lifted up and down the roof and threw it around".
Premises in Waterford city, Tramore and Dungarvan all suffered electrical faults, while University Hospital Waterford also experienced intermittent power cuts.
At Waterford Courthouse, several jury members failed to show for the day's criminal cases, though there was still enough impanel for a trial.
The Waterford Estuary saw a half-metre storm surge in the early hours but despite the flooding in parts, the only property damaged for a long section of the day was a lone car left in the Lookout car park in Dungarvan.
In Galway city, the stretch of road leading to Salthill promenade was flooded after waves proved too much for the coastal defenses during high tide.
City council crews are on standby this evening to deal with more potential flooding at tonight's high tide, and access to Salthill Promenade will be closed around 7pm.
Some 1,200 homes experienced a loss of power this Tuesday in Galway, with the Clifden area the most affected.
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