Community spirit 'keeping people alive' as elderly freeze in homes with no power or water

Dinner by candlelight for Stephen Murphy in Ardagh, Co Limerick. Picture: Bridie Murphy

It is dinner by candlelight for some, but others are freezing in their own homes and melting snow for drinking water as hundreds of people in snow-bound rural areas face several more days without power and water.

While Bridie and Stephen Murphy, who live in Ardagh, Co Limerick, have coped thanks to good preparations, nurse Lisa Cox, in Brosna, Co Kerry, said it feels like her village, which has been without power and water since Sunday, has been forgotten.

“The community spirit in Brosna and surrounding areas where neighbours are helping each other is keeping people alive,” Ms Cox said.

Bridie, a portrait and landscape photographer, said she managed to venture outside for the first time on Wednesday but only to the end of their driveway. 

Dawn breaks on Wednesday over Bridie and Stephen Murphy's front garden in Ardagh, Co Limerick. Locals have been snowed in since Sunday, and without power for almost three days. Picture: Bridie Murphy 

Despite a snowplough clearing the road outside, driving conditions were still treacherous.

“It’s just not worth the risk going any further,” Bridie said.

The snow dumped more than a foot of snow in her part of Limerick overnight Saturday and into Sunday. 

They lost power on Sunday afternoon just as Bridie was about to cook the dinner but they were prepared after Storm Darragh, and had bought a small gas cooking stove. 

Their son-in-law, who lives nearby, also managed to start an old generator in their garage which allowed them power lights and their phones.

While Stephen has been walking through deep snow to help neighbours living alone bring in buckets of coal and groceries, they themselves haven’t gone beyond their driveway yet. 

Stephen Murphy, from Ardagh, Co Limerick, heads off to help another snow-bound neighbour bring in a bucket of coal for her fire. Picture: Bridie Murphy

Power was finally restored on Tuesday but their car is still frozen in beneath a foot of frozen snow.

“I’ve missed the freedom,” Bridie said.

“I would love to get outside a bit more to take some more photographs, but it’s been lovely at the same time.

“It was actually quite nice. We had no TV and we just played cards and had chats in the evenings.” 

Local authority, ESB, and Uisce Éireann frontline crews braved treacherous conditions again on Wednesday to restore power and water, while the Irish Air Corps used two helicopters with ESB technicians on board to conduct low-level flights to survey high voltage power line networks in the worst hit parts of the country to identify and locate faults in the system.

ESB worker Richard Kelly from Kerry was on the frontlines in the Lyrecampaune area of North Kerry, where crews from ESB Networks are working tirelessly to restore power to homes. Picture: Domnick Walsh

Its AW139 and EC135 crews focused on areas in Tipperary and Kilkenny, including Templemore, Templetuohy, and Urlingford, on Monday. 

On Tuesday, the flights focused on east Limerick and west Tipperary, concentrating on the Sliabh Felim mountains north of Tipperary town.

Irish Air Corps and ESB crews helped to restore power. Picture: X

Con Lane, from Mountcollins in Limerick, close to its border with Cork and Kerry, lost power at 11.30pm on Saturday and saw one of the helicopters in the skies near his home on Tuesday, with power finally restored just after 11am on Wednesday.

“We were 84-hours without power. We had no heating and no water. It was rough enough alright,” he said.

Movement in their area is still only manageable by 4x4 or tractor only, he said.

But power may not be restored to the area around Brosna, north of Castleisland along the Limerick and Cork borders, until Friday, with separate efforts under way on Wednesday to install a second generator to restore the water supply after the first one broke down.

Con and Conor Lane, have been without power or water for 84 Hours in Mountcollins, Co Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Ms Cox, 52, said many of Brosna’s 174 residents are elderly, with some in their 90s. 

On her way to deliver heat logs to an elderly man on Wednesday morning, she told Radio Kerry: “This is not right. The weather warning should have been red. The power and water went out together. 

"A lot of people have no heating at all and cannot get to the outhouses to collect fuel. Others have no open fires anymore. People are freezing here.” 

The ESB offer of food and facilities in nearby hotels is not working, she said, because people cannot get to the hotels in Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West.

“They should be bringing something to the villages,” she said.

“You are told not to travel. People are melting snow to get water. The community spirit in Brosna and surrounding areas where neighbours are helping each other is keeping people alive.” 

Meanwhile in Clare, the mother of a young woman battling brain and spine cancer told how the freezing conditions is putting additional pressure on cancer patients who have to travel for their treatment.

Louise Whitehead said her seriously ill daughter Rachael, and her daughter’s partner, Alan, endured “hazardous driving conditions and maniacs speeding” driving through freezing conditions from their home in southeast Clare to Bon Secours Hospital, Co Cork for Rachel’s treatment.

Midwife Rachel, 31, mother to Leo, six, received her cancer diagnosis from doctors just before Christmas.

Her mother, Louise, shared an update online, writing: “Another week begins for our Princess. Yesterday Alan and herself battled through the snow and slush to get back down to Cork. They will never forget it!! Held up outside Charleville for 3 hours!! Hazardous driving conditions and maniacs speeding.” 

Ms Whitehead said her daughter and partner also passed a number of “cars turned upside down on the side of the road” on her eight-hour journey.