Plight of West Cork publicans 'who only got to open doors to let flood waters out'

Issue raised in Dáil as enviroment mininster admits a 'long-term' approach is needed

Owner of O'Connors Seafood Restaurant
Shane Spillane and employee Amanda Kelly cleaning up the mess. File picture: Andy Gibson

The plight of West Cork publicans who opened their doors for the first time in six months to let floodwaters out has been raised in the Dáil.

The severe flooding in recent weeks which has caused "devastation" and has destroyed businesses, private homes, and people's property, has been raised by Independent TD Michael Collins.

Minister for Communications, Climate Action, and Environment Eamon Ryan told the Dáil that emergency funding had been put in place for those impacted by the recent floods but said a long-term and national approach now needs to be adopted to avoid such events in the future.

He said: "We need a national land use plan. Central to that is looking at how we develop and manage our land, our forestry and our farming, including planning and development, where we put houses and the sort of infrastructure we put in place. We would take a long-term view, knowing that climate change will lead to more extreme rainfall events."

He said in some instances flooding can be addressed by short-tern engineering fixes but added: "The best long-term fix, in my mind, is us collectively and as communities managing our land and using natural systems to help store and stall and hold back water."

Mr Collins said that much of flood damage in Cork could have been avoided but claimed that "common sense has gone out the window".

Mr Collins told the Dáil of a number of pubs that "opened their doors for the first time in almost six months but this was just to let flood water and muck out of their ruined premises".

"I spent hours in Bantry on the night of the floods and saw the sheer agony in people's faces. There were neighbours helping neighbours to try to save what was left of their businesses and homes.

"One lady told me that her business was closed for 12 weeks due to Covid-19. They had just reopened and she asked me to look at her stock. It was swimming around inside, which I could clearly see as my knee-high wellington boots filled with water. Private residences in Rosscarbery, Connonagh and Leap have also been ruined. This is simply due to rivers not being cleaned out.

He said: "Some 90% of flooding problems can be solved on the ground."