Gale force winds leave over 1,000 without power in Cork City and county

A status orange wind warning, with gusts of up to 120km/hr, is in place in Cork and Kerry, and outages have been reported in Timoleague, Ballincollig, Togher, and Fairhill.

The boat aground at Scotchman’s Point.

Almost 1,000 people in West Cork are without power tonight as strong winds batter the south of the country.

A status orange wind warning is in place across Cork and Kerry, with Met Éireann forecasting that southwest to west winds will reach mean speeds of 65km/h to 80km/h with damaging gusts of up to 120km/h for a time early tonight.

The warning is valid until midnight.

There are also numerous reports of fallen trees across the city and county.

A status yellow wind warning is in effect across the rest of Munster, in Leinster, and in Connacht, with gusts of 90km/h to 110km/h forecast and a risk of some wave overtopping in coastal areas.

Several faults

The ESB has reported several faults across Cork county, including a large fault in the Timoleague area where almost 900 customers are without power.

The ESB says it hopes to have power restored shortly after midnight.

There are smaller faults in the Ballincollig area and in the Togher and Fairhill areas, where over 600 customers are affected.

About 400 customers are without power in parts of Kerry, with faults reported near Dingle, near Castlemaine, and in Milltown between Kenmare and Kilgarvan.

Earlier today, members of Crosshaven Coast Guard were called out to investigate a boat aground at Scotchman’s Point. 

The crew secured the vessel and, despite the high winds, successfully refloated the vessel this afternoon at high water.