'Biblical' flooding spurs Midleton rebranding with new website
President of the Midleton and Area Chamber Adrianna Hegarty speaking at the launch of the Midleton brand website in JJ Coppingers. Picture: Howard Crowdy
After flooding so bad one TD described it as “biblical”, businesses in Midleton are teaming up to “rebrand” the town and launch a new website.
The town became synonymous with the worst of what Storm Babet threw at Ireland last October.
However, if the town’s chamber of commerce has its way, the “negative” media coverage that the flash floods attract will soon be a thing of the past.
The organiser of the rebrand Niamh Hegarty, who owns and runs the town’s Bkultured Water Kefir company, says it is all part of a bid to “change the narrative” about Midleton.
She said: “The bad news story about Midleton was the floods last October.
“We have been thinking about how we can redefine the narrative of Midleton after the floods.
“We wanted for the general public to show them that Midleton is a really vibrant and resilient community.”
As a result of brainstorming among businesses and some design consultants from Cork, they decided a rebranding of the town — unveiled yesterday — and on setting up a new website.
The website will be used to help attract business, not just from around the local area but also nationally and internationally.
Ms Hegarty said: “While the population of the Midleton area is 14,000, it is projected that by 2028, it is going to surpass 21,000.
“So this is an area that needs to attract investments. We want commerce to be boosted in order to foster that growth.”
She said the rebranding and website will mark “a significant milestone in our journey towards revitalising Midleton”, which she described as “a thriving hub that offers boundless opportunities for businesses and individuals”.
“We firmly believe that by changing the conversation, we can attract investment, drive tourism, and contribute to the prosperity of our community,” she added.
Aerial photographs taken by Guileen Coast Guard showed the sheer extent of the flooding which hit the town during last month’s Storm Babet.
Local TD James O’Connor described the flash floods that swept through the town as “biblical”, while others said they had never seen the like in living memory.
A month’s worth of rain fell in Midleton in just 24 hours, causing many businesses to close temporarily.
All but one or two have since reopened, thanks in part to millions in State aid.
Among those to be badly hit was the Farmgate restaurant, which had been operating in Midleton for over 40 years.
Shortly after the floods, its owners said the costs to restore their premises were just too “far beyond” their means.
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