Council urges action over long Eir repair delays in West Cork

Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington, who lives on the Beara Peninsula, said after recent storms, some Eir customers have been left waiting up to six weeks to make or receive a simple phone call. File picture: Andy Gibson

Communications minister Patrick O'Donovan and ComReg have been urged to clamp down on lengthy delays in repair works by Eir.

A meeting of Cork County Council heard some landline phones in West Cork have been out of action for up to six weeks — and locals are running out of patience with provider Eir.

Independent councillor Finbarr Harrington, who lives on the Beara Peninsula, said after recent storms, some Eir customers have been left waiting up to six weeks to make or receive a simple phone call.

He said he had been contacted by several people and highlighted the case of one woman whose landline had been out of action for that length of time.

“She’s had to travel down the road to get mobile coverage to make a call as there is no mobile coverage at her home. For many people, that is an inconvenience. But for others, especially our elderly citizens, it is far more serious than that,” he said.

Mr Harrington said in rural areas such as Beara, Mizen, and Sheep’s Head peninsulas — as well as communities like Coomhola and Borlin near Kealkill, and on the islands off the West Cork coast — a reliable landline service is not a luxury but an absolute necessity.

“On islands such as Bere Island and Sherkin Island, people already live with the challenges of distance, weather, and transport. When landlines fail in places like these, residents are not just disconnected, they are completely cut off,” he said.

“For many older people, the landline is their lifeline. It is how they speak to family, contact their neighbours, arrange medical appointments, and, in an emergency, call for help. Many elderly residents in rural and island communities cannot rely on smartphones or broadband-based calling. 

When a landline goes down for weeks at a time, they are left isolated and vulnerable in their own homes.

Mr Harrington said the consequences could be profound. He said social isolation increased, adversely impacting mental health and wellbeing, while access to healthcare could be delayed.

“In emergencies like a fall, a sudden illness, or a security concern, the inability to contact emergency services can literally become a matter of life and death. For older people living in West Cork and our offshore islands, weeks without contact can bring fear and uncertainty about the safety of loved ones,” he said.

Mr Harrington said the situation was unacceptable, particularly given Eir reported revenues of €1.3bn for the year ending 2024 — a 2% increase (€30m) on the previous year. Its operating profit rose to €263m, up from €190m in 2023.

“This is why strong regulatory oversight is essential. ComReg has a responsibility to ensure that telecom providers meet clear service standards. Outages lasting weeks are simply unacceptable anywhere, but especially in remote peninsulas and on islands where alternatives are either limited or non-existent,” he said.

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Mr Harrington called on ComReg to enforce strict maximum repair timelines, with automatic compensation when those timelines were breached.

“There must be priority repair systems for vulnerable and elderly customers, particularly those dependent on medical alarms. Providers should be required to invest in stronger, more resilient rural and island infrastructure and there should be full public reporting of outage durations and response times. 

"But most importantly, they should fix the problem promptly,” Mr Harrington said.