Tag Archives: storm Eleanor

LAST year he spent thousands of euro trying to rebuild the flood defences close to his home, but Storm Eleanor has left North Clare farmer Richard O’Shea sitting back on square one again. The money he invested wasn’t easily available to him and he is disappointed that he can get no support, as he tries to carry out necessary repairs once again. Richard lives close to the sea in the townland of Bartra, an idyllic spot when the weather is calm, but a place that takes a battering from the Atlantic when the increasingly frequent storms strike. While his house is a little bit back from where the sea meets land, the road to it is very close to the edge. With his defences badly damaged by Storm Eleanor, Richard is frightened that another storm could potentially leave his home inaccessible by car. Seeing the work he carried out washed away on January 2 was a very frustrating experience. “Last …

As storm Eleanor battered the West Clare coastline this afternoon (Tuesday), Clare Champion photographer John Kelly visited a few locations to capture images of its power. Standing at a distance, John described how waves “as high as a two-storey house” were crashing over the harbour wall at picturesque Liscannor. The  waves were also crashing high above the prom and seawall  at Lahinch, with water gushing through the alleyways and onto the Main Street. It was the same scenario at inlets, beach resorts and small harbours south of Lahich and north of Liscannor. Earlier in the day, Clare County Council warned  members of the public to avoid exposed coastal locations from this evening (Tuesday) through to tomorrow morning (Wednesday) due to forecast stormy conditions. The storm, named Eleanor under the Met Éireann / UK Met Office storm naming system,is moving in off the Atlantic and will move across the country this evening. Southwest to west winds of mean speeds 65 to …