The owner of the Armada Hotel in Spanish Point who opened his doors to aid hundreds of people in West Clare without water, electricity, or internet following Storm Éowyn has said it was incredible how stuck people actually were and shocking to see how exposed the elderly were.
Locals from Miltown Malbay as well as people from places like Inagh and as far back west as Kilkee came to the hotel from Sunday looking for some essential warmth and a vital re-charge of both body, soul and electronic devices.
Speaking to The Clare Champion, John Burke said the standout day was last Sunday when they catered for a total of between 500 and 700 people and with around 200 of those using the facilities at the hotel to have showers.
“I think by Sunday people really started to find it hard. I was looking at people’s faces coming in the door, and they were extremely cold, and they were worn out from it…We tried where possible to give everyone a warm welcome at the front door. And we invited people to bring their own food or picnic so they would feel at home,” he said.
To cater for the demand for showers, the hotel management assigned six accessible downstairs bedrooms close to each other for showering facilities, which they managed with a waiting list.
Initially, they had opened up the Atlantic function room to the public but as bigger crowds than they had expected came in over the course of the day, they made the decision to make another big room, the Pearl room available. To keep the children happy, they had a kids’ movie on the big screen which kept them occupied while the parents charged their phone and devices in the 80 electric sockets available.
“I reckon there were hundreds if not thousands of devices, everything from phones to devices to hearing aids, re-charged at the hotel. It’s incredible how stuck people were…The main shocking point for me was to see how exposed elderly people were and many of them are going through different kinds of treatment like chemotherapy and that. They were so vulnerable,” John said.
Enabling the whole effort and powering the entire thing was one big strong diesel generator which fortunately, the hotel had invested in back in 2022.
While John was delighted and relieved to have it, he feared it would not stand the test having not been tried and tested to such an extent on any other occasion before Storm Éowyn.
“We had a wedding as well on Saturday night, and to say I was nervous until the day was over, is an underestimation. The generator was only working at 50% of its capacity but it got very well tested,” John said.
Of vital importance was to keep the fuel levels on the generator up, and he said it could not have been done without the services of Peader O’Keefe Oil from Ennis who went beyond the call of duty to make sure they never ran out of diesel. Burning through around 35 litres per hour, it was also essential staff were on hand to keep the machine fuelled up.
“With a storm like this, here is a huge pressure on Clare County Council who were in turmoil over the past few days. And with the ESB workers, we called up to them and invited them out for lunch but they said ‘we are not wasting any day light’ – they were so committed to it,” John said.
Looking to the days ahead and if power or water is still not restored in the West Clare, he said they have a plan in place up to Friday, January 31, and are waiting to see how it goes beyond that. While they have the capacity, there are still events happening at the hotel so they have no clear plan beyond Friday, but he is confident they will put something in place to continue to help the community.
Finally, John is keen to point out that he feels what they did over the last few days was small in comparison to what other workers like the ESB have done. “We feel like it is a very small thing. We have huge resources, and what we did was a very small thing compared to what the ESB workers do and the hazards they put themselves through.”
“When you are backed by the community and the Armada was always backed by the community, that’s what you do [support the community]. When I was a young child, we lived upstairs where my parents were rearing us, and I remember the card games and various local events that were on at the hotel and the families who supported us, so it’s our turn now. Everyone once in a while has to step up to the plate, and that’s all we did on this occasion really.”
Sharon Dolan D’Arcy covers West Clare news. After completing a masters in journalism at University of Galway, Sharon worked as a court reporter at the Sligo Weekender. She was also editor of the Athenry News and Views.