Flood damages road, cuts off nine households

Clare County Council was working on Wednesday to make a North Clare road passable after  heavy rain caused severe damage to it,  cutting off nine families.

Thunder showers on Tuesday caused flash floods on multiple roads throughout the county making them temporarily impassable. When the water subsided, however, a segment of the L 10283 near Ballyvaughan, was washed away with it.

The road is part of the route for the Burren Marathon which takes place this weekend.

Local man James Keane managed to get to his home at Faunrooska but only after abandoning his car and using a tractor to cross the water-logged section of road.

“The road is a cul de sac. There are nine houses beyond the section that was torn away. When I came home I just had to leave the car and get a tractor to bring us back across to the house because of the water but today [Wednesday] it was impassable even with a tractor so we had to walk out,” he explained.

“My daughter had come from Dublin on Tuesday and she had to book a bus ticket back for Wednesday evening because she couldn’t get the car out. It is a nuisance for her…it is a nuisance for all of us really but luckily, I suppose, I was at work on Tuesday so by the time I came back my car had to be left on the other side so I could still use that [Wednesday morning],” he continued.

Clare County Council workers were working to repair the road on Wednesday.