Tag Archives: Iarnrod Éireann

With the flood waters finally beginning to recede, Iarnród Éireann expects water levels to have dropped sufficiently for a mid May reopening of the railway line between Limerick and Ennis. Extensive flooding on the line at Ballycar had forced the closure of the rail link since last December. Since then bus transfers were in operation between Limerick and Ennis, with a limited service for Sixmilebridge Station, for the duration of the closure. The line flooded following a significant increase in water levels at Ballycar Lough due to the heavy rainfall in December and January, and the nature of inflows and outflows from the lough due to the karst landscape in the area. While the intense rainfall ceased in January, inflows caused flood levels at Ballycar to peak in early March at 1.4 metres above the rail line. This has now fallen to 0.9 metres above the line, with 1.75 miles of track remaining flooded, and Iarnród Éireann forecast that – unless further extreme …

By Owen Ryan   THE effects of the extreme weather of January and February are just a memory for most people now but in one corner of Newmarket-on-Fergus parish, a number of people remain marooned in their homes because the flooding has yet to subside. Hilary Gough, who lives in the townland of Ballycar, says the level of flooding in the area has only recently started to drop, nine weeks on from the storms that wreaked havoc across the county. At the moment, there are four houses, one unoccupied, that are inaccessible because of flooding on either side of the approach roads. Until recently, a fifth house was also inaccessible. Ms Gough is critical of Clare County Council’s handling of the problem, accusing them of having “never tackled the issue (flooding), despite being aware of it for years”. “There’s a huge health and safety issue here. The council has a duty of care to the residents that they’re not fulfilling, …