WATCH: Iconic northside landmark damaged as Storm Franklin batters Cork

Cork city and county has been battered by winds sweeping over the county brought about by Storm Franklin today.

In the city, the Church of the Ascension in Gurranabraher suffered damage to its iconic cross which can be admired from right across the city.

We were sent this video of the Church in Gurranabraher this evening. Looks like the Cross has been damaged by #StormFranklin. Fire brigade are on scene. Vid: Darren O. pic.twitter.com/6OcJ8TXp12

— Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) February 20, 2022

Local Independent councillor Kenneth O’Flynn said that it was “a very sad day” for the local community to see that the cross on the Church of the Ascension had been damaged during Storm Franklin.

It’s sad to see the cross of the Church of the Ascension Gurranabraher tilting to one side as a result of the storm. Emergency services are at the scene. Hopefully they’ll be able to secure it and be safe whilst doing so. @CorkSafetyAlert @CorkCityFire pic.twitter.com/CbVjYDZChv

— Thomas Gould TD (@ThomasGouldSF) February 20, 2022

Speaking to The Echo, Cllr O’Flynn said: “It’s a well-known iconic image of the northside of the city synonymous with Gurranabraher. It’s something that we all look up at from the great island of the city centre and we admire and it’s been an icon since the erection of the church.

“It’s a very sad day, these things happen with old buildings. There has been tremendous work put in by the parish priest there and the committee about re-roofing and getting the building fit for purpose and warm again and fit for the 21st century.” Cork City Fire Brigade crews attended the scene on Sunday and had secured the closure of the compound by about 6.30pm and the church is to remain closed until an assessment has taken place.

Speaking to The Echo, Parish priest Very Rev. Tomás Walsh SMA, said: “At about 4.30pm today people brought it to my knowledge that the cross had tilted over. The cross has been there since 1962 and it has withstood many storms but not this one anyway I’m afraid.

The Fire Officer said that the church must remain closed until there is an assessment by an engineer and so hopefully we’ll get that done tomorrow and that we will be back in operation on Tuesday.

“The winds are continuing so there’s some kind of threat around at the moment,” he said.

Cllr O’Flynn said that many people in the locality were “impressed with the quick response from the emergency services”.

“I’ve had a number of calls from people, in particular thanking us for the service that Cork City Council has provided with the fire brigade and the assistance there.

It’s important that we restore these iconic images around the city, it’s something that’s well-loved and it’s important we secure it and make sure that it’s okay.

“I’m hopeful that we will see the cross back in place very very shortly and that it will go on for another 100 years. I have my full support there for the Church of the Ascension. 

"I think they do marvellous work and I’m asking all my colleagues to make Ward funds available for the church for such an iconic building in the city.

“No matter what happens with this cross it’s important that we have it secure and rectified,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Crosshaven there is a tree down between O'Learys Cross and Rabbit Island where the road is blocked.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley said that the council has been alerted.

She advised people to report issues such as fallen trees, flooding and road damage to the council by phoning 021 4276891 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday. The council’s emergency out of hours number is 021 4800048 and should be used outside of these times.

“The strong winds may give rise to localised power outages. In the event of a disruption to power supply, please contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999. Fallen or grounded wires should be avoided and the public are advised to call ESB in assisting with the identification of fallen wires.

“In the event of a disruption to water supply, please contact Irish Water at 1800 278 278.

“In the event of an emergency call 999 or 112 and request the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Gardaí or Irish Coastguard as appropriate. Do not assume others will do this,” she said.