OPW minister makes pledge to prioritise Bantry culverts following flooding

After a day of torrential rain that caused devastating flood damage to shops and residents in Bantry town, the minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Kieran O’Donnell, visited the West Cork town yesterday to pledge the prioritisation of works to clear culverts believed to have contributed to the havoc.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr O’Donnell acknowledged that townspeople were frustrated and angry, given that work on the culverts had been promised in 2021 when the town last suffered a major flood but had not been carried out.

He said he had travelled to Bantry to meet the people in their homes and businesses, to see the extent of the damage for himself, and to reassure people that the Government would support them.

Emergency support

“Memos will be going to Cabinet on Tuesday from the minister for enterprise Peter Burke with an emergency business support scheme, and Heather Humphreys, the minister for social protection, in terms of a humanitarian scheme for residential damage due to the flooding, particularly for those without insurance,” he said.

“The OPW have approved individual protection for businesses and homes in terms of buildings, and Cork County Council will now roll that out.

“The culverting in Bantry is a key element — the main scheme itself will take a number of years, but in the interim I want to see the culvert progressed. It’s a big issue here in that the water came up through the floors because the power of the water coming into the culvert was so strong.”

The minister said that he would be chairing a meeting this Wednesday involving Cork County Council, the OPW, Uisce Éireann, and consultants to the culvert scheme to look “to see ways to expedite the scheme”.

Terrible time

“I want to look at other measures as well,” he said. 

“People in Bantry have been through a terrible time, and I saw the devastation for businesses and for homes. Following the meeting, I will come back to the businesses and residences to give them an update.”

Local Independent Ireland councillor Danny Collins said that the people in the town were angry due to the failure to carry out work on the culverts since the flooding in 2021.

“The amount of rain that fell on Saturday came down off the mountains — the culvert there in town could not take the volume of water,” he said.

“Where I’m sitting in New St, the water lifted a manhole cover, it was flowing so powerfully.”

The status orange rainfall alert which lasted from midnight on Friday to midnight on Saturday in Cork saw large amounts of rainfall all over the county, with many reports of flooded roads and streets in Cork city. Magazine Rd, the Kinsale Road Roundabout, and the North Mall were all reported to be underwater for periods during the day.