Sun, 05 Jan, 2025 - 21:29

Latest: Ambulance response times delayed as council say several Cork roads still impassable

Heavy snowfall led to power outages in North Cork, and snow is beginning to stick around the rest of the county, with the Taoiseach urging people to be vigilant.
Latest: Ambulance response times delayed as council say several Cork roads still impassable

Walking in the snow at Whitechurch, Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

Amy Campbell

Latest:

A spokesperson for the Coastguard in Cork explained that they have had a busy day due to the weather.

Nurses in Kinsale Community Hospital were struggling to get to work, so the Oysterhaven/Summercove coastguard assisted them, and will continue to do so until the weather conditions improve.

They also assisted in a hospital transfer from University Hospital Kerry to Cork University Hospital, as the border between the two counties has been one of the worst affected places in Ireland by the weather, leaving many roads impassable.

He added that the coastguard have also been assisting in the rescue of people stuck in cars throughout the day.

Several people have shared online that they have been stuck in cars on roads which became impassable, as Cork County snow ploughs struggled to keep up with persistent snowfall, with reports of people abandoning their vehicles and some vehicles being towed by tractors.

Transport 

Two flights into Cork from London tonight have been cancelled, with delays expected for the majority of the other arrivals.

Some Aircoach services from Cork to Dublin this evening have also reportedly been cancelled, as Bus Eireann advises customers to check their website for cancellations.

Schools and colleges 

Munster Technological University shared that all campuses will be open and operating as normal tomorrow morning, Monday 6 January.

They added: “Apprenticeship registration will be delayed until 12:00 noon to allow for travel from outside the region.” 

Cork College of FET’s Kinsale campus and Mallow campus will both be closed tomorrow.

The college’s Bishopstown campus shared that the majority of classes will move to online learning, and that Phase Two Electrical Registration for new classes starting will start at a delayed time of 1pm.

Their Douglas Street campus will have a delayed opening - college buildings will open at 10am and classes will commence at 11am.

Jessica Seman and Meabh and Ailbhe Kenneally having fun in the snow at Broadale, Cork . Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Jessica Seman and Meabh and Ailbhe Kenneally having fun in the snow at Broadale, Cork . Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Oide Schools' Support Service shared: “Due to impact of inclement weather conditions, our in-person post-primary senior cycle cluster workshop for teachers of Science planned to take place tomorrow in Cork Education Centre is now cancelled.” Their in-person post-primary Business cluster workshop tomorrow in Bishopstown will now take place online, with links to be issued to all registered teachers before 9.15am tomorrow morning.

Lots of schools, particularly in North Cork, but also some in the city, have announced that they will not be opening tomorrow.

One provider of school lunches also contacted parents in more than 25 schools to say they will not be able to deliver lunches to their school, saying that if their school is open, parents must send a packed lunch for thier child.

Some school bus operators, including Kearney’s of Cork, have shared that they will not be able to provide school transportation tomorrow.

mbulance crews in Cork have asked the public only to call the emergency services if absolutely necessary, as the weather has caused delays in their response time.

8pm

Cork’s Ger O’Dea from the National Ambulance Service has advised: “As many parts of the country have now been impacted by severe weather, we are experiencing delays in our response to emergency calls due to difficult driving conditions and some impassable routes.

“Because of this we are asking people to only dial 999 or 112 in absolute emergencies so that we can remain available to respond to serious and life threatening calls and to ensure the safety of our ambulance crews.

“Please follow advice issued by Met Eireann and local authorities, don’t make any unnecessary journeys and please, stay safe,” he added.

Roads 

Road conditions remain treacherous in parts of north-west Cork and mid Cork this evening.

A number of routes in the Rockchapel and Newmarket areas as well as the R619 Coachford to Donoughmore Road, are particularly treacherous, and cannot be safely ploughed or gritted as a result. The R579 Banteer to Nadd Road is also closed due to fallen trees.

Cork County Council advised: “A further safety assessment will take place at first light tomorrow.”

7pm

Fine Gael TD for Cork North West John Paul O’Shea told The Echo: “The roads are particularly bad here in North Cork.

“Snow ploughs are out all day but are struggling to keep main routes clear. The advice here in North Cork is not to travel if at all possible.

“The Council emergency response team has been excellent and are doing all what they can to assist to keep roads open and essential services moving.” 

He continued: “I have never seen a snowfall this significant in my lifetime and there are many people in North Cork much older than me saying the same thing.

“The conditions will remain poor over next few days so I am encouraging everyone to be cautious about travelling and only go out if absolutely necessary.” 

County council advice 

Cork County Council is urging all road users to avoid unnecessary travel tonight as snow and ice continue to impact the region.

A Status Orange Snow/Ice warning remains in place until 8pm, followed by a Status Yellow Snow/Ice warning until midnight. Met Éireann has further issued a Status Yellow Low Temperature/Ice warning, extending until midday Thursday, 9 January.

The Council’s Crisis Management Team convened earlier today to assess conditions and plan for the prolonged cold spell.

Over 30cm of snow has rendered several routes in north-west Cork impassable. Areas including Charleville, Dromina, Newmarket, Rockchapel, Kanturk, Ballydesmond, and elevated parts of north and mid Cork have been particularly affected.

Snowploughs and gritters will continue to operate on priority routes tonight. A full list of these routes is available on the Council’s website. Despite these efforts, hazardous driving conditions are expected to persist.

Motorists are advised to avoid unnecessary journeys, and if travel is essential, to proceed with extreme caution, reduce speed, and remain alert to other road users. Treated roads may still have underlying snow or ice, posing a danger.

Pedestrians are also warned to exercise care and avoid non-essential outings. Greenways and public amenities are unlikely to be treated, increasing the risk of slips and falls, which could require hospital care.

Key disruptions include the closure of Mallow and Fermoy swimming pools and the suspension of the Mobile Library service tomorrow, Monday, 6 January. Civic Amenity Sites will remain closed in the morning, with updates provided as conditions are reassessed.

They have advised people to drive with caution, check with public transport service providers for updates as schedules may be affected, be careful on footpaths and venture out only if necessary, check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours and keep phones charged.

Trains 

All Cork/Dublin services in both directions are still facing significant delays due to snow and ice affecting level crossings between Mallow-Charleville.

A Heuston/Cork train has finally departed Charleville, 165 minutes delayed due to adverse weather and a technical issue onboard.

Another Heuston/Cork train has also departed Limerick Junction, 120 minutes delayed.

Parts of West Cork are currently experiencing heavy falls of snow, which started early this afternoon. Temperatures are currently below 0C and are expected to fall further overnight. The N71 at Barnageeha between Bantry and Ballydehob was very treacherous this afternoon. Picture: Andy Gibson.
Parts of West Cork are currently experiencing heavy falls of snow, which started early this afternoon. Temperatures are currently below 0C and are expected to fall further overnight. The N71 at Barnageeha between Bantry and Ballydehob was very treacherous this afternoon. Picture: Andy Gibson.

Medical appointments cancelled 

HSE South West advised that all non-urgent appointments such as outpatient appointments and other clinical appointments in Cork HSE services will be cancelled tomorrow, Monday 6 January.

All non-urgent appointments at CUH, South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, Mercy University Hospital, Bantry Hospital and Mallow Hospital will not go ahead.

At Cork University Maternity Hospital, all gynaecology outpatient appointments are not going ahead. However, antenatal appointments are going ahead, which means that any expectant mother with an appointment should attend.

HSE staff will contact patients with urgent appointments such as dialysis and chemotherapy to make arrangements.

The impact on services also includes appointments in community services including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, community psychology, podiatry, dietetics, child development clinics and eye care clinics, all of which are deferred.

Dental services will also be closed, day services for older people will not take place and appointments at ICPOP (Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons) and Integrated Care Programme Chronic Diseases will not go ahead.

Additionally, all mental health day services, day hospitals and outpatient services have been cancelled.

5.30pm

As snow across Cork city and suburbs is being enjoyed by children, there are further delays on the roads, flight cancellations and ongoing water outages across the county.

Cork City Council advised: “Over the last hour, more snow and sleet has fallen across the city making footpaths and roads dangerous with visibility severely impacted.

“The Orange Warning is in place until 8pm this evening. Our crews continue to work to ensure the city is safe,” they said, advising people to check the council website for salting routes.

Traffic on the M8 Southbound, Dublin - Cork Road is reportedly at a standstill in places, with motorists experiencing long delays as a result.

Cork Airport shared at 5.15pm that their snow and ice team had completed the clearance of snow from their main runway, and it is now operational, saying their teams will continue to monitor the conditions throughout the evening.

The closed runway caused some delays, and one flight from Alicante to land in Shannon instead of Cork, resulting in the cancellation of the Cork to Alicante service - another flight from Bermingham to Cork was diverted to Dublin due to the runway closure.

Ryanair has cancelled a flight from London Gatwick to Cork and from Cork back to London Gatwick, with an earlier flight from Cork to Amsterdam also cancelled and several further flights to and from Cork Airport experiencing delays.

Lily and Rachel O'Sullivan having fun in the snow at Frankfield, Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Lily and Rachel O'Sullivan having fun in the snow at Frankfield, Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Water outages in West Cork are still ongoing following a burst pipe near Baltimore, with Uisce Eireann assuring those in affected areas that they are working to repair the issue.

Motorists are being urged not to travel on the N22 Cork to Killarney Road until snow ploughs deal with heavy snow on the County Bounds, Cork County Council have shared, adding: “Multiple vehicles have been abandoned.” 

Power 

Thousands of homes across Cork are without power this afternoon following the heavy rain and snow, largely in the north of the county which has seen the heaviest snowfall.

In Fermoy, there are 1,947 homes impacted, while in Coolcarron 617 are affected, with repairs expected at 7.15pm for both.

There are 1,263 homes without power in Killacloyne with repairs expected at 7.30pm.

In Newmarket, 1,026 homes are affected by a fault, as well as 874 in Charleville with repairs not expected until 9pm.

Homes in Buttevant, Glounthane, Rathmore and Carrigaline are also without power and awaiting repairs.

ESB have apologised for the loss of supply, saying they are currently working to repair faults “and will restore power as quickly as possible.” They have advised customers to keep up to date on the Power Check website.

Train delays 

Several Cork trains have been delayed as a result of the snow, with staffing problems, a weather related signalling issue, level crossings gates at Buttevant frozen and unable to move and a fallen tree on the line causing problems.

Iarnrod Eireann shared: “Cork/Dublin services in both directions are facing significant delays due to snow/ice affecting level crossings between Mallow-Charleville. Tralee/Mallow services are also delayed due to earlier fallen trees and awaiting connections from delayed Cork services.” shortly after 5.30pm.

They had previously said that services have been suspended between Mallow-Charleville until further notice due to several level crossings being frozen, saying: “Staff are finding it difficult to attend due to extremely poor road conditions.”

3.30pm

Cork County council have advised that there is heavy snow in Mallow and Charleville this afternoon, on the N71 Tunnel Road near Glengarriff, and that conditions are dangerous on the R585 at Cousane, advising motorists to avoid these areas.

Schools 

Several Cork schools are likely to open late or not open at all tomorrow as snow continues to fall across the county, though the Department of Education says it anticipates most schools will open as normal across the country.

In Macroom, St Joseph’s Primary School and St Coleman’s Primary School will be opening at the later time of 11am tomorrow. De La Salle College, Bishop McEgan College and St Mary’s Secondary School will be closed all day.

Presentation Secondary School, CBS Secondary and Coláiste Fionnchua, all in Mitchelstown, will also be closed for the day.

Rockchapel National School in Mallow and Kilbrin National school in Kanturk are among other schools to share on social media that they will not be opening on Monday.

Each school’s management board will have the final say on closures, with road conditions in the locality, heating issues and burst pipes often leading to closures.

Walking in the snow at Whitechurch, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan
Walking in the snow at Whitechurch, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

The Departments of Education and Transport and Bus Éireann met this morning to discuss severe weather in relation to schools.

While the Department of Education said it “anticipates that most schools will open as normal tomorrow morning, in areas affected by severe weather some schools may take a decision to close due to local conditions and safety concerns.” They explained: “A decision to close a school is a matter for individual school management authorities around the country as they are best placed to do this in light of local weather conditions, which vary in regions.

“As school transport services may operate on rural, secondary roads, which may be untreated, this could result in disruption during a spell of adverse weather.

“Safety remains the foremost priority. If a school plans to close or where transport is affected, communications of all such decisions will issue locally between schools and parents or transport providers and parents.

“The Department of Education, along with other government departments, will continue to carefully monitor developments with the weather and engage with key stakeholders.” 

Cork Airport 

One flight from Cork Airport to Alicante has been cancelled and several others delayed.

The airport shared this afternoon: “A moderate level of snow has fallen within the last hour. Our snow and ice teams are currently in the process of clearing the runway and taxiways. As a result, there will be some disruption to arriving and departing services.

“Passengers seeking flight information should contact their airline or refer to their airline website/mobile app for the most up-to-date information.”

Difficult driving conditions on the M8 at Glanmire Co Cork during a snowfall on Sunday afternoon. Pic Larry Cummins
Difficult driving conditions on the M8 at Glanmire Co Cork during a snowfall on Sunday afternoon. Pic Larry Cummins

2.30pm

Snow has swept across Cork, as a status orange weather warning remains in place for 11 counties in the south of Ireland as up to 10cm of snow is expected to fall in some places.

North Cork in particular has seen heavy snowfall overnight and this morning, but heavy rainfall has turned into sleet and snow, which is beginning to stick in Cork City as well as West and East Cork also.

Snow has just started to fall on the Mallow Road, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan
Snow has just started to fall on the Mallow Road, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Met Eireann is forecasting another three hours of snow in Cork City, with snow and rain easing off over the course of the evening, but cold weather set to continue into next week.

Roads 

Cork County Council have advised that heavy snow is leading to dangerous conditions on all routes in North Cork this afternoon, with up to 30cm of snow having fallen in the Rockchapel area.

Snow ploughs and gritters are working on priority 1 and 2 routes in the following areas:

  • Newmarket to the County Bounds via Rockchapel 
  • The Bog Cross to Charleville via Dromina 
  • The N72 from Biddys Green to County Bounds 
  • The R577 from Cloonbannin Cross to Ballydesmond via Boherbue and Kiskeam 
  • The Newmarket area towards Ballydesmond 
  • The Charleville area on the N20 back towards Mallow 

The council advised: “Many local routes are impassible and extreme caution needs to be taken even on treated routes if you must travel.” 

They also warned that there is flooding on the R599 at Agahamilla and at the Ring Road/Faxbridge, both in Clonakilty, saying: “Council crews are monitoring the situation however motorists should avoid the area.” 

Other closures 

Due to the forecasted weather, Fota Wildlife Park has announced that they will close early today. Last entry to Fota Wildlife Park today was at 1.30 pm and they will close at 3 pm.

Ballincollig GAA have also advised: "Due to the current weather, the club will be closed until further notice," saying that reopening times are to follow.

Bus Cancellations 

Bus Eireann have had to cancel several buses across Cork and Kerry.

Route 245 

16:40 Clonmel to cork is cancelled. 

17:00 Clomel to Cork will terminate at Mitchelstown. 

22:00 Cork to Clonmel will terminate at Mitchelstown. 

Route 270 18:00 Killarney to Skibbereen is cancelled.

Route 40 

15:30 Cork to Tralee, will terminate in Macroom 16:30 Cork to Tralee will terminate in Macroom.

17:50 Tralee to Cork is cancelled 19:00 Cork to Tralee is cancelled. 

Any services exiting Cork will only operate as far as Macroom and then return to Cork, and any Services exiting Kerry are cancelled due to weather conditions.

All trips on Route 257, 270, 272, 275 and 279 are cancelled for the remained of the day.

Heavy snowfall in Rylane, Cork this afternoon.
Heavy snowfall in Rylane, Cork this afternoon.

Water and power outages

Uisce Éireann has advised that it is working to repair several burst water mains, which may cause outages to the area from Derryconnell, Schull to Baltimore, and separately in Barleyhill, Rosscarbery.

Thousands of homes and businesses have been left without power overnight, as ESB Networks said that around 28,000 premises nationally are without power as a result of the weather conditions.

Areas in North Cork were among those left without power, including Charleville and Newmarket, with supply expected to be restored shortly.

Over 1,700 properties were left without power in Milford as well as over 600 homes and businesses in Rathmore, with faults due to be fixed by 6pm in both areas.

Cork Airport 

Cork Airport shared at 1pm that they are “open and operating as normal today”, but advised that some services are operating with delays due to weather conditions at some UK and European airports.

“Our snow and ice teams remain on standby throughout the day,” they said, advising those intending to travel to the airport to allow ample time for their journey and anticipate difficult travelling conditions, and to check public transport operator’s website to ensure there have not been cancellations if relying on it for their journey.

Taoiseach urges vigilance 

Taoiseach Simon Harris this morning spoke to the National Emergency Co-Ordination Group coordinating efforts for the cold snap and challenges arising from snow and sleet in Ireland.

The Taoiseach expressed his thanks and that of the people of the country to all those who have been working to keep people safe and well, including many local authority staff who were out gritting roads late at night and early in the morning.

Speaking today, the Taoiseach said: “The situation varies across the country with some parts of Ireland having received a significant amount of snow and sleet. Weather warnings remain in place for many regions for the day ahead. I am conscious around 28,000 properties are without electricity and I thank the ESB crews for the work underway to restore supply.

“It is really important people continue to be very vigilant when it comes to road and travel conditions and also that we all look out for people in our community who may be vulnerable or isolated during this period.

“The very cold weather will continue for much of this week and our teams at national and local level will continue to work hard. The impact of snow and sleet and rain freezing in coming hours—and remaining frozen—will need to be closely monitored.”

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