'Rivers are running down the streets' of West Cork village when there is heavy rain, council told

A major drainage scheme needs to be implemented in Union Hall, West Cork, as a matter of urgency, according to local Fine Gael councillor Brendan McCarthy, who raised the issue in a motion at the recent meeting of the council’s West Cork Municipal District. 

Mr McCarthy called for an update from council officials “on proposed drainage improvements, road resurfacing and new footpaths from the church down to the village in Union Hall”.

Mr McCarthy said there had been ongoing issues with flooding in the village for many years, and a “major drainage scheme” was now required. He said the 19th-century drains currently in place were unable to cope with increasingly severe weather events.

He added: “The council know what’s required, we need action.

“There are quite literally rivers running down the streets into the bay on some occasions. The GAA field is regularly flooded and the old drains are outdated and some have collapsed. Union Hall is surrounded by hills and the water is flowing straight down into the village.”

Seconding the motion, Fianna Fáil councillor Joe Carroll said the issue needed to be addressed and “plans should be made for when funding becomes available”. 

He added: 

“If you have two days of heavy rain the village is flooded and it’s time the council had a serious look at it.”

Cork County Council senior executive engineer John Ahern said installation of a dedicated surface water pipe in Union Hall from Doctors Hill to the lagoon was a project the council had been actively advancing in recent years.

He said: “Unfortunately, there is no ready dedicated source of funding available to meet the cost for this type of new drainage scheme. Funding applications for the design and construction of a scheme were made both in 2023 and again in 2024 to a national source of funding that this type of scheme should meet the qualifying criteria for.

“To date, no subsequent funding allocation has been granted. An element of funding was received in 2024 from a special storm damage fund which was sufficient to fund the outline design of a scheme.”

Mr Ahern said the council would continue to make funding applications to advance the project and should a funding allocation be received. He added resurfacing works on the road had been deferred pending the installation of the surface water sewer, as this work would involve substantial excavations and routine maintenance would continue in the meantime, with the repair of footpaths in the area programmed for 2025.

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme