Killarney experiences worst flooding 'in a generation' after heavy overnight rain

Sean Ryan

One of the country’s top tourist spots has experienced the worst flooding in a generation, according to a local Councillor.

A Status Yellow rain warning for several counties expired at 6am, while Kerry County Council reported "torrential downpours" and flooding in parts of the county.

In a series of social media updates, the council said a number of roads were affected, including the N22 road, which it said was closed at the bottom of Pike Hill near Killarney.

After 10pm, the council said the flooding was substantially cleared from Park Road and Countess Road. It added that fire brigade crews had been stood down. However, it urged people to continue "to travel with care".

According to figures from Carlow weather, Carlow experienced 57 mm of rain despite the county not being under the Yellow rain warning.

Former town Mayor Cllr Niall Kelleher said that it was a very difficult night for Killarney, which has experienced the worst flooding in a generation.

He said ‘’The flood waters have thankfully now receded and roads around Killarney have cleared, but for many families and businesses the impact of what happened tonight will remain long after the water is gone’’

Kelleher, who is also a businessman in the town said ‘’My thoughts are especially with those who watched flood water come through the doors of their homes and businesses, damaging property and possessions in a matter of minutes.

"It must have been an incredibly frightening and helpless experience, and tomorrow morning many people will be facing an immense clean-up’’.

Describing what happened, he said, "The sheer intensity of the rainfall caught Killarney by surprise, with no weather warning in place for County Kerry.

The heaviest rain fell between approximately 7pm and 8pm and resulted in serious flooding across parts of the town. I want to sincerely acknowledge the tremendous response from Kerry County Council crews, Killarney Fire Service, Civil Defence and everyone else who came out at short notice to assist people and deal with flooding in extremely difficult circumstances. ’’

Kerry County Council will be assessing the number of properties impacted over the coming days. Director of Climate Action at Kerry County Council Paul Neary said that an assessment of the damage will be carried out this morning.

He said that while there was no warning, "the crews from Kerry County Council were dispatched to deal with the problem immediately."

Met Éireann said while Friday will be a bright day for most with sunny spells and temperatures of up to 23C, the rain is set to return on Saturday for most of the country.

It will gradually clear eastwards through the morning, though drier and brighter weather will follow.

While it will stay mostly dry that night, more rain is forecast on Sunday morning. The showers will become widespread and could turn heavy at times, with a chance of thunderstorms. It will also be cooler than recently with highs of around 19C.