Storm Agnes causes power outages and road disruptions

STORM Agnes, which was named after a Skibbereen-born astronomer, passed through Ireland on Wednesday, leaving power outages and fallen trees in her wake.

Coastal towns like Bantry, which is one of the few locations in West Cork that has yet to benefit from a major flood relief scheme, remained on high alert until high tide passed at 4pm.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council reported that there was no damage of significance in West Cork during the 9am to 5pm weather window. Council workers were busy for most of the day clearing fallen trees, but with motorists only making essential journeys, the level of disruption was kept to a minimum.

With high seas and angry swells, both the local authority and the RNLI advised people to stay high, stay dry and stay away from the coast. Strong gusts and high waves continued to rage throughout the day. ESB crews were busy fixing power outages throughout the region.

An estimated 2,000 were without power for a time in Macroom, with 1,700 people in Bandon affected, 500 at Beal na Bláth, and 42 households in Rosscarbery.

Met Éireann reported wind readings for Sherkin Island of 69 km/h, which is orange level wind, and gusts of up to 111 km/h. Heavy downpours left many of the roads in West Cork dangerous to navigate, including Ardcahan Bridge near Dunmanway, which flooded.

A phone cable also detached from a pole and blew across the Dunmanway to Ballineen road by Manch Bridge. A small tree presented motorists with an obstruction at the dangerous bends at Old Court between Skibbereen and Baltimore, while a large, mature tree completely blocked a back road near the old convent in Glandore.

Storm Agnes is the first storm to hit West Cork's shores this season and is the first in a list of 21 storm names that have been selected.

The storm has been named after Agnes Mary Clerke, the Skibbereen-born astronomer, who lived on Bridge Street, where a shop front still bears the family name.

Tobias Savage sent us this photograph of a steel shed wedged between the fence and the wall of his home at The Moorings in Skibbereen during Storm Agnes.

At lunchtime in Skibbereen on Wednesday, Tobias Savage returned home to The Moorings to find a new steel shed completely on its side. 'It tipped over,' he said. 'In fact, it looks as if it attempted to relocate from the front of the house to the rear.

'Luckily it is wedged between the house and the fence so it cannot cause any damage,' he said.