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LAST UPDATE | 24 Jan 2024
AROUND 12,000 HOMES, businesses and farms around the country are without power this evening in the wake of Storms Isha and Jocelyn.
Some ESB customers are still powerless after Storm Isha hit Ireland over the weekend, with more facing outages due to Storm Jocelyn rolling in yesterday.
Multiple weather warnings were in place yesterday evening, including Status Orange wind warnings for Mayo, Donegal and Galway.
As of this evening, around 12,000 customers remain without power across the country following the storms.
The areas most affected by the outages are predominantly Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Mayo, Cavan and Longford.
The ESB said that while significant progress has been made over the last 48 hours in the restoration effort, its crews are working through faults on the low voltage network that have primarily affected single homes and small clusters of customers.
All available ESB Networks resources are currently deployed, including crews and partner contractors who have travelled from less impacted areas of the country to assist in the restoration effort. For instance, crews from Cork are now deployed in Donegal assisting local colleagues there.
More than 50 skilled personnel from the UK’s National Grid Electricity Distribution and the Power Networks will arrive in Ireland this evening and be deployed in the worst impacted areas from tomorrow morning.
“We haven’t stopped working. We worked very late into last night and started very early today. Every resource we have is working as many hours as it can work to safely get power back but unfortunately it probably will go for a number of days this week to get everyone back,” Brian Tapley, a regional manager at with ESB, told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier.
The ESB has said it is important that any impacted customers who use electrically powered medical devices contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements if necessary.
“We again apologise for the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will be without power again overnight, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power,” the ESB said in a statement this evening.
Margaret Attridge, head of water operations at Uisce Éireann, said that water access has been restored for most after a peak of 50,000 customers without water on Monday morning but that power outages have affected reservoirs.
Following the impacts of the recent weather events, combined with a continued high demand for water, localised overnight restrictions are being put in place tonight in areas of Inchicore and Collins Avenue in north Dublin, along with parts of Ballyogan, Dalkey, Sandycove and Mounttown in south county Dublin.
The restrictions are being put in place to assist with leakage detection and repairs, and to manage reservoir levels.
Customers in these areas will experienced reduced pressure and/or outages from 8pm until 6am tomorrow.
Uisce Éireann has said it may take several hours following restoration of pressure for normal supply to be fully restored due to the size of the network.
“We recognise that this will cause some inconvenience to customers in the affected areas and thank them for their patience while we carry out essential works to address leakage and manage reservoir levels. Customers can get updates on their local supply on water.ie,” Uisce Éireann’s regional operations manager Stephen Burke said.
As of 7pm last night, eight flights to and from Dublin Airport had been cancelled due to the poor weather conditions.
A spokesperson for Dublin Airport said this morning that there were “no additional cancellations last night (8 for the day) and everything is moving well this morning”.
Met Éireann forecasts that tonight will be dry in many areas at first, but cloud, rain and drizzle will continue to move in from the southwest, bringing dull and misty conditions.
Lowest temperatures tonight will range between 2 and 7 degrees, coolest early on in Ulster with some frost possible.
Tomorrow is due to be dull and breezy with outbreaks of rain and drizzle. Some heavy bursts are to begin across Atlantic counties.
Low cloud and mist is also expected, while some brighter spells will develop during the afternoon as the rain and drizzle becomes patchier.
Conditions will be relatively mild and humid with highest temperatures of 11 to 14 degrees.
Later tomorrow evening, a band of squally rain is forecast to move in from the Atlantic.
With reporting by Lauren Boland
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Hats off to the heroes in the ESB, who do a really great job sorting out these outages, which are only going to get worse and worse.
What many are completely unaware of, is the fact that the vast majority of our roadside Ash are going to die. If you have a diseased tree, you are not covered by your insurance if they fall on someone or cause an accident. Not sure how this applies to knocking down powerlines.
@Nicholas Grubb: Hear, hear!
@Nicholas Grubb:
So now people are heroes for doing the job their paid to do…
People are throwing the word hero around to much for everyday stuff when it used to kept for the most extra ordinary situations…
@William Slevin: I saw them up 30meter transmission poles re stringing very heavy lines in near gale force winds recently……I’d call that a hero in my book……But of course the eternal whinge bags in this comment section are never pleased.
@John Terry:
Their paid very well for doing their job…and theirs alot of health and safety to ensure their safety…anyone calling farmers heroes going into that weather…or truck drivers and so on…no…the word is overused by the likes of you…
By the way coming on here whinging about “whingers” do you not get the irony at all lol bit of a whinger yourself their lad…
@William Slevin: Calling out needless whinging and moaning is not moaning ‘lad’….I think you will find……And anyone that risks their life and limb to provide a service for me(especially if I could not handle it myself)is a hero in my book.
@John Terry:
Unless they’ve put their life in danger to save your life their not a hero…their doing their job…and paid well for it…a hero has done something extraordinary for nothing in return saving someone…if you think someone risking their life just so you can switch on a bulb is a hero because God forbid you can’t charge your phone or get the Internet to whinge about “whingers” your prioritys are in the wrong place…
Appreciating the job they do and acknowledging the hard work they put in is one thing and fair but to call them heroes all to sycophantic…Theirs too much sycophantic worship these days for people doing the job their paid for…
@William Slevin: These people do extraordinary things when asked to.
So that people like you can whinge in comfort.
@William Slevin: There, Their, They’re…….
@ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHerepaid online opretive:
Says the paid online opretive…seriously do you not understand what a hero does…OK yes someone’s job maybe considered extraordinary….but that doesn’t make them a hero doing something extraordinary for someone else like putting their life in danger to save another…that’s a hero…
By the way you don’t no my comforts…as you which for corrupt establishments in Ukraine and the US…shilling for shekels promoting nazis in Ukraine and the US war economy of the arms industry’s of many western nation…
I commend you on getting better reading up on ireland to try blend in better…but we both now your an paid online opertive paid to push warmongering propaganda…
@Alan OConnor:
Thanks lol
@William Slevin: Who are your heroes? Actually, don’t bother. I can easily guess.
@William Slevin: Your posts are fascinating! I usually have no idea what you’re talking about, or if there’s some deep meaning behind them that eludes me, but they are a fascinating read nonetheless. You have a very special talent there, nurture it…
@Tom Dillon: go on…for shxts and giggles…tell me..lil dillion…
@William Tallon:
Thanks…maybe in time you will unravel the enigma that is me lol
@William Slevin: Gosh! You’re such an enigma that I doubt if I ever could. You’re… special…
Roy Keane is the man
@F2yxfluD: oh God the Journal even closed the comments on the Keano Ireland gaffer story. Given his failure as O’Neill’s assistant, but also at Sunderland and Ipswich, almost everyone else would be a better choice.
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