Storm Atiyah: 2,000 homes still without power

Power should be restored by Monday night; wind speeds of 128km/h recorded in Mayo, Cork

Storm Atiyah making landfall at Cromwell Point lighthouse, Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Photograph: Alan Landers
Storm Atiyah making landfall at Cromwell Point lighthouse, Valentia Island, Co Kerry. Photograph: Alan Landers

Two thousand homes are still without power on Monday evening after Storm Atiyah passed over Ireland overnight leaving fallen trees and flights and ferries cancelled in its wake.

On Monday morning, ESB Networks reported a large number of faults across the country although many of the faults appeared to affect relatively small numbers of properties.

At the peak of Storm Atiyah, 27,000 customers were without power, most of them in the southwest counties of Kerry and Cork. By Monday morning, that number had decreased to 7,000 homes.

Among the larger faults were more than 800 homes and businesses without power in Loughatalla, Co Tipperary while several hundred homes were without power in Inch, Co Kerry.

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An ESB spokesman said the utility is continuing with repair works and they endeavour to have power restored to all premises by the end of the day.

Wind speeds for Storm Atiyah exceeded those for Storm Lorenzo in October. Speeds of 128 km/h were recorded at Newport, Co Mayo and Roches Point, Co Cork. By contrast the top wind speed from Lorenzo was 108 km/h.

Kerry was subject to a red weather warning during Storm Atiyah which anticipated wind speeds in excess of 130km/h, but the top speed recorded at Valentia Observatory in the county was 115km/h.

Cork airport saw nine inbound flights cancelled, from Manchester, London Heathrow, Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh, while other flights already en route were diverted to Dublin - including one from Malta and another from Gatwick.

Two flights, also due to land in Cork, were diverted to Shannon Airport - one from Budapest and another from London as gusts at the airport reached 85km/h.

There were numerous reports of fallen trees around Co Cork and in Co Kerry council crews were out clearing debris and a shed which had blown from a garden onto a main road near Murrioch, Ballydavid.

Cork County Council suspended the cable car serving Dursey Island at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, while council staff were out clearing fallen trees on some minor roads in both north and west Cork.

Shauna Bowers

Shauna Bowers

Shauna Bowers is Health Correspondent of The Irish Times

Kitty Holland

Kitty Holland

Kitty Holland is Social Affairs Correspondent of The Irish Times

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times