Tánaiste falls out of boat on visit to flooded Thomastown

Tánaiste Joan Burton experienced flood waters first hand on Thursday when she fell out of a boat during a visit to Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.

Ms Burton was in the town on Thursday afternoon to visit business people and residents affected by flooding caused by Storm Frank when she fell out of a boat along the town’s quay. The quay has been submerged for the last few days.

The Tánaiste and her Labour Party colleague Minister of State and TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Ann Phelan, were in a canoe being pulled along the quay by local artist Shem Caulfield.

The politicians were being shown the extent of the flooding in Thomastown and many other towns and villages in recent days.

However, within minutes of leaving her entourage the Tánaiste and Ms Phelan fell into the water.

The flood water where the boat capsized was waist high and the Tánaiste and Ms Phelan were helped up by Mr Caulfield and got back into the boat.

After looking at Mr Caulfield’s flooded house the politicians returned to dry land where they laughed off the incident.

“I’m grand,” the Tánaiste said. “I’m very fast on my feet,” adding that her boot-covered feet had remained dry throughout the ordeal and just her legs got wet.

“Well, you can’t say we didn’t experience the flood,” Ms Phelan added. “We’re grand, we’re tougher than that now.”

While the politicians laughed, Mr Caulfield appeared picture of mortification.

“How to drown a Tánaiste,“ he sighed with a rueful grin, adding to Ms Burton herself before she left; “sorry I nearly…” leaving the rest unsaid.

The incident got a near-immediate reaction on Twitter, with one commentator suggesting the Tánaiste’s fall was symbolic of her party’s current standing.