Towns throughout the south-east were vying for the unenviable honour of being declared the most flooded in Ireland.
In Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, where the Slaney burst its banks and many people were evacuated from their homes, the flooding was described by a local as being "of Clonmel proportions".
In fact, though the people of Clonmel might disagree, it was probably even worse. "It's desperate at the moment," said local Fianna Fail TD Mr John Browne. "The water is up to two and three feet in some places. People say it's worse than the floods of 1965."
From early yesterday, the town was effectively cut off as Templeshannon Quay became impassable, forcing traffic on the N11 Dublin-Rosslare route to divert from the town.
Many locals watched as the Slaney rose above both the old and new bridges which span the river in the town centre. Wexford County Council lorries transported people across town.
A man who attempted to walk across one of the bridges yesterday afternoon was swept into the river but was pulled to safety.
Island Road, on the approach to the town from the Dublin side, was also badly hit and residents on both sides of the street were evacuated. Some went to stay with friends and others were accommodated in local B & Bs and hotels at the council's expense.
Mr Browne called on the Minister of State in charge of the Office of Public Works, Mr Martin Cullen, to have the town declared a disaster area and to ensure that people were compensated for their losses. Many businesses were forced to close while residents faced enormous bills for repairing the damage to their homes, he said.
The county secretary, Mr John Pierce, said an emergency flooding plan had been activated and there were two meetings yesterday of a co-ordinating group comprising the Garda, the Civil Defence, the Defence Forces, the South Eastern Health Board and the county council.
Parts of Kilkenny city were also under water after the Nore burst its banks. A tributary of the Nore, the Breagagh, also overflowed, flooding parts of Irish town. Mr Don O'Sullivan, the county engineer, said some residents on John's Quay had chosen to be evacuated but others had simply moved upstairs as ground floors became flooded.
Another blackspot was Piltown, where up to 5 ft of water accumulated on the main Waterford-Limerick road, forcing traffic to divert. Ballyhale, Graiguenamanagh, Freshford, Mullinavat and Castlecomer were some of the other areas affected.
All of the county's fire crews had been out since early on Sunday, alleviating the problem wherever possible.
In Waterford, major drainage works carried out in recent months appeared to have had a beneficial effect, as the expected flooding of the quays did not materialise, but the city and county did not escape.
A dramatic rise in the Blackwater led to the closure of the Lismore-Cappoquin road, while the Waterford-Tramore road was also impassable for a time.
Residents of Hillview in Waterford city praised the actions of corporation, fire service and Army personnel who spent 14 hours from Sunday afternoon alleviating the flooding in the area.
Ms Linda Robinson of Oak Avenue said water had risen at a "frightening" pace.
