Kilkenny households forced to use candles due to unexpected power outage

As powerful New Holland Combines and McHale balers took the benefit of the fine weather to cut and wrap the last flourish of the seasons forage crops, households and businesses in the Windgap area found themselves powerless due to a totally unexpected power outage.

Gone since 8.40am on Friday, the presumed local outage, expected to be reconnected within the hour was eventually confirmed to have extended to two thousand two hundred homes across the Mid South and South West of the county.

As the sun descended in a ball of fire and darkness set in, snobs of candles, old lamps and battery lights were called into action to see the day out.

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With outside communication limited to declining numbers of landlines, battery powered transistor and car radios, as mobile phone and laptop batteries were being conserved before running out.

As the stored water supplies declined and thirsty cattle called out, plans of filling the kettle saw the old free flowing spring wells filling the 'tae' pot once more. Looking into another day of changed work patterns and generator driven milking alternatives, the dawn and cock crow had brought a welcome return to normality, thanks to the sustained efforts of the Electric Ireland.