‘People have had enough’ - calls for Kilkenny flood relief schemes to get underway

Kilkenny County Council staff and emergency services went “above and beyond” to help people hit by the flood waters that engulfed Inistioge, Thomastown and Graignamanagh and affected Callan and other areas, in recent weeks.

At the February meeting of Callan Thomastown municipal district councillors there was much praise for the assistance, but councillors also made serious calls for promised flood defence schemes to get underway.

“The people of Graignamanagh have been through enough,” Cllr Brian Cleere declared, and said if the promised temporary flood relief measures are not in place in the coming weeks he will personally drive up to Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran to demand them.

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Minister Moran accompanied Taoiseach Micheál Martin on a visit to inspect the flood affected areas of Kilkenny, last week.
During the visit he gave an undertaking that Kilkenny County Council will be ‘given whatever it needs’ to implement temporary measures.

Cllr Deirdre Cullen said they were happy to welcome the Taoiseach and Minister Moran to Graignamanagh to show them the devastation the flooding had caused, not just to businesses but to residences and the general area.

“We need to start planning the scheme in Graignamanagh and we need to push on with the schemes for Inistioge and Thomastown. People can’t be worrying and dealing with businesses and houses being flooded year in year out. The community has had enough. We need action now,” she demanded.

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Municipal District chairman, Cllr Joe Lyons was high in his praise of Kilkenny County Council Staff and Area Engineer, Declan Murphy for the effort and work undertaken, both day and night in trying conditions.

Cllr Lyons called for immediate funding and the implementation of the Flood Relief Schemes as people are totally fed up and at their wits end witnessing the ongoing damage to property and their livelihoods.

Noting that council staff can only do so much, Cllr Michael Doyle thanked them for their efforts in trying to help those who were flooded.

However, Cllr Doyle said he was “more than disappointed” in relation to the lack of progress on flood relief schemes. It’s over a decade since monies were allocated and there has been no progress on planning and design, he said.
“We had Minister Boxer Moran and Taoiseach Micheál Martin down, that’s all well and good but we need action on the ground now.”

It’s hard enough to get money for jobs but when it’s there and nothing is done it’s frustrating, he said.
Two elderly ladies, in Inistioge and Graignamanagh, had to be helped out of their homes, which was upsetting, Cllr Doyle told the meeting.
“Once water gets in a house is never the same.”

Cllr Cleere raised the council staff for their proactive actions in advance of the flooding - they had sandbags at all the doors on Main Street in Graignamanagh and they didn’t wait for it to happen, he said. Even with the precautions, a couple properties were badly hit.

Referring to the minister and Taoiseach’s visit to Graignamanagh, and his promise of temporary flood defence measures, Cllr Cleere said: “I hope what Minister Moran said will come to fruition. In four or five weeks we will have temporary measures because the flood scheme will take three or four years. It’s a long process.”

Cllr Cleere said he hoped the minister would stick to his word, but if they don’t hear from him in the next three to four weeks “I’ll drive up to him myself because the people of Graignamanagh have been through enough.”

Cllr Joe Sheridan agreed they have to put pressure on government to get funding in place and get the ball rolling to get flood relief schemes in these places.
“It’s never ending,” he said.

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On a positive note, Cllr Lyons pointed out the importance of the pumps in the Abbey Meadow carpark in Callan, and commented that the pumping system and the clearing out of the eye of the bridge that was completely blocked for years, led to less damage to local properties adjacent to the river.

Mr Murphy said two new pumps installed shortly and the accumulating flood water from The Mill Race will be pumped back to the river through a raised exit pipe.

A plan has been drawn up and is now with National Parks and Wildlife Services and Inland Fisheries for the silt mounds in the King’s River, he added.

Cllr Sheridan welcomed the work planned for Callan, with money allocated and contractors appointed. Work is starting next month, he said.

Cllr Doyle also pointed out that flood plains in several areas had done their jobs. “There was a lot of publicity over the flooding of the GAA field in Inistioge, but that’s annual and does no harm, it’s designed to flood.”
If the playing pitch was ‘protected’ from the river tides than the village would flood, he said.