Storm Chandra: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-10
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Sarah O'Reilly (AON), Agricultural Panel

Weather events are happening, whether as predicted by Met Éireann or not, and whether it is a named storm or not. They are not a once-in-a-lifetime event. Flooding is happening regularly, especially where I live.
Every time it starts raining heavily in Cavan, a family who live near me keep watch 24-7. Water starts encircling the steps of their house, front and back. There is no consolation from the Government for these people, who are living in a flood zone and cannot escape the weather or the rising waters. There is a river at the back of their house. The farmer cannot clean out the river, where there is a build-up of silt, because he will be prosecuted if he did so.
The level of flooding we saw across the country during Storm Chandra was shocking. In counties Cavan and Monaghan, some of the roads were so badly affected that in some cases, they collapsed and in others, they were closed for days. It caused unbelievable chaos, particularly in Ballybay, County Monaghan and outside Cootehill, County Cavan.
People were upset by how the Government seemed to put the blame on everyone else instead of engaging in a bit of self-reflection. It was Met Éireann's fault for not updating people in time and it was the weather's fault for the heavy downpour. The reality is that flood forecasting has been available in this country for the past ten years but it has not been available to the public. Who can we blame for that? We have communities that are waiting decades for flood defences and protection measures to be built. Who can we blame for that? We have a tendency in this country to protect fish life over families. Who can we blame for that? The reality is we cannot blame the weather forecasters when the State has flood defence schemes that have been in the pipeline for a decade with no sign of planning or completion. Where does the responsibility lie for that?
In 2015, people in Midleton were promised flood protection. The Minister of State should know that. Over ten years later, a planning application has not been submitted.
Enniscorthy was totally underwater during the storm. There have been 12 floods there in 25 years and still there is no planning permission for flood defences in place. Why is that?
The Cavan flood relief scheme was introduced in 2018 and eight years later, there has been no action at all. There have been workshops, plans and surveys but nothing that will protect our roads, our homes and our businesses.
It is easy to blame the weather instead of focusing on solutions the Government can actually control. Can the Minister of State commit to much needed flood defence schemes and back delivery with a timeline and funding? If he cannot, is it not all just talk?
Senator Joe Conway raised the issue of cleaning out gullies and local authorities. I support what Senator Cosgrove said. She is 100% right. Local authorities are totally underfunded. They actually get the work done. Local government is brilliant for getting jobs done, but it is totally underfunded. In 2021, Cavan County Council was getting €45,000 more for ordinary maintenance than it is this year. Monaghan County Council was getting €81,000 more. The maintenance budget has been cut.
Another thing I want to highlight is that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has not, that I know of, set foot in this Chamber. He has been in it three times, but I have yet to meet him. There are serious problems with roads and roads funding. There have been promises for the past six months about additional funding and it still has not come to light. It is not right, and we deserve to have that Minister in front of us. I call on him to come before us.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-10