Ireland

Roscommon household has power restored 18 days after Storm Éowyn

‘The children have been in tears such was the stress of the past few weeks’

Contractors working to clear trees on a driveway in Co Roscommon. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd
Contractors working to clear trees on a driveway in Co Roscommon. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd
Sarah Slater
Mon Feb 10 2025 - 21:20

A mother-of-four living in rural Co Roscommon was on Monday night no longer “about to cry her eyes out” after 18 days without power and water.

She, her husband and their four children, two of whom are in Leaving and Junior Cert years and in the middle of sitting their mock exams, had been without power since 1am on Friday, January 24th, due to Storm Éowyn.

What made things worse was that all of their neighbours bar one just outside Ballaghaderreen had their electricity back after just three days.

Life without power was a “living nightmare”, she says. To make matters worse they had no water as they needed electricity to power their pump.

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“We bought this house 22 years ago and the power line is about six or seven fields away in a forest so it is not in the easiest location to sort out,” the 53-year-old says. “Being honest we were all in fear of our lives the night Storm Éowyn hit.”

She said that she, her husband and children thought the windows, which are triple-glazed, were going to be blown in and the roof ripped off the house. Some of the children have been constantly in tears over the situation.

“The sounds and vibrations were as if a jumbo jet was over us constantly. We’ve never experienced anything such as the ferocity of the wind and rain. I knew we would probably lose power in the lead up to the storm for a few days but not for this long.”

Working in the home was tough when they lost power for four days as a result of Storm Darragh last December, but Éowyn was at a “whole different level”. she says.

“The children have been in tears, such was the stress of the past few weeks of trying to study and our youngest not being able to use his PlayStation. Our daughter had major surgery last year so obviously she is still recovering and she had to be kept warm at all costs.

“Our neighbours have been so great to us, allowing us to wash and clean clothes and helping us with food along with charging phones and laptops. Roscommon County Council too have helped us with food vouchers and we’ve applied for humanitarian support. We had to throw out all of our food in the fridge and freezer which was just pure waste. The constant driving everywhere to try to live and do the basics was exhausting.”

However, after returning from having dinner out on Monday they switched on a lamp and their home was filled with light again. “There is so much joy in the house now that the power and water are back. The PlayStation is working full blast now, and there will be showers and baths galore in the days ahead.”

In an update on Monday night the National Emergency Co-ordination Group said fewer than 200 customers remain without supply from a peak of 768,000. It said ESB Networks was continuing to work towards restoring supply to these customers but some customers would remain without supply overnight.

All schools are open based on having their power restored or through the use of a generator for the coming days pending restoration of power.

Uisce Éireann is working to return service to the final few customers without water and “significant progress has also been made in restoring telecommunication services”, it said.

Local co-ordination groups remain in place in nine local authority areas: Cavan, Galway County, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.

The humanitarian assistance emergency financial payment is available to homeowners following a severe weather event. It is open to homeowners in affected areas who do not have any power or water supply, and includes support to pay for alternative accommodation if necessary.