Day: March 2, 2021

Welcome to the month of March, they used to say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Time will tell and we shall see. The fierce flooding last week brought torrents the likes of which we haven’t seen in a long time. Fields were turned into oceans and roads into rivers but thankfully no lives were lost. As far as we can recall the year 1986 was the last time we’ve seen such extreme weather conditions, around here anyway. Heavy rainfalls don’t be the same everywhere and I believe that the latest  did not affect other parts of the country as they did here in the south. Nineteen eighty six stands out, for the memories that it left us of hoards of people being stranded in their cars, along the Macroom road for miles outside of  Millstreet. As floods often do it struck in late afternoon when people were making their way home, some from work, others from a day shopping in Cork City, or a Doctor’s appointment, others tourists visiting  the Green Isle to see the sights. Like most people in flash floods, some people tell themselves that they can make it through but it doesn’t always work, and while most people that evening yielded to the situation and accepted local hospitality on that mid summer evening, others forged ahead, to their peril. The area around the Grotto at Liscahane,was noted that time for flooding, but not to a dangerous degree however on that particular evening at nightfall, the ditch gave way to the power of water as an elderly couple were passing and their car was washed in. Luckily for them their car came to a halt with the front facing up to the edge of the road and the floods were torrential over it.  He was shouting to get his wife out, she had been at a specialist in Cork that day as she had cancer, but because his very modern car was electric it could not be opened as the engine was stopped. A tractor was soon brought on the scene, but the pumped wheels  enabled the volume of water to raise it off the ground and the attempt had to be abandoned. In due course the Macroom fire brigade arrived and rescued to terror stricken couple. Our two houses here took in over fifty people that night, many had food in the cars and they brought it in and shared it around .  John D was in the Chip business at the time, he started up and supplied the multitude with hot takeaway on the house. When all were safe and fed a rousing singsong broke out and friendships were forged that still last to this day.  So there was a happy ending after all.

[read more …] “Eily’s Report – 2nd March”