A church near Gort is facing the risk of flooding yet again as waters continue to rise across hundreds of acres of land over a wide area.
St Attracta’s Church in Kiltartan was first flooded in 1995 and again in 2015 and is currently surrounded by flood waters. While water has not entered the building, any rise in flood levels will surely result in the church being flooded again.
Locals hope that that water will remain at bay and not rise any higher however, they are concerned that their local chapel will suffer damage again and that the flooding will be worse this time.
Hundreds of acres of farmland have also been flooded with dozens of roads being left under water and homes cut off. As many as nine roads in the Gort area along have been closed with water reported to be up to 8 feet deep in places.
ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING – GORT AREA 2020 pic.twitter.com/wwFIC9sa5o
— Galway County Council (@GalwayCoCo) February 26, 2020
Meanwhile, a section of the rail line between Gort and Athenry remains under water with train services being cancelled. A bus transfer service will operate until further notice.
Iarnród Éireann is also monitoring the rail line at Ballycar near Newmarket on Fergus which is also at risk of flooding. The line has been closed several times in recent years with no sign of the issue being resolved despite commitments from the government and ministerial visits.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) also repeatedly denied the flooding was its responsibility while Iarnród Éireann previously claimed “the OPW have the legal authority and expertise to undertake the necessary works.”
Clare County Council carried out works to raise a local road which repeatedly flooded to depths over up to six feet leaving local homes cut off.
