THERE WAS severe flooding in parts of the southwest yesterday and last night Kerry County Council closed the main N22 Cork to Killarney road near Glenflesk after flood waters building up all day made the Garries Bridge area impassable. Traffic to Cork was being diverted through Rathmore, writes Anne Lucey
In the south of the county, the Kells area as well as the Inny bridge was flooded.
Kenmare experienced some of its worst flooding in living memory because of a combination of high tides, heavy rain and rivers bursting their banks.
The many new housing developments which now surround the heritage town, some on the flood plain of the rivers, were also felt to have contributed to the flooding.
In the early afternoon up to 4ft of water was recorded in the Square, Church Road and Main Street areas. Henry Street was also flooded. Businesses closed shortly after 2.30pm and cars which had been moved to the nearby Square area when it became clear the river Finnihy, the town's main river, had burst its banks, were seen floating.
Approach roads to Kenmare on the southern and western sides were also impassable. Gardaí were warning motorists to stay away from the town.
Patrick Connor-Scarteen, a solicitor in Main Street, said the water had flooded a lot of new houses around the Finnihy but older houses were also affected.
He paid tribute to the efforts of the fire service and county council which distributed sand bags, but said a strategy was needed to avoid recurrence.
His father Michael, an auctioneer and county councillor, said there had been bad flooding 40 years ago but it had never got as far into the town.
"The water came very fast," he said. However, it appeared to be receding in the late afternoon. Some landmarks, including the Horseshoe bar and Quills as well as the AIB bank were flooded.
A footbridge was also swept. away. Seán Daly, an auctioneer in Kenmare, said the water from the Finnihy had no place to go. Nine years ago, before the housing development, there had been floods but "there was more off for the water," he said.
Roads were closed due to flooding in Tralee and the N86 Dingle-Tralee road and the Conor Pass also experienced flooding yesterday. Ballylongford on the Shannon estuary was also badly affected.
A county council spokesman said the rain had stopped at about 4pm and the situation in Kenmare was under control.