ESB crews worked throughout the weekend to restore power to at least 20,000 homes in the west Cork area left without supplies since Friday, when one of the strongest gales of the year hit the region.
The ESB said fallen trees from Castletownbere to Bandon caused power outages in Bandon, Dunmanway, Skibbereen and Clonakilty, forcing ESB repair crews to work until the early hours of yesterday morning to restore service.
By 6 p.m. yesterday the situation had returned to normal, an ESB spokesman said. The devastation caused by the falling trees was so widespread that 20 extra repair staff had to be drafted in from Clare, Tipperary, Limerick and Waterford to assist west Cork crews.
Mallow, in north Cork, was also hit by the weather. With power lines down in almost every part of west Cork, the ESB warned members of the public not to touch electricity cables and to contact the Garda or their local ESB office if in doubt.