WexfordLocal.com

Taoiseach to visit Enniscorthy?

By Dan Walsh

An Taoiseach Micheál Martin is expected in Enniscorthy on Monday morning as part of his tour of flooding sites in counties Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford.

Details of An Taoiseach’s itinerary are unknown at this stage, however it is expected that he will visit householders on Island Road and following in the footprints of President Michael D. Higgins in 2015.

Communication with the business community could be less transparent on a Bank Holiday Monday when most businesses are closed. However, politics is a protective environment!

Micheál Martin visited Co. Wexford two weeks ago when he was entertained at Gorey Business Hub and Enniscorthy Technology Park.

The National Co-Ordination team met again on Sunday. The drier spell of the past 24 hours and into Monday is providing a temporary reprieve from the worst of the flood conditions, however the River Slaney and many other rivers remain full.

The persistent rainfall of the last number of weeks has left soils waterlogged and a further period of heavy rainfall expected from Monday afternoon will cause further threat of flooding this week.

We are also now entering a period of High Spring Tides.

More heavy rainfall is expected throughout this week, with strong winds and it is expected that the South and East will receive highest totals.

Wexford County Council is ready to respond to incidents as they occur, sandbags have been deployed where needed and crews are constantly monitoring the river levels and other areas of increased risk of flooding.

Members of the public are reminded that continued vigilance is needed on all roads in the county and do not enter flooded areas.

Low reservoir levels at Creagh affects North Wexford

By Dan Walsh

Uisce Éireann is advising customers served by the Creagh Water Treatment Plant in Gorey that operational issues have led to low reservoir levels this afternoon.

Due to the depleted reservoir levels, customers in Clonattin and Ballymoney may experience a water outage or reduced water pressure.

Uisce Éireann’s Padraig Lyng has assured customers that every effort is being made to restore a full water supply as quickly as possible. “We understand the inconvenience of an unplanned outage and we thank customers for their support while normal supply is being restored.”

He explained crews are on site and it is expected to have full supply restored by 10pm tonight.

Typically, it takes two to three hours following repairs for normal supply to restore to all customers affected by an unplanned outage. However, it may take longer for normal supply to be restored to customers at the end of the network or on higher ground as the system recharges.

Denis Murphy saddles a Sunday winner

By Dan Walsh

Two point-to-points took place today in heavy conditions, but only one Wexford winner and that came at Ballyvodock, near Middleton in Co. Cork.

**DENIS MURPHY saddled a winner today.** (File Pic; *WexfordLocal.com*)

Denis Murphy from Ballyboy Stables, The Ballagh, saddled Lady Aurora, ridden by Shane Cotter, and she scored by five lengths in the maiden race for five-year-old mares.

The Wexford Hunt point-to-point fixture scheduled for Ballinaboola, New Ross today (Sunday) was called off after the track was found unfit for racing and the fixture has been rescheduled for next Saturday, February 7th.

The card had received 76 entries and they will stand. First race at 1pm.

‘A Most Remarkable Woman’ is now available

Pictured at the launch of *A Most Remarkable Woman* at the National 1798 Rebellion Centre, Enniscorthy today were Barbara Gutheie (costume designer), Maria Nolan (author) and Maura Bell who performed the official launch. (Pic; *WexfordLocal.com*)

By Dan Walsh at the National 1798 Rebellion Centre, Enniscorthy

A new book from Maria Nolan entitled A Most Remarkable Woman was launched this morning by the Manager of Enniscorthy Castle and Vinegar Hill, Maura Bell, at a pleasant function held in the National 1798 Rebellion Centre at Enniscorthy.

Ms. Bell began by commenting on the size of the print which she described as ‘amazing’ and spoke about Maria Nolan’s book which she said was “an historic romantic novel”

She described the author as “an amazing person who connects and networks with so many organisations in the town” and concluded by saying it was an honour to launch the book – A Most Remarkable Woman -and wished Maria Nolan future success.

Maria Nolan spoke at length about the content of the book, thanked the attendance and said the book is “dedicated to all the remarkable woman that I know and all the remarkable women that I don’t know.”

Special guest at the launch was costume designer Barbara Guthrie who appears on the cover and the style of dress that Anna Leon-Owens would have worn.

The book is based on the true-life story of Anna Harriet Edwards Donaghue Leon-Owens, who became governess to King Mongkut of Siam instructing his 82 children in English and the ways of the western world between 1862 and 1867.
Anna Leon-Owens, as she became when she married Thomas Leon-Owens and lived at Weafer Street, Enniscorthy. When Anna’s husband died, she was left with her son, Louis, at Enniscorthy but since she did not have any disposable income, she found it impossible to continue.

Anna’s uncle then found her a position as Governess to the King of Siam (now Thailand); however, she laid down strict conditions on acceptance. The King had to accept her young son, as well!

This presumptuous Enniscorthy woman and her love for her son, inspired a book Anna and the King of Siam and a musical and film The King and I with Yul Brenner and Deborah Kerr.

A Most Remarkable Woman is an intriguing tale of love, loss, bigotry, discrimination, self-invention, exceptional savvy, desperation, sexual intimacy, survival, freedom in action, thought and deed, and above all else strength and courage.

A Most Remarkable Woman by Maria Nolan is available at Easons bookstore, Court St., Enniscorthy in paperback and at Amazon as an e-book or paperback.

Sunday point-to-point is off

By Dan Walsh

The Wexford Hunt point-to-point fixture scheduled for Ballinaboola, New Ross on Sunday has been called off and rescheduled.

Following an inspection today (Friday) the track was found to be unfit for racing and the fixture has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 7th.

The card had received 76 entries and they will stand. First race at 1pm.

Risk of Enniscorthy flooding again tonight

**The floods at Island Road, Enniscorthy, on Tuesday. Water levels are rising again tonight.** (Pic; *WexfordLocal.com*)

UPDATES; Cllr Pat Kehoe informs us that the L-2006-1 at Clohamon/Slaney Meats is currently flooded and impassable to traffic until further notice.

A lecture entitled ‘Sinking of the Pomona’ by Paul Byrne, Co. Wexford Historian in Residence planned for Enniscorthy Castle tomorrow (Saturday) has been postponed due to the weather.

The River Slaney has burst its banks at Enniscorthy and the Riverside Park Hotel will be closed tomorrow (Saturday).

Cllr Ger Carthy tells us that the GAA pitch at Our Lady’s Island is completely under water tonight. The lake is overflowing.

Edermine is flooded now. Please avoid intil further notice.

By Dan Walsh in Enniscorthy, Friday 7pm

River levels continue to rise across Co. Wexford this evening and surface water is building on all routes across the county.

There is a very significant risk of flooding in Enniscorthy town again tonight and over the next 24 hours.

Wexford County Council is advising motorists to avoid Enniscorthy town overnight as traffic is currently at a standstill.

Wexford County Council teams are on site in Enniscorthy and around the county where there is an imminent risk of serious flooding and river gauges are constantly monitored.

The River Slaney has burst its banks at The Promenade and the quayside south of the Seamus Rafter Bridge is already closed to all traffic.

Please do not to bring children anywhere near flooded areas as the water is flowing rapidly and there may be underlying manholes that have become dislodged and other debris from lands and the river.

At this point, flood waters should be treated as contaminated.

Our Lady’s Island Lake is currently at risk of flooding onto the road so be careful in the vicinity.

There is a huge amount of water on the R730 between the Heritage Park and Ballymackess this evening while a large amount of flood waters is crossing the M11 Oylegate to Ferrycarrig stretch of road south of Kyle Cross.

Please take care on all roads, local and national, as water is accumulating in places – be especially mindful on dark or quieter roads where flooding may not be obvious.

The County Council emergency line is open 24 hours on 05391 96000 if you are impacted by flooding.

Life-threatening situations should be reported to the Emergency Services on 999 / 112 and the relevant agency will be informed.

Prayer celebrations for St. Brigid’s Day

By Dan Walsh

Parish communities in the Diocese of Ferns will host outdoor prayers for St. Brigid’s Day which occurs on Sunday, February 1^st.

Brigid Clauson, a member of the Ferns Diocesan Pastoral Council, described the events as “an opportunity for everyone in a community to spend some time in nature and pray together. Some parishes can gather at their local holy well while other parishes may be inclined towards gathering at a place of scenic beauty. The day offers the opportunity to gather with reverence, prayer and faith in the surroundings of earth, sea and sky.”

Celebrations will be held in at least four locations across the Diocese of Ferns.

An afternoon walk will be held in Kilrush on Sunday, February 1^st. At 2pm, people will gather at the Holy Well in Kiltilly. A 6km pilgrimage will take place before an ecumenical service is held at 4pm at Kilrush Catholic Church (Eircode Y21 YO32).

On Bank Holiday Monday, February 2nd, Our Lady’s Island will hold a celebration starting in the car park at 11am. From there, a walk will visit the site of the original parish holy well before concluding at the edge of Our Lady’s Island Lake. The prayer service will take place there. If the weather is poor, the service will be held in Our Lady’s Island Community Centre instead.

Members of Riverchapel Parish will celebrate St. Brigid on Sunday, February 1^st. Everyone is welcome to meet in the public car park beside Courtown Playground. The group will gather from 12 noon and set off around 12.15pm on a short pilgrimage walk through Courtown Woods via the Chestnut Walk to Kilbride Cross. Weather permitting.

A short outdoor gathering will begin in the car park of St. Brigid’s Church Clologue (Eircode Y21X5W9) on Sunday, February 1^st at 12pm.

A Mass will be celebrated at St. Brigid’s Well, Crossabeg on Sunday, February 1^st at 12.30pm.

St. Michael’s Parish in Gorey will host a talk entitled St. Brigid – The Life Behind The Legend on Friday, January 30^th at 7pm in the Pastoral Centre.

Wexford welcomes WexTrad weekend

By Dan Walsh

The first WexTrad festival starts tonight (Thursday) in Wexford town and continues through until Bank Holiday Monday with Irish cultural events for St. Brigid’s Day weekend.

The opening event will revive a traditional Wexford Mummers Ball, featuring displays by mummers’ groups from around the county and dancing to a lively House Ceili Band.

The festival will include a programme of concerts, presentations, a free indoor multi-group stage and a late-night Festival Club. This will be a unique local cultural experience.

Additionally, over the weekend, associated events are being run by partner arts bodies, such as the National Opera House, Wexford Arts Centre and Eclectic Avenue.

Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann will run a series of Comhaltas-led events over the same weekend, to include instrument workshops with renowned national musicians, youth events, family events and a set dancing ceili with The Legacy Ceili Band.

Another exciting parallel event taking place over that weekend will be the Smithwick’s trad trail, which will be held in over 20 pubs and hotels in Wexford town from Friday to Monday. This will feature lively pub sessions of Irish traditional music, rousing ballad performances, and superb gigs by live bands.

Programme of events; Wexford Mummers Ball, Thursday January 29th, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite 9pm.

Tulua in concert, Friday January 30th, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite 9pm.

Ardan na Slaine – a FREE indoor gig rig-style event, Saturday January 31st, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite 12 noon onwards. This unique event is generously supported by Wexford Credit Union.

3 on the Bund in concert, Sunday February 1st, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite 9pm.

A Celebration of Wexford Piping concert, Monday February 2nd, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite, 1pm. This is a rare event – a gathering of uilleann pipers from throughout the county.

The Tin Sandwich Band, Monday February 2nd, Talbot Hotel Slaney Suite 7pm.

Crown Live/Wextrad Joint Event (Tickets through Crown Live):

The Rising followed by Gerry’s Trisco, Crown Live, Saturday January 31st 11pm.

Electrad followed by Gerry’s Trisco, Crown Live, Sunday February 1st 11pm.

Wextrad Events (tickets available through Wexford Arts Centre):

WexTrad Weekend is supported by Wexford County Council, as a Fleadh legacy project, and is additionally supported by Wexford Credit Union, Wexford Town Vintners, The Talbot Hotel and Crown Live.

Wextrad Events tickets are available through Wexford Arts Centre.

New risk of flooding fears for Enniscorthy

**Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran addressing the media at the Presentation Centre on his visit to Enniscorthy today**. (Pic; *WexfordLocal.com*)

By Dan Walsh in Enniscorthy

Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran visited Enniscorthy this afternoon where he met with politicians, engineers, residents and businesses affected by Tuesday’s flooding in the town acknowledged as the worse experienced in three decades.

Minister Moran met a delegation at the Presentation Centre including Minister James Browne, Johnny Mythen TD, Senator Cathal Byrne, Cllrs Barbara-Anne Murphy, Cathaoirleach of Enniscorthy Municipal District, Aidan Browne, John O’Rourke and Jackser Owens, Eddie Taaffe, Chief Executive of Wexford County Council, Eamonn Hore, Director of Services and Jim Casey, Engineer with OPW.

The Minister gave a press conference to local and national media at the Presentation Centre and visited damaged premises on Island Road, such as Tyreworld (Ronan Furlong), J&M Motors (John Leacy) and the home of Michael O’Neill.

It was also learned that tons of goods were destroyed at Dunnes Stores after the flood waters entered the premises. The shop itself wasn’t affected and business continued as usual.

Another Yellow warning for rain will come into effect in County Wexford on Friday morning at 9am, lasting until midnight.

On top of today’s yellow warning for rainfall, and with saturated lands and rivers, this creates a continued high risk for flooding for the Slaney, and particularly Enniscorthy town, right through the bank holiday weekend.

This is an ongoing response situation for Wexford County Council. Teams remain vigilant, monitoring the river gauges to assess potential impacts in the county, and for the recently flood-affected areas. “We remain ready to respond to the ongoing flooding situation as issues may occur,” said Wexford County Council in a statement.

Repair work is still ongoing around the county, to damaged roads, pipes, and manholes. There is a commitment to engage with business owners and residents in the immediate River Slaney catchment in Enniscorthy town.

According to Met Éireann, between 10 and 25mm of rain may fall in the next 24-36 hours. Many rivers, including the Slaney are currently very full, so combined with continued heavy rains and drenched soils, this may create further accumulations of both surface and river water.

There has been an accumulated rainfall of 79.6mm between January 22^nd and 28^thin the county.

Enniscorthy quays and bridges reopened

Iarnród Éireann crews clearing the debris from the railway bridge which was completely submerged in the flood waters and train services between Rosslare Harbour and Bray were facilitated by bus for two days. Enniscorthy railway station was completely underwater. (Pic; *WexfordLocal.com*)

By Dan Walsh in Enniscorthy

Traffic is travelling through Enniscorthy again tonight. Both bridges and the quays have been cleaned up and declared safe for normal traffic to resume following the worst floods in the town for three decades.

However, there is no immediate guarantee. A Status Yellow Rain warning for Wexford is now in place for Thursday and there is still some uncertainty around Friday’s weather in the county, but Council teams remain vigilant during this unsettled period and will continue to monitor river levels and respond as required to the ongoing weather situation.

The Status Yellow rain warning is for Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Wexford, Wicklow, and Waterford and is valid from midnight Thursday to midnight Friday.

Met Éireann predict further heavy rain and showers falling on saturated ground, combined with high river levels, may cause localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travelling conditions.
The River Slaney levels receded quite rapidly this morning and crews spent all day returning the roads to full fitness in a smooth operation that was overseen by Wexford County Council engineers and aided by dry weather conditions.

Overnight the sheer force of the water caused the wall on the Wexford side of the river to collapse and disappear into the flood waters. A temporary wall has been erected for public safety.

Enniscorthy town and Bunclody are entering into the recovery period as flood waters subside, with council crews, home and business owners assessing damage and continuing to make repairs to affected areas.

Community Support Centres are opened in Enniscorthy and Bunclody to support impacted homeowners with access to charging, hot water and showers.

The locations are Rapparees Starlights GAA Club, Bellefield, Enniscorthy, St Aidan’s Hall, Irish Street, Bunclody, and Templeshannon Community & Childcare Centre.

The Department of Social Protection operated clinics to support impacted households through the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme (HAS) today in Enniscorthy and Bunclody.

By phone/email for impacted households: 0818 60 70 80 or HAS@DSP.IE

While the nation focus is on the welfare of Enniscorthy households and business premises the flooding is also extensive in other parts of the region.

Edermine bridge road is heavily flooded. This is a usual flooding spot and can be affected by heavy rain and tidal conditions.

The River Slaney caused unprecedented flooding on Ryland Road in Bunclody on the N80. A big clean up by the residents aided by the Council crews took place and the route into Carlow has reopened.

Severe flooding was observed in Clohamon and fields were extensively flooded at Scarawalsh in the vicinity of the old bridge. Both are on the River Slaney.

Hundreds of hectares of land are under water along the River Bann between Camolin, along by Ferns and down to Scarawalsh where the tributary joins the River Slaney.

RTÉ News is reporting that the Minister of State for the Office of Public Works (OPW) Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran will visit Enniscorthy tomorrow (Thursday). He has visited the town many times regards the flooding, makes a good photo shoot and nothing is progressed and, of course, An Taoiseach Micheál Martin was also in Enniscorthy last week.