Tens of thousands of homes in Ireland remained without power on Saturday evening in the wake of Storm Darragh, which lashed the contry overnight with the strongest winds in four years.
At the height of the storm on Saturday morning,a staggering 395,000 properties were plunged into darkness. ESB Networks, the Irish electricity provider, warned that it coudl take several days, or even up to a week in some cases, to fully restore power to all affected areas.
by Saturday evening, ESB Networks reported that 175,000 homes, farms, and businesses were still without electricity. The company compared the storm’s impact to that of Storm Ophelia in 2017, a devastating weather event that caused widespread disruption across Ireland.
Later that evening, ESB Networks provided an update, stating that 120,000 customers remained without power as of 8:45 pm. “Power had been restored to 275,000 customers over the course of the day,” the statement read.
The network cautioned that “significant numbers of customers may be without supply for a number of days and some outages could last for up to a week ‘due to the severity and significant scale of the damage’ caused by the storm.”
“Assessment of the extent of damage is continuing,” ESB Networks said. “We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will remain without power over the coming days, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power.”
At the peak of the storm on Friday night, wind speeds reached a staggering 111 km/h at Mace Head in County Galway, with gusts soaring to 141 km/h. These were the highest wind speeds recorded in Ireland since Storm Ellen in August 2020.
Other areas also experienced powerful gusts, with Knock Airport in County Mayo recording 124 km/h, Roches Point and Sherkin island in County Cork registering 122 km/h, Shannon Airport in County Clare reaching 120 km/h, Cork Airport hitting 115 km/h, and Dublin Airport recording 113 km/h.
Status red and orange wind warnings, the highest levels of alert, were lifted on Saturday morning. A yellow warning, indicating less severe conditions, was also downgraded at 3 pm.
“The center of the depression is now off the east coast pulling into the North Sea,” said Andrew Doran-Sherlock, a forecaster with Met Éireann, Ireland’s meteorological service, on Saturday afternoon. “It is indeed still windy and will be windy through the rest of the day. You may see more impact than you would expect from this level of wind because there are weakened structures already.”
A UK Met Office amber wind warning remained in effect for parts of Northern Ireland until 9 pm.
In Northern Ireland, the UK Met Office issued an amber wind warning for Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Derry until 9 pm.
storm Darragh lashed Ireland on Friday,leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were plunged into darkness as powerful winds uprooted trees, downed power lines, and disrupted essential services across the country.
by Saturday morning, approximately 46,000 customers in Northern Ireland were still without power, according to reports.The storm’s impact was felt nationwide, with widespread travel disruptions and significant damage to infrastructure.
Keith Leonard, representing the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, urged the public to exercise extreme caution in the storm’s aftermath. “In particular, motorists should take extra care as there are fallen trees reported all across the country with many roads closed,” Leonard warned. “Ideally, I would advise drivers not to travel today unless necessary and to check your route in advance if you have to head out.”
Uisce Éireann, Ireland’s water utility, reported disruptions to water treatment plants in several counties, including Kerry, limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Donegal, Leitrim, and Galway. Margaret Attridge, head of water operations at Uisce Éireann, explained that the company had activated its emergency response plan, deploying generators to key sites vulnerable to power outages.
Telecommunications giant Eir reported widespread service disruptions, with Mayo and Donegal bearing the brunt of the storm’s fury. Over 35,000 broadband faults, 20,000 fixed voice outages, and approximately 500 mobile network site outages were recorded. “The full scale of the impact will continue to emerge over the coming days once power is restored and roadways are cleared; power generators are being deployed to impacted mobile sites,” Eir stated. “The storm has caused extensive localised damage, particularly in the west, with downed cables, poles, and other critical infrastructure.”
Across the country, numerous regional and local roads remained impassable on Saturday due to fallen trees and debris. even after the weather alert was lifted, rail services continued to experience significant delays. Dublin-Belfast services were running 90 minutes behind schedule, while Dart services faced 15-minute delays. Dublin-Cork, heuston commuter, Westport, and Galway services also experienced delays ranging from 25 to 35 minutes.
Ferry sailings were also cancelled due to the strong winds. In Galway, several roads were blocked, including the N59 west of Oughterard, the N65 between Killimor and Portumna, and the N84 at Corrandulla Cross. Reports also indicated trees down on the N63 from Mountbellew to Ballygar.
Storm Darragh’s wrath extended to sports facilities as well. The new clubhouse at Garrymore GAA in County Mayo sustained damage, forcing the closure of the club’s gym until further notice. In Sligo, significant damage was inflicted on Gillooly hall, which is currently undergoing renovations.
## Expert Interview: Storm Darragh’s Devastating Impact on Ireland
**World Today News:** Good evening, adn welcome back. Ireland is reeling after being battered by Storm Darragh overnight, one of the strongest storms to hit the country in recent years. Joining us now is Dr. fiona Kelly, a leading climatologist at University College Dublin, to discuss the storm’s impact and what it tells us about the future. Dr. Kelly, thank you for taking the time.
**Dr. Fiona Kelly:** Thank you for having me.
**World Today News:** Let’s start with the immediate impact. Reports paint a grim picture with tens of thousands still without power, widespread travel disruption, and meaningful damage to infrastructure. Given what you know, what’s striking you most about Storm Darragh?
**Dr. fiona Kelly:** What’s especially concerning is the intensity of the storm.Wind speeds reaching 141 km/h are exceptional and speak to the power of this weather event. While Ireland is no stranger to storms, the severity of darragh underlines the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which are hallmarks of our changing climate.
**World Today News:** Do you see a direct link between Storm Darragh and climate change?
**Dr. Fiona Kelly:** Absolutely. While individual storms cannot be directly attributed to climate change, the scientific consensus is clear: climate change is contributing to the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like this.Warmer temperatures lead to more moisture in the atmosphere,which fuels stronger storms and heavy rainfall.
**World Today News:** What does this mean for ireland’s future? Should we expect to see more storms like Darragh in the years to come?
**Dr. Fiona Kelly:** Regrettably, yes. The projections for Ireland are clear: climate change will continue to increase the risk of extreme weather events, including storms, flooding, and heatwaves. This underscores the need for us to invest in robust climate adaptation strategies to protect our infrastructure and communities.
**World Today News:** What specific actions should Ireland take to prepare for these challenges?
**Dr. Fiona Kelly:** First, investing in resilient infrastructure is vital. This means strengthening our power grid, transportation networks, and coastal defenses against extreme weather. Second, we need to ensure our emergency response systems are adequately equipped to handle the increasing frequency and severity of these events. we need to continue investing in research and monitoring to better understand and predict these events, giving us more time to prepare and protect our communities.
**World Today News:** Powerful words Dr. Kelly. We know this is a challenging situation for many families and businesses recovering from this storm. Thank you for shedding light on this important issue, and your expert insights.
**Dr. Fiona Kelly:** My pleasure.
**World Today News:** Let’s send our thoughts to everyone impacted by Storm Darragh and wish them a swift recovery.
