SCHOOL EDITION 29 MAY 2024 - Flipbook - Page 8
8
NEWS
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 22 2020
www.irishnews.com
newsdesk@irishnews.com
LASHING THE CAUSEWAY COAST: Walkers
on Portstewart Strand
PICTURE: Margaret McLaughlin
FLOODING: Police checked on residents in Carrickfergus as the sea wall was
breached by waves
PICTURE: Mal McCann
BLOWN AWAY: A trampoline blew onto the M7 motorway near
Limerick as Storm Brendan struck Ireland
SCHOOL RUN: A children’s school bus runs the gauntlet on the shores of
Strangford Lough in Co Down with waves crashing along the coastal Portaferry WINDY: Storm Brendan arrives on the shores of
Road
PICTURE: Alan Lewis/Photopress Belfast Lough
PICTURE: Mal McCann
Storm Brendan batters
Ireland with 80mph gusts
BRENDAN HUGHES
b.hughes@irishnews.com
S
TORM Brendan battered
Ireland and Britain yesterday with heavy rainfall and
gusts of more than 80mph.
Around 48,000 homes and businesses were without power in the
Republic by the afternoon, while
thousands also suffered power cuts
across the north.
Flights and ferry sailings were cancelled and drivers were advised to
take extra care on the roads during
the hazardous conditions.
The storm brought down trees,
caused localised flooding and sent
huge waves crashing against the
coastline – toppling part of the sea
wall in Carrickfergus.
A trampoline caused traffic disruption after it blew onto the M7
motorway near Limerick, while another trampoline on the railway line
at Finaghy in the north brought train
delays.
Footage shared online also appeared to show a plane being forced
to abort landing at Belfast City Airport as Storm Brendan took hold.
A yellow wind warning was issued
by the UK’s Met Office covering
Northern Ireland, the west of Britain
and the north-east coast of Scotland,
and stayed in place until midnight.
The south’s meteorological service
Met Eireann predicted the worst
conditions, issuing an orange wind
warning.
Winds reached a peak of 83mph at
Roches Point on the Co Cork coast
and in Northern Ireland the highest gust recorded was 63mph at
Magilligan.
By yesterday evening, ESB Networks said 32,000 people in the Republic remained without power and
some homes would be waiting until
today to have their electricity restored.
In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks
said power has been restored to
6,400 customers throughout the day
while 2,000 remained without power.
It said the worst affected areas
were mainly in counties Down and
Antrim, although there were faults
across the north.
Coastal flooding was report-
ed across the island including in
Tramore in Co Waterford, Skerries
and Clontarf in Dublin and parts of
Galway.
The Irish Coast Guard strongly advised the public to stay away from
exposed beaches, cliffs and piers
due to the high winds and waves.
In Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, the
Belfast Road was closed at the junctions with Sloefield Road and Albert
Road after as part of the sea wall
collapsed.
Seaview in Warrenpoint and the
South Promenade in Newcastle were
also closed in both directions.
Ferry operator P&O cancelled various sailings from Larne and Cairnryan.
The maiden voyage of Stena’s new
ferry, the Estrid, was also delayed
for two hours because of the storm.
It docked in Dublin at 3.20pm on its
first sailing from Holyhead in Wales.
Storm Brendan was named on Saturday by Met Éireann.
It
is
the
second
locally
named storm of the winter season,
following
Storm
Atiyah
in December.
Blustery and wet conditions could
continue to bring widespread disruption today, as the Met Office
has issued another yellow weather
warning of wind covering much of
England for a 12-hour period.
A yellow rain warning was also issued for south-east England this afternoon, which is expected to be in
place until tomorrow morning.
Martin: I don’t trust Sinn Féin in government
AOIFE MOORE
AND AINE McMAHON
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál
Martin has said his party
will not go into government
with Sinn Féin after the
upcoming general election
and that he does not trust
them.
Power-sharing returned
to Northern Ireland after
Sinn Féin joined the DUP
leadership in backing a
deal to re-enter devolved
government together.
Referencing the book
Burned about the botched
renewable heating initiative
RHI: Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin cited Sinn Féin’s record
from the RHI scandal
(RHI) that led to the collapse
of the north’s power-sharing
government, he said: “I’ve
made it very clear.
“I don’t trust Sinn Féin in
terms of government and
my fundamental concern
with the Sinn Féin party
as revealed in that book
Burned, for example, is that
people outside of the elected
representatives dictate what
transpires,” Mr Martin told
RTÉ radio yesterday.
He said, while he welcomed
the return of Sinn Féin
to the power-sharing
government in Northern
Ireland, he would not like
to see Sinn Féin in power in
the Republic.
“My position on the north
is different to the Republic;
we’ve had to have a
powersharing arrangement
in the north to ensure
sustainable government –
that’s the reality.”
“It is the PSNI and MI5
and others pointed to the
continued existence of the
army council, not Micheál
Martin.
“That is a fundamental issue
within Sinn Féin.
“Is its commitment to the
wider public or is it to its
own agenda and its own
internal electoral base?”
“I mean we’ve had no
government in Northern
Ireland for three years
because of Sinn Féin
collapsing the executive
three years ago.”
Separately, Mr Martin said
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had
lost three TDs and that he
told him he did not think he
could rely on Maria Bailey’s
support if the government
faces a no-confidence
motion.
The Rural Independent
Group has confirmed it has
voted to place a motion of
no confidence in Health
Minister Simon Harris.
Independent TD Mattie
McGrath, convener and
whip of the Rural Group,
confirmed that a majority of
the TDs have agreed on the
action, however the decision
was not unanimous.