Streets of West Cork village become ‘rivers’ in heavy rain as 19th Century drainage system collapses

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

There is currently no funding for a drainage scheme to fix the flooding that has hit Union Hall in recent years, Cork County Council has said.

Council engineer John Ahern told a meeting of West Cork Municipal District that the Council has been “actively advancing” the project to install a surface water pipe from Doctor’s Hill to the lagoon in the West Cork village.

“Unfortunately, there is no ready dedicated source of funding available to meet the cost, which would be substantial, for this type of new drainage scheme,” he said. The Council applied to the relevant national fund in 2023 and 2024 but was unsuccessful.

Residents, business owners and representatives of organisations in Union Hall, including the Tidy Towns committee and the local GAA, recently sent a letter to Cork County Council calling on the local authority to take immediate action.

The 19th century drainage system in the village on Glandore Harbour, about 10 kilometres south-east of Skibbereen, has largely collapsed, meaning that the only path for rainwater now is to flow down over the fields and the streets as it makes its way to the sea.

“Houses and businesses that were never flooded are now being flooded as waters seek new pathways underneath buildings. The fire brigade has had to be called to pump water out of houses as it gushed up through floors and even out of fireplaces. Torrents of water flowing down the main street is a common occurrence,” the letter said. The Community Field/GAA grounds are also being regularly flooded.

Cllr Brendan McCarthy, who raised the issue at the Municipal District meeting, said that “the Council are well aware of this issue and what is required, and I think that now we need action on it. The road surface in the area below the church heading to the village is in an awful state.”

“We are seeing much more frequent extreme weather events and there are quite literally, rivers flowing down the street in Union Hall, flooding properties and causing untold damage to them and also to the roads and footpaths. New houses are being built, which is very welcome in the village, but these new houses cannot tap into a proper drainage system.”

Councillors Joe Carroll and Daniel Sexton supported Cllr McCarthy’s motion and called on the Council to look into all possible sources of funding.

Cork County Council engineer John Ahern said that the Council will continue to make funding applications to advance the project. In the meantime, routine maintenance will continue in the village, including footpath repairs this year.