Dudley, Eunice, Éowyn, Franklin – Monaghan is intimately familiar with a succession of storms
Scenes of flooding have become almost commonplace in Monaghan as more frequent and severe storms rage through the county.
In recent times, Dudley, Eunice and Franklin caused flooding in Monaghan town centre and surface flooding across the county that resulted in landslides and the spread of pollutants.
And, even though it made landfall in October last year, long after Monaghan County Council’s Climate Action Plan was penned, Storm Amy still flooded parts of the county's designated decarbonising zone.
According to Gretta McCarron, a local activist, lessons haven’t been learned by planners, despite a long history of floods in the county.
“You have to question some of the judgment around planning,” Ms McCarron, the director of the Knocknagrave Environmental Centre, said. “Where they put the new Aldi [in Monaghan town] is right beside the floods.
Maynooth University climate emeritus professor John Sweeney. Photo: Frank McGrath
“There’s a lot to be done [on] sustainable solutions.”
But flooding is not the only risk the county faces as global temperatures continue to rise.
The council’s action plan shows climate impacts have ramped up over recent decades. Just one river flood and three storms were recorded in the 1980s. Between 2020 and 2022, there were five extreme storms, three floods, a number of heatwaves, and heavy snowstorms.
While some may think climate change only causes heatwaves, Maynooth University climate expert John Sweeney says rising temperatures can also bring heavier rains and snow.
How your county is weighing in on fighting climate change
“For every one-degree rise in temperature, the atmosphere can hold 7pc more water vapour,” Professor Sweeney said.
“This means a warmer atmosphere has greater potential to release more intense precipitation.
“For most of the world, this falls as rain. However, if the lower levels of the atmosphere are seasonally cold, snowfall is likely.”
According to the Monaghan climate plan, eight out of the last 10 winters have recorded more precipitation than the 1961-1990 baseline, but drought conditions were experienced in 2018 and 2022.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Monaghan was 31.1C at Carrickmacross on July 18, 2022.
These extreme weather patterns are impacting infrastructure and daily lives, with heatwaves resulting in damage to road surfaces across the county and snow and ice causing disruption to transport.
During Storm Barra, according to the action plan, “over 2,500 houses across the county lost power” and “windstorms caused disruption to transport routes because of treefall”.
Monaghan didn’t escape Storm Eleanor in 2018 either. It “caused 20 roads to be either blocked or affected by fallen trees, including national roads such as the N12”.
Temperatures in Monaghan rose 0.4C between 1971 and 2000, and are predicted to increase by another 1.2C to 1.6C.
Trees downed in Monaghan during a storm
According to the action plan, “some hazards may occur more often” by 2050, including “more frequent heatwaves”, drier summers with a potential increase in droughts, more heavy rainfall days “with some areas projected to see increases of up to 89pc”, and more flooding.
Global scientists agree that the only way to stave off the worst impacts of the climate crisis is to end the use of fossil fuels for energy.
That’s why local authorities across Ireland have been asked to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 51pc by 2030. In 2018, the baseline year for emissions levels, 2,158,769 tonnes of greenhouse gases were released across the county.
Commerce and industry contributed 35pc, agriculture 31pc, transport 16pc, residential 9pc, land use 7pc, and waste and waste water 2pc. A lot of that is outside the direct scope of the council.
Over 60pc of the county’s workers are employed in agriculture and food, around 90pc of the food the county produces is exported and 14 of Ireland’s top 100 food producing companies are based in Monaghan. That poses a challenge.
Liam Murtagh, a volunteer who serves on the county council’s Climate Action and Environment Strategic Policy Committee, said the council will have to “do their best on their own assets, buildings, and cars and transport”.
Plans here include building and social housing retrofits, decarbonising the council’s fleet, a pilot study on alternative, low-carbon pavement materials and ‘town centre first’ plans.
EV charging is an important part of sustainable infrastructure. Photo: PA
In the council’s decarbonising zone, Monaghan town, the council aims to work with businesses to harness sustainability actions and reduce transport emissions through improved green infrastructure, increased EV charging and education, and the Walking and Cycling Strategy.
“[The council is] doing well on energy efficiency,” said Mr Murtagh. “It’s just on the fossil fuels emissions target – heat from some of the buildings – that they are not really on target.
“They hope to link in with the [SEAI Pathfinder Programme] in order to get funding to act on some of the big buildings’ heating – the leisure centre, civic buildings and so on.
“On the social housing side, they are doing quite well. They say they will meet their targets.
“Cutting emissions is a global issue and we have to play our part.
“When it comes to flooding, adaptation is as important as mitigation. It's useful to see where we can achieve both; that there’s nature-based solutions in certain areas.”
Asked to comment on flooding near its new store in Monaghan town, a spokesperson for Aldi said: “We have worked very closely with our construction partners and Monaghan County Council to ensure all possible flood alleviation measures have been taken.
“Our brand-new store in Monaghan represents a major local investment and reinforces our commitment to value and quality.
“We are deeply grateful for the support of the local community and look forward to welcoming customers to our brand-new Monaghan store.”