Co Cork homes and businesses left without power due to lightning strikes

ESB crews working to restore power to 5,000 premises after transformers knocked out

3/1/2012.   - NEWS -
ESB workers repair some lines damaged by a fallen tree during stormy weather, on Nashville Road, Howth, Co. Dublin on Tuesday.
Photographer: Dara Mac Dónaill / THE IRISH TIMES 










Photographer: Dara Mac Donaill / THE IRISH TIMES
Among the worst hit areas were Macroom in mid-Cork where some 3,000 premises were left without power while 787 premises in Dunmanway in West Cork were also in the dark. File photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times

ESB repair crews have begun restoring power to around 5,000 homes and businesses throughout Co Cork after a series of lightning strikes across the county knocked out many transformers.

Among the worst hit areas were Macroom in mid-Cork where some 3,000 premises were left without power while 787 premises in Dunmanway in West Cork were also in the dark.

The area around Béal na Bláth in Mid-Cork was also impacted with over 400 premises affected while further north in the county, homes around Donoughmore, Grenagh and Whitechurch were also hit.

Across West Cork there were also reports of outages with homes in Kilbrittain and Timoleague as well as Skibbereen and Barleycove, further west all reporting power loss at various stages.

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ESB Networks also confirmed that there had been a power outage in Sneem in Co Kerry which left over 70 premises in the area without power, but it’s hoped to have power there restored shortly.

The outages are weather related and follow a sustained bout of thunder and lightning which was also evident in Cork City and further east as the weather front moved across the county.

The thunder and lightning were accompanied by torrential rain which led to some spot flooding on roads in both the side and county though there were no reports of any serious incidents.

Barry Roche

Barry Roche

Barry Roche is Southern Correspondent of The Irish Times