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TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said the resilience of Ireland’s infrastructure needs to be strengthened and that the country’s weather warning system will be reviewed.
Roughly 1,500 premises remained cut off from electricity this afternoon, more than two weeks after Storm Éowyn brought record-breaking winds. ESB Networks said that number would likely be down to 700 overnight.
Martin said today there was “no comparison in terms of the ferocity” of Éowyn, which cut electricity supply to more premises than ever before, and other powerful storms like Darragh and Ophelia.
He also said that Met Éireann’s weather warning system would be reviewed.
“We will review that. And it’s been extremely distressing for an awful lot of people to be without power and water for so long, I get that,” he told RTÉ Radio today.
Martin commended the ESB repair crews and those who have come from abroad.
In terms of water supply, which was impacted by the power failures, Martin said there is “no question, in my view, there should have been stronger generator capacity”.
“I met with Irish water last week,” Martin said.
“I’m evaluating the storm very quickly, and I’ve said to all of them that we have to really act now to fundamentally make our systems more resilient.”
Martin also said that the emergency community hubs at sports halls and other large buildings need to be “institutionalised” and made part of a more formal system.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met today in a bid to further co-ordinate efforts to restore power, water, telecommunications and other services following the severe weather event.
Power has so far been restored to 766,500 homes, farms, schools and businesses.
ESB Networks said in a statement this evening, “We expect that less than 700 customers impacted by the storm will be without power overnight. Work will continue to reconnect these customers from first light tomorrow.”
The ESB added: “We anticipate that pockets of customers mainly in parts of Roscommon, North Galway, Mayo and South Leitrim will be out overnight.”
Uisce Eireann is working to return service to the “final few” customers without water.
The estimated effect of Storm Éowyn on the national telecoms user base was the largest in ComReg’s recorded history.
As of 10am on Saturday, 0.36% of fixed service users were without services and 0.13% of mobile service users were experiencing some level of degradation of service.
Elsewhere, emergency response hubs are assisting people with basic needs such as water, hot food, phone charging, broadband access and shower facilities.
The hubs are also operating study rooms for exam-year students.
The NECG is continuing to emphasise safety in the aftermath of the storm.
In a statement, it said: “If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity networks, never, ever touch or approach these as they are live and extremely dangerous.
“Report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999.”
The NECG will meet again on Monday.
With reporting from Press Association
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Anyone else getting a pain in their hole with Mícheal Martin and his use of the word Fundamental/ Fundamentally?
He literally uses it in every single interview, discussion or in the Dáil.
Methinks he thinks it makes him look insightful and full of wisdom.
We all know what he’s Fundamentally full of.
@John Darker: that would be an economical matter
@John Darker: He’s obviously given up ‘ in terms of ‘….
@John Darker: And his other one is
” in terms of”
@John Darker: all political statements should have ab ‘action’ clause when said in the Dail. These empty words with no actions mean nothing. Simon Harris keeps saying ‘unacceptable’ on various things but no action. MM the same.
@John Darker: Nahhh. It was the “immoral war”, on repeat, that irritated me more. When referring to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, which was as equally illegal as America’s invasion of Iraq (which he has never said anything about, and which he & his ilk continue to enable abuses of Int’l Law through Shannon-GTMO).
I am still unclear on what, precisely, constitutes a *”moral”* war?? o.0
Frankly, was like getting a wedgie from sandpaper knickers – that level of aggravation
@Jp Cleary: His best I when he is pulled up over his lies is “I dont accept that “
@John Darker: He likes people to think he is speaking ‘De Profundus’ when in fact he’s just uttering his usual lies!
@John Darker: and also “it’s very clear” as if we’re all thick!!!
@John Darker: I’m getting more of a pain in the hole about how ridiculous it is that people still elect Fianna Fail, the most corrupt and incompetent party in the history of the state
@John Darker: Micheal Martin is two weeks to late to the party, he & his Govt were asleep at the wheel & once again failed the Irish people. Himself & Simon Harris comment on everything as if they were concerned bystanders, when they are actually the guys in charge & who failed in their duties. They were too busy on their 2 weeks off & pulling strokes over Speaking Rights & extra Ministries, no concern about the Hurricane that destroyed parts of Ireland. When Micheal Martin came to Roscommon, he got the hump while drinking his Green Tea, when he didn’t like being challenged & asked the hard questions that none of the Irish MSM dare ask him anymore. He announced this week no more help with Cost of Living crisis, despite his fake promises during the Election, everything having gone up, a Dud
They’ve been warning us about climate change & more storms for at least 2 decades now.
And yet in all that time it never occurred to any one of our very many well paid experts to establish a store of generators.
If the storm proved anything it is that Irish communities look after those in need far far better than the Irish state which gets paid to supposedly do that job.
@Gerry Kelly: there has been the same number of storms give or take hitting us for centuries but you think there are more because of the naming every puff of wind and the media and social media squawking on about it 24/7. Back in normal more reasonable times the weather forecast would say a low weather depression approaching the country if it was a major one it would be given a name like when we had hurricane Charlie. This fear mongering is ridiculous, its just to reinforce raising weather taxes.
@Gerry Kelly: Actually Gerry, you’re incorrect. NASA and the IPCC have stated that there is no increase in the frequency and strength of storms or hurricanes globally. Ireland is no exception to this and climate change did not impact any variables to do with this. It’s also worth nothing that when it comes to wind strength as was reported, it’s misleading to say that it “broke records.” Before satellites (pre-1960s), storm wind speeds were estimated using barometric pressure, ship reports and ground-based anemometers, which were far less accurate than modern tools. Over time, wind speed measurement technology has improved, but older data isn’t directly comparable to today’s satellite and Doppler readings. Wind records are incomplete, inconsistent and subject to methodological changes.
@brendan C5: Regardless of whether they are more frequent or more violent (which is the trend) there are more people going to be affected by it due to increased population. There is no harm in having better forecasting and alerts (as long as you dont misinterpret alerts/warnings and turn into a snowflake at the mention of weather).
@William Jennings: However, the latest IPCC AR6 report and recent peer-reviewed research shows, that while there isn’t strong evidence for an increase in the overall frequency of tropical cyclones globally, there is clear evidence for an increse in their peak intensity and rate of intensification.
For example, Kossin et al. (2020) used satellite data from 1979-2017 to show “a significant global increase in tropical cyclone intensity and proportion of Category 4 and 5 storms.”
Regarding rates of rapid intensification, multiple recent studies have found storms are getting stronger faster.
Wang et al. (2022) analysed data going back 50 years and found that weak tropical cyclones have gotten stronger in all ocean basins. And Garner (2023) found that Atlantic tropical cyclones are now getting stronger much faster compared to decades ago, intensification rates increased by about 28.7% between 1971-1990 and 2001-2020.
The most recent research also sees changes in coastal regions too. A 2023 study by Li et al. in Nature Communications found that rapid intensification events within 400km of coastlines have tripled between 1980 and 2020, increasing the danger to coastal communities (shortening the warning times).
So the evidence shows that climate change is affecting tropical cyclone behavior in measurable ways, increasing their peak intensity and causing them to get stronger quicker.
However, none of this information I told you will prevent you from posting misinformation again on this site. Indeed I told you this before. You are not here to learn or post the truth, your aim is to promote the agenda of climate change denial.
References::
NOAA/GFDL report:
Knutson, T., et al. (2024). “Global Warming and Hurricanes: An Overview of Current Research Results.” NOAA/GFDL. Available at: https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/
Satellite record analysis:
Kossin, J. P., Knapp, K. R., Olander, T. L., & Velden, C. S. (2020). “Global increase in major tropical cyclone exceedance probability over the past four decades.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(22), 11975-11980.
Ocean current analysis:
Wang, G., Wu, L., Mei, W., & Xie, S. P. (2022). “Ocean currents show global intensification of weak tropical cyclones.” Nature, 611(7936), 496-500.
Atlantic intensification rates:
Garner, A. J. (2023). “Observed increases in North Atlantic tropical cyclone peak intensification rates.” Scientific Reports, 13(1), 16299.
Coastal rapid intensification:
Li, Y., Tang, Y., Wang, S., Toumi, R., Song, X., & Wang, Q. (2023). “Recent increases in tropical cyclone rapid intensification events in global offshore regions.” Nature Communications, 14(1), 5167.
These studies represent some of the most recent and comprehensive research on tropical cyclone trends and their relationship to climate change. Each uses different methods, approaches, and data sources to show tropical cyclones are changing in a warming world.
@David Jordan: Good man David!
@David Jordan: I’m not a climate change “denier” because I don’t deny that the climate is changing. That is incorrect term used by people like yourself to shut down debate. I challenge you to name me just one of these so-called climate change “deniers” and tell me just where specifically you can find their words declaring that the climate does not change. Otherwise, admit that you are using a loaded and incorrect word. All you are doing is engaging in a debate against ghosts that do not exist. Due to this becoming a political crusade, and political issues tend to be settled by political means, this means people like you are engaging in the demonisation of the opposition with catchwords which have no basis in reality.
@David Jordan: As expected, you fail to recognise the reality of your claims. The way tropical storms are measured has evolved significantly over time. Before the advent of satellites in the 1960s, storm data relied on ships, weather stations and even visual reports from planes. These methods were far less accurate and inconsistent, meaning it’s difficult to compare older storms to modern ones. Satellite technology, along with advancements in weather radar and ocean buoys, has vastly improved our ability to detect storms, particularly those forming in remote areas. As a result, storms today are more frequently detected, giving the impression that there’s an increase in storm frequency, when it may simply be due to better monitoring.
@David Jordan: Many regions have seen more storms due to natural cycles like El Niño and La Niña, which can temporarily enhance or suppress storm activity. However, these cycles are not indicative of a long-term trend of increasing tropical storms, something that you glaringly have failed to take into consideration. You also fail to take in consideration the reality of population growth globally. As coastal populations increase and more people live in storm-prone areas, we see more reports of damage and destruction, which can give the impression that storms are becoming more frequent or intense. However, this doesn’t reflect a change in the storms themselves. The media often sensationalises individual weather events without providing proper context.
@David Jordan: No matter what you try to claim, the reality and facts of the situation doesn’t change – According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and NASA, long-term data does not show a clear increase in either the frequency or intensity of tropical storms or hurricanes on a global scale. While there are instances of specific storms being more powerful or more frequent in certain years, global analyses do not support the narrative that tropical storm intensity is steadily increasing due to climate change. What you are doing is peddling an agenda and I’m not going to stand for it. Proper understanding requires considering historical data, technological advancements, urbanisation impacts and natural climate cycles. You have considered none of these in your statement.
@William Jennings: Regarding measurement capabilities and missing historical data, you raise some important points, however, researchers have developed methods to account for these observational biases.
For example, Vecchi et al. (2021) conducted a comprehensive analysis that explicitly corrects for missing storms in the pre-satellite era. After these corrections, they found evidence of increasing intensity of major hurricanes in the Atlantic basin.
Kossin et al. (2020) similarly analysed a homogenized satellite record from 1979-2017 and found statistically significant increases in global tropical cyclone intensity, with the probability of major tropical cyclone intensities increasing by about 8% per decade. This study specifically addressed historical inconsistencies and data sparsity by using a uniformly-processed satellite dataset.
Vecchi, G.A., Landsea, C., Zhang, W., Villarini, G. and Knutson, T., 2021. Changes in Atlantic major hurricane frequency since the late-19th century. Nature communications, 12(1), p.4054.
Kossin, J.P., Knapp, K.R., Olander, T.L. and Velden, C.S., 2020. Global increase in major tropical cyclone exceedance probability over the past four decades. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(22), pp.11975-11980.
Thus, the claim that “long-term data does not show a clear increase in either the frequency or intensity of tropical storms or hurricanes on a global scale” due to historical biases is not supported by recent research.
Regarding natural variability like El Niño and population growth, these factors are well-understood and accounted for in climate analyses as well.
Emanuel (2021) used climate reanalyses spanning over 150 years (1850-2014), which once again accounted for bias caused by a lack of historical data, to show that Atlantic hurricane activity has increased significantly and is linked to anthropogenic climate change, and natural variability (El Niño etc.) fails to explain the long terms trends detected, rather, the observed trends are consistent with climate models of a warming planet, of warmer oceans.
Emanuel, K., 2021. Response of global tropical cyclone activity to increasing CO2: Results from downscaling CMIP6 models. Journal of Climate, 34(1), pp.57-70.
Finally, while coastal development certainly increases the vulnerability to storms, puts more people in harms way and increases the costs of storms, these trends are independent of the observed changes in storm frequency and intensity.
Of course, this doesn’t mean every storm is stronger, or that natural variability isn’t important – rather, the data shows the climate change signal is emerging from the natural background with increasing clarity as the World warms, and the agreement between observation and climate models bolsters the validity of both.
@David Jordan: More extremely misleading information from you David. How can you truly “account” for missing storm data? If a storm wasn’t recorded, it wasn’t recorded. You can’t just estimate its strength or existence with absolute certainty. Many storms, especially those that formed and dissipated over the open ocean before satellites, were never observed at all. Any attempt to “account” for them is just an assumption, not real data. Some studies claim to estimate missing storms by using computer models, climate proxies (like tree rings or sediment layers) and statistical methods. The glaring problem with this? These models and proxies are based on assumptions, not direct observations. They could easily exaggerate or inflate storm activity depending on the biases built into the model.
@David Jordan: If you adjust past records upward by assuming there were more storms, you can artificially create a “trend” that shows increasing storms today when in reality, it could just be better detection methods in modern times. Since the advent of satellites (1960s) and buoy networks (1980s), we can track every storm, even weak tropical depressions in the middle of the ocean. Naturally, more storms appear in modern records, not necessarily because there are more storms, but because we can see and measure them better. Comparing modern satellite-based storm data to sparse, incomplete records from the past is not a fair comparison. It’s an easy way for them to manipulate the data and manufacture trends that might not actually exist to serve a pre-determined agenda.
@David Jordan: Let’s say a hurricane in 1905 hit land but wasn’t measured properly. Certain modern studies might claim, “Well, based on damage reports, we estimate this was a Category 3 storm.” That’s not science, that’s guesswork. We have no idea how strong the storm actually was. Worse, if a storm was never observed at all, they’ll just assume certain storms must have existed and slot them into the record. Since we don’t have actual storm data, researchers use climate models to estimate past storm activity. However, models are only as good as their inputs, and they’re often built with bias. If the model assumes climate change is making storms worse, it will adjust past records downward and make modern storms look worse by comparison. This stops an accurate conclusion from being drawn.
@David Jordan: Even with today’s technology, we have inconsistencies in storm measurements. For example, many records focus on Atlantic hurricanes, which follow natural cycles like the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The AMO naturally fluctuates, meaning certain periods have more hurricanes than others, regardless of climate change. If they compare a low-hurricane AMO cycle (early 1900s) to a high one (today), it looks like storms have increased when really, it’s just a natural cycle. The fact that they have to “adjust” past records at all should be a huge red flag. If their claims were so solid, they wouldn’t need to rewrite history to make modern trends seem alarming. The reality is better technology detects more storms, and natural cycles play a huge role, not CO2 levels.
I wonder how many Data Centres were cut off. Anybody know?
@Helena Camella Cummins: they all have to have back up diesel generators are per there planning permission
@James Brennan: thanks
@James Brennan: That is so
@James Brennan: … let’s try that again….without the screen and keyboard jumping all over the place and erroneously posting without user’s intent…
That is disgusting, disgraceful and grotesque that Planning Board is undermining our National and EU-wide Carbon Footprint by inducing *any* Institution to run their Power Backup wholly or solely from Fossil Fuel Powered Generators. Disgusting!
ALL Generators ought to be solely Rooftop (and carpark) Photovoltaic and Wind Powered backups. If necessary, fitting out the structure for them, keeping them in protected basement storage, and connecting them into the structure’s pre-laid infrastructure *after* a heavy storm has passed (lest they get ripped out or ripped down by the storm).
And anyway, as for fossil fuels – what happens if the National Emergency is War related? Nevermind actual invasion or direct armed conflicts limiting fossil fuel supply or triggering rationing, even right now the Inflationary Pricing **IS** War related and therefore we **SHOULD** already be in a National Emergency stance with capacity to rapidly roll out State-commissioned Alternative Power Systems to offset Fossil Fuel controlled Grid Pricing (i.e. Renewable Farming on rooftops of ALL Public Buildings in Urban centres; and/or actioning Grants for Domestic Rooftop Vertical Wind Turbines alongside PVs – with the freedom to erect them in the garden hedge or on a rear garden boundary walls, within reason & with due regard to overshadowing neighbour’s gardens, without Planning Permission)
@James Brennan: Now, why doesn’t that surprise me!
@Pink Freud: In the aftermath of the storm I spoke to a number of people that have spent tens of thousands of euros on roof top solar panels and had expressed how happy they were with them and asked them two questions, did they lose any panels?
And did their panels generate enough power to supply some or all of their electrical needs during the outage?
To my surprise none had lost any panels, meaning they are pretty resilient in the face of extremely strong winds, the answers to the second question however didn’t surprise me and were all variations on the same excuses, despite the money they had all invested in this alleged green solution to their power needs…
Continued below..
•They were grid tied and didn’t have storage batteries.
•
They were not actually generating enough power during daylight hours to run anything except a pre heat element for their hot water, which they couldn’t really benefit from because their primary oil fired system didn’t have enough power to run.
•
They were of course not generating much electricity because the days were short and dull and they were generating zero electricity night.
Continued below..
My personal take away from this, which admittedly may be swayed by my own confirmation bias, is that paying for the average roof top solar installation is about buying feelgood factor and bragging rights, and not about generating usable electricity.
Because unless you are off grid and designing a system around maximum battery storage, low voltage and low usage appliances, changing your usage to minimise your use of electricity, by utilising back up petrol/diesel generators for heavy load usage and oil, gas or solid fuel for cooking and heating, then you simply aren’t going to get close to, nevermind meet your energy needs and you are of course also going to have to make a massive financial investment to achieve even that..
@Pink Freud: wouldn’t work for a data centre with the technology available, the huge amount of electricity to keep the storage units running and cooling systems is frightening
@Dvsespaña: oh my god you should be a government advisor, that’s the most sensible and logical comment I’ve ever seen on this subject of solar.
We know, lessons will be learned, Yadda Yadda Yadda, we’ll do better next time. Only for them to fail next time
@Ger Whelan: but we still vote for Fianna Fail, right?
@Ger Whelan: The government didn’t cause the outages … Get real. People need to prepare themselves for these type of disruptions.
@Ger Whelan: yes but mehole gas always says he stands with solidarity and transparency basically hot air into wind.
@Blue Moon: i agree with that, and yes people can prepare/muddle through for a few days with no power but over 2 weeks with no power or water is a disgrace and questions need to be asked & more importantly amswered by esb uisce eireann about whats going to happen in the future.
Not My Taoiseach
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: He is if you live in Ireland. So stop talking tripe.
@Ger Whelan: notmytaoiseach, you’re not listening
@Ger Whelan: he is Taoiseach, but he doesn’t lead us, he is a Fianna Fail chancer who deserves absolutely no respect
It was some load of waffling.
Did he say “Lessons have been learned” yet ?
No comparison in terms of ferocity of storm eowyn he says, it beat the last record by 1kmph, the big drama queen. And there have been stronger ones out in the Atlantic that didn’t hit us.
Was there not money for generators offered by de EU that the government didn’t take?
Why doesn’t the Taoiseach get on with it, and not always be talking about it, it’s like as if the pilot of an airplane came out of the cockpit and told the passengers he was going to descend to 300 meters to line up with the runway. Don’t be talking about it, just do it!
How about government implement its public warning system will broadcast a text to everyone. Instead now it’s tied up consultations. Most other countries have it why can’t we use the same system
@Nemethon: I don’t think that would make a deference to the wind downing power lines.
@John Twomey: It may not seem like a big change, but an emergency text alert system would improve public preparedness. Right now, people hear orange or red warnings and think, ah yeah, we’ll see. But if a government-issued alert pops up on their phone, they might take it more seriously. That said, preventing power outages requires action too. Trees near power lines need to be lopped or felled—simple as that. I know a guy who was contracted by the ESB for this work. He invested in a tractor with a massive blade on a telescopic rig , only to be let go months later due to cost-cutting. He and his two lumberjacks were left out in the cold.
@Nemethon: How would it improve preparedness? Either you are prepared for outages at all times or you’re not prepared. I found the information per Met Eireann and Alan Reilly sufficient, with plenty time to review and update my “preparedness”.
@Athena: some people may not be as prepared as you let’s say a PBS text went out and your one of 12 houses down a boreen and you know your lecky is going to go you check around your house strap down loose objects take in bins check guttering if something is loose fix it get shopping in not frozen stuff stock up on gas or camping gas if possible rent a generator or if you could afford it buy one check on neighbors make sure they are ok and there house is ok that they have food and firing so they’ll be warm in the aftermath if the lecky has gone and you got a genie invite the neighbors over for light and food and heat. That’s the idea Alan O Reilly as good as he is is not a professional meteorologist but he’s good.
@Nemethon: Maybe if people become more responsible for themselves and preparing for weather, they wouldn’t be sitting in a cold dark house. Buy a small generator…buy a SuperSer, stock a press with canned food… It’s not rocket science
Rian did you have a different name in a past post? sorry I meant past posts.
“ Fundamentally “
The Journal calling Stoneybatter a “ serious incident” while we already know it’s a mass stabbing. These news sites are dead in the water.
@Eric Gaffney: Because they have to get it from other news outlets to copy and paste the story in here.
@Eric Gaffney: ffs get a grip
@Kevin Kerr: sorry Kev
@Eric Gaffney: sure they keep the information minimal, then someone reports it was a slashing incident and assume it was one of the doctors and engineers who fleed here, and then after the people are rilled up the issue all the information and bang more reasons they have to bring in hate speach laws
@Kevin Kerr: he is right, unfortunately incidents like such, are not isolated, time for people like you, to get the head out of your rectum, Brenny
@Fintan Pox: you seem to have a lot of information about the incident, calling it a racially motivated attack in another post
@Eric Gaffney: Drug gangs at it again!
@Eric Gaffney: Don’t mind Kev, he’s paid to do damage limitation!
It’s not weather warnings needed to be reviewed,it’s to improve the network run by greedy ESB
@Dave Barrett: Paddy Hates let the cat out of the bag, Joe Soap will be made pay for the Storm Damage cost, just as it subsidizes the Data Centres usage & the upgrade of the National Grid.
How about ending the ridiculous green policies regarding housing? New builds with no chimneys or fireplaces? electric water pumps? Solar panels? No turf? Ridiculous taxes on fuel? I won’t hold my breath.
@Matt D: Other than you wanting turf. I concur.
Turf took hundreds of thousands of years to form. And it got us all through the hardest of times when there was nothing else for us. But we have more than we need now, and we do have alternatives, and it is no longer a matter of life or death whether any of us can burn turf or not. Meanwhile, we ourselves have eradicated the implicitly and uniquely Irish experience from current and future generations who will now never get to see, witness, or understand through lived experience, the origins of the very Irish phrase “the will o’ the wisp” – the “ghostly” green emissions that used to rise from the *intact* bogs of Ireland.
What I do agree with you on is that the whole of Ireland, outside and beyond the privilege of the major urban centres and cities, should retain the “Right To Burn” within their Residential Planning Permissions.
But only for use in Emergencies, such as recent experiences.
Otherwise, a complete prohibition on all burning of all fossil fuels should be the end game norm, with 2 exceptions only: Temperatures below -3°C and War Inflation impacting prices of fossil fuels [and only when temps drop below 5°C].
You gotta remember too – most ppl will not countenance a multipurpose burner, like a giant Aga, in new Houses. They consume far too much floorspace. As do chimneys. And chimneys also contribute to significant draughts when not in use.
In such emergencies, most ppl will only want a fire indoors for the heat. And you can’t just slot in an Aga for cooking, whenever you fancy, especially not during a crisis!
Ppl will tend towards using their outdoor, wood fired BBQ for cooking food, and boiling water for children’s baths (and adult “bird baths” in the sink), during a sustained Power Cut.
Nonetheless, we do desperately and urgently need to develop and adapt our concept of chimney use.
Yes, it would be essential to have the wood burning stove option available to all homes in an emergency.
But also, we need to develop a low power/no power, CFC-free, emissions-free, low-carbon means of *cooling* our homes (especially urban “Heat Island” homes) during the increasingly intense Summer heat.
…and chimneys are a way in which we can, potentially, do that.
If we dig in to the concepts employed in the ancient Persian “Wind Catcher” City. We could re-develop our chimneys to providing a “dual-use” or “dual-purpose” across all seasons.
We would need to find a way, though, to keep the carcinogenic residues from carbon (wood) burning, from blowing back into the home while catching cooling summer breezes. Maybe some means of Seasonal Adaptation or affordable Chimney services for detaching and removing the log burner into storage, shutting off the smoke extraction half/smoke extraction pipe and re-opening the cool bare stone section of chimney and, if necessary, erecting an exterior (wooden?) extension to the top of chimney to enhance the trapping and channelling of cooling summer breezes.
@Pink Freud: long tweet
@Pink Freud:
I fell asleep half way through your very long (like War And Peace length ) comment.
Keep your comments brief.
Now for the real world…
Nobody can control the climate.
It has a mind of it’s own.
This is all scare mongering to divert from the real issues facing us.
Martin is a sneaky, sly individual. He’s a liar actually. Those of you that voted for him…you deserve him.
@Andrew Kenny: Unfortunately everyone gets him and Harris.
@Brian D’Arcy: but you would be happy with a Fianna Fail/Sinn Fein coalition?
This government utterly botched the response to the storm, but they will never have the balls to admit it. Martin can do his usual rambling excuses but even Stevie Wonder could see what a mess the government made of this. Nearly 160,000 people were left without power for two weeks and we had to be bailed out by other European countries because the government inexplicably avoided building up our backup generator supply. Entire communities were left freezing and people had to hold wakes by candlelight because the government was too slow to get power restored. One person even died because their medical equipment failed. This is third-world stuff happening in a country that claims to be a modern economy. Yet people still like to continually vote back in these clowns and their failed policies.
@William Jennings:
No. The National Government didn’t botch the response.
It was ALL the Locally Elected County Councillors who botched the response and failed each of their individual Counties.
Stop blaming the National Government.
It’s all your own faults!!!
Ye all chose to elect career FFG Politicians to yeer Local Councils. “Representatives” who’s eyes are *ONLY* on using your Local Council as a leg up into the Dáil.
AND ye all chose to elect the **Parish Pump** Politicians into National Governance too.
So frankly, my dear, the people of Rural Ireland (including the diaspora in Cities) brought this all down upon themselves.
Local Councillors who’s only goal was Dáil after Council – never had any interest in ensuring ye had Snow Plough attachments for Council Vehicles and/or Tractors; never Future Proofed, nor Storm-planned to distribute single second -hand and lower efficiency Solar Panels to smaller villages and/or isolated farmhouses to power at least a kettle or microwave, nor for your County to have Hubs in the County Capital AND a geographically opposite large town *with* a designated Emergency Coordinator in every single small town/townland, village, or Parish – someone who would have knowledge of basic protocols to enact for locals, who would retain up-to-date Emergency information on in-County centralised Hubs for various resources depending on the incident, someone who could coordinate local volunteers to collect and distribute certain resources to certain households that they have knowledge of specific needs for (eg: elderly households may not have BBQs, nor means of independent transport, so volunteers could bring steel barrels for burning wood so they can boil water and do basic cooking. Provide them with information about whether or not the local shop will run a van with stock in X-many days, if there can be meals delivered, and/or if/when a minibus may become available to bring them to a Hub for showers, heat, and food etc).
It is not, and never ever was, the business of **National** Government and it’s Representatives to serve the individual County, much less ANY individual Constituency or Parish.
The sole duty of National Government is to provide a sufficiently equipped Public Service Broadcaster with a sufficiently equipped and advanced Meteorological Service, and the capacity to adapt back to Terrestrial/analogue radio broadcasting of National, Provincial, and County-specific information and updates during a National and/or Nationwide Crisis, when Digital Services & Communications collapse.
And to provide Air Support/Airdrops of essential equipment (Broadcast Antenna for Local Radio Stations with storm-broken [old fashioned] equipment, Potable Water Tanks etc) to areas that are extremely isolated and physically and digitally cut-off during said Crises or Emergencies – for example.
Also, definitely, ALL Water Supplies should be under a National Framework.
Post-Colonialism, “the Taxman” no longer collects taxes for “The Crown” to fill the foreign crown’s coffers for a life of expressive opulent privilege, nor their warmongering war chest.
In Post-Colonialism, Taxation is for the purposes of establishing the Foundations of Civilizations. Namely: Sanitation [waste collection/refuse *and* wastewater *AND* shower water for cessation of tenament-like non-sanitary living conditions, *AND* safe, clean Drinking Water]; Education; Medication/Medicine (Health, Public Health, Hospitals); and Justice.
These are the core Foundations of Free Civilizations.
They are *what* we sought Liberation for.
And *none* should be Privatized.
ALL should be under the responsibility of National Government, funded by Taxation.
Not to mention, the Electorate have a Duty to *selflessly* Elect Representatives to National level in the services of **National Interests ONLY!!!**
Not the Parish Pump.
Nor Political Ideology.
So it is the *electorate* who have, for many decades now, been negligent in their Duty and their responsibility to The Vote.
@Pink Freud: how can you post such a long comment….who do you work for? Gov ? Journal ?
@Pink Freud: Done with your incoherent rant buddy? If so, it’s time to go back on the meds. ESB is state-controlled and state-run. Therefore, the government absolutely bares the burden of responsibility for their incompetence. There’s no proper competition with the energy grid. Other companies are not able to set up their own grids and supply energy, they can only use ESB’s monopolised grid and have to agree to their arbitrary pricing rules. Also, it’s not the job of local councils to be responsible for the national energy generator supply so I don’t know why you are placing the blame on them. The government didn’t build up a proper supply in the case of large power outages like we had, it’s their fault and their fault only. There’s no point wasting time with the rest of your gibberish.
And yet again, the sheer incompetence of this current and the previous governments these shower of g#bs#ites presided over come out with the usual sh#te after the fact! Five years of this incompetence on all levels will be intolerable…… for the usual populace!
@Rian O’Callaghan: your imbecilic post says more than enough about your incoherent trolling input and your level of maturity…… or lack thereof! Try staying on topic Ryan…… like a good little girl!
I set up a bar in the garage, simple enough one, counter, keg dispensers, grand, nice for summer, neighbour is handy at art, painted a Micheal Martin face on the concrete wall, we always strike our matches on his face when having a cigarette in my bar :)
@Rian O’Callaghan: I did, I drink and smoke in my own home bar, nothing silly about that
Politicians these days especially Martin are so full of sh**
In 12-24 months the very same me-holes will be hunting down every non believer that owns a petrol guzzling generator
Yeah lock the door after the horse has bolted.
Genius .
MEH! Just get the Trees Cut to minimise the damage next time around! It ain’t rocket science!
This talk about “institutionlising” sports centres and the like is going to be very difficult. A major change of use is how insurance companies would see it and spike up public liability to levels not seen before. Has he even thought that comment through?
People need to get real…. Prepare for storms, buy a small generator, stock a press with canned food and start being responsible for yourself.
Electric generators I suppose.
Not petrol or diesel .
My bbq blew over, but otherwise we survived.
Us Dubs are prepared, unlike our turnip munching country folk!
But don’t worry, we’ll bail you out again and again and again!
@Paul: yer protected by tall buildings, ye didn’t get the full effect of the wind, what ye got was would have been a blustery day in the west.
Taoiseach is *coddling* people.
You shouldn’t be in a “state of distress” from the loss of Power supply to your homes. What sort of an Irish person hasn’t got the grit nor gumption to adapt to living without Electricity!? Would ye grow up ta puck! The STATE of you if you can’t figure out how to start a fire outdoors and plonk a pan over the fire. Sweet jeezuz!!
And all the more shame on ye if ye are *rural* dwellers and couldn’t figure that out!!
And to be quite honest, I expect far far more from Rural Ireland!! ALL of ye should know where your nearest local open well water source is fer jaysus sakes. I may have been raised in “the big smoke” by rural diaspora, yet I still know where the local, nearest fresh water wells are to all my rural relatives’ homes!!!
Taoiseach is pure coddling them by empathising about Powercuts.
The *National* Priority, by Government and Private Citizen alike, ought to have been the restoration of Power to Water Treatment Plants – **ONLY**.
Not to the individual household.
Not even to schools either!!
No Irish parent is going to be sending their child to school *without a shower* fgs! You’d be absolutely mortified. Nor would you want to go to work without access to a shower!!
Thus clean water for all is, and should be, the universal priority.
That said, had the facilitation of Asylum Seekers and IPAs been done in a Transient, Flexible, Adaptable, Open & Welcoming fashion, utilizing any and all sites (incl’ offices, or fields with sheepwool paths and mere micro Pod/O-Pod Apartment units, with or without plumbing) – then every County Capital, and/or large Town, would have already had a supply of mobile/portable Trailer Toilets and Trailer Showers that could have been shared and/or re-deployed into wider public service in such Emergencies.
Not just at hubs.
But in every large town.
So that ppl could, at least, shower and drop 2-bombs.
But in general – can’t find the local Well, can’t muster up an outdoor fire, can’t vote for representatives that are actually invested in local resilience & service, have no generational experience/knowledge/memory of filling a bath for flushing toilets nor retaining 3-5days of drinkable water in saucepans in advance of a storm, nor has wax or battery powered candles, no battery powered torches (and Uber rural: Flashlamps!), no 21st Century phone-sized Power Banks for Phones & Laptops (let alone a much larger/bucket sized Solar+Socket Powered Rechargeable Multi-Socket Camping Power Bank for plugs [kettle, microwave/IKEA single-ring induction hob] AND USB ports [phone, laptop, radio] )…
I mean, does Rural Ireland even remember how to toast bread over a Turf Fire in a Fireplace fgs!? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Where has the stoic Irish grit gone?
21st Century Rural Irish are a joke!!
Absolute bunch of mirleen crybaby hysterics!
Grow up wouldyas!
A great Taoiseach, probably the greatest since Bertie Ahern, always vote for Fianna Fail, and go to Mass
@Fintan Pox: There is no “god”!
have your say