Torrential downpours rattled a number of Cork farmers on Wednesday, with rainfall at almost record levels.
According to the latest Met Éireann data, 55.6mm of rain was recorded at Cork Airport over the 24-hour period, the highest rain level by far for any county.
Elsewhere in the county, Roches Point saw 39.1mm of rain and Moorepark in Fermoy saw 33.7mm. This compared with just 7.4mm of rain in Finner Camp, Co Donegal, over the same period.
A number of farmers were hit with severe flooding following the downpours.
Dairy farmer Maurice Smiddy, who runs a milk herd and a few horses at Ballymacoda, Cork, had to hurry to get cattle out of flooding fields along the Womanagh River.
“I’ve low lying land. It’s fairly flooded, about 150ac, neighbours then as well. It’s not sea water, it’s all rain water – run off from the land.
“I’ve land that’s 4ft under water. We had to get stock out of the fields in a hurry. It’s going to make an early winter,” the Cork farmer said.
Smiddy described how he had a young pony stuck in the rising water on Wednesday, but was eventually able to rescue him.
Tillage
Clonakilty tillage farmer Alan Hurley said that while the rain and flooding was worse further east, he too was hit with the impact of the torrential rain.
“There was winter barley planted Monday and it wouldn’t be good for it. It’s very sloppy. It’s probably put an end to planting any more [winter barley].
“You wouldn’t be planting anything close to the river now anyway. This [flooding] happens at some stage every winter,” he said.
Hurley said that in Kinsale, one tillage farmer had “floods of brown water” flowing out of his recently planted fields.
Midleton
Cork Central IFA chair Conor O’Leary said that while some landowners were affected near Midleton, where there was severe flooding, the damage was mainly confined to the town and surrounds itself.
He said that the region has seen an “extraordinary amount of rain” and encouraged any farmer affected locally to get in touch with the IFA for support.
