Dairy farmer Stephen Shorten, from Bandon, west Cork, has been without power since Ophelia struck on Monday.

Speaking to RTÉ on Friday, he said he has had to borrow a generator from a neighbour and is also without water.

“We lost power about 11.30am. As the storm worsened after that, it was a case of staying indoors and avoiding the worst of the damage."

Shorten said that the roof of the straw and hay sheds was blown off, but that the livestock were out in the fields.

The storm then proceeded to knock trees down, bringing electricity lines down with them.

“I borrowed a generator off [a neighbour] to keep the house going and I’m milking the cows with the power take-off from my tractor.

“I’m sharing the generator [with other neighbours]. It’s like the old meitheal system.”

Shorten is also without water and has to draw it into the house.

“I don’t know when power is going to come back. To be fair we hear that the ESB crews are working flat out.

“But with another storm coming this evening we wonder is it going to be another few days [before we get power back].”

'It's like the old meitheal system' – farmers come together after Ophelia

Some farmers in the south of the country are still without power. One farmer from Cork is sharing a generator with neighbours and is milking cows off his tractor's PTO.