Local unity in battle to solve Lough Funshinagh flooding

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David Flynn

There was a unity of purpose at the public meeting in Lecarrow recently in relation to Lough Funshinagh flooding.

All agreed itwould be a battle to get the legal imperatives in place to have the land drained, but the local community stressed the short-term needs of making sure pumps were in place for the winter.

The meeting attended by around 400 people in St John’s Community Hall was chaired by former IFA President, Joe Healy, and the top table included the five local Oireachtas members.

It was a respectful and amicable public meeting, with all speaking in the same voice about the situation of the continuous flooding since 2016 in the area which was one time affectionately known as the 'Vanishing Lake'. There was obvious despair from all sides about the situation at Lough Funshinagh since March, when plans to construct the 4km pipeline to the Shannon was stopped by a court injunction from the Friends of the Irish Environment. The injunction was on the grounds of no environmental impact assessment being carried out.

There were calls at the meeting for Lough Funshinagh to no longer be considered a turlough, and many people declared that it is actually a lake.

The convenor of the meeting, Matthew Beattie read apologies from Roscommon council officials and from Taoiseach, Micheal Martin who said the government would continue to work, and will continue to support the council and are considering policy and legislation on the matter. They also got apologies from Minister Patrick O’Donovan, (responsible for OPW) who said that no house in the area would be lost to the flooding, which Mr Beattie said was reassuring.

“This meeting is about being future focussed and solution orientated,” said Matthew. “Lough Funshinagh has grown in size, and if left unmanaged will engulf the entire community, destroy homes and farms as well as seriously impacting lives and livelihoods. Nobody wants this lake drained; we just want it back to its natural state.

"We need all agencies to come together and to deliver a sustainable solution. There must be a relief for the sheer stress that the community have endured over the last number of years. People are waking up in our community in a desperate state at night, wondering if there is water at the end of their bed.”

Lisphelim resident Geraldine Murray presented a slide show with diagrams telling the recent history of events in the area. “The disappearing lake is no longer disappearing,” said Ms Murray. “It was once 600 acres, now it covers more than twice that, 1,300. The water has not receded since 2016.”

However Ms Murray said she felt “very optimistic at this point,” following receiving correspondence from An Taoiseach and Minister O’Donovan, although she hoped she wouldn’t regret saying that.

She told of the recent history since 2016 of water levels having increased to record highs leading to 6,000 sandbags and pumps pumping 50,000 gallons of water per hour.

“Pumps and sandbags have replaced what were once beautiful landscaped gardens in Ballagh,” said Ms Murray.

She talked of the truly heartbreaking scenes of people having to leave their homes during the floods of the past few years, where some of the residents had lived in between 50-70 years.

“From 600 acres to 1300 acres in the past five or six years and I was there last Sunday week and saw a house that had to be abandoned, a hayshed redundant, not to talk about the land that has been destroyed,” said the former IFA President. “All people want is to get the lake back to 600 acres and the pipes are there for that. I’m surprised about the objections from the FIE, but tonight’s not a night to knock the FIE. It’s to find a way for solutions. About two-thirds of the work has been done, and it’s a pity it’s stopped.”

“There may be other people in some way unhappy or afraid that they themselves will be flooded, as a result of our problem being solved,” said Maria Carney, whose father lives in the area. “It’s important that we wouldn’t want the solution of our problem as the cause of someone else’s problem.”

James Kelly said there was not much talk at the meeting about farmers on the perimeter of the lake.

“Many have lost a lot, up to 20 acres of land since 2016, there is loss of entitlements, loss of agricultural land and they’ve taken a hit on the loss of their farms, and on top of that there is the stress of that,” said Mr Kelly. “Those farmers have lost year on year since then."

Padraig Beattie is living in one of the homes which is threatened with flooding and he said the pump outside his family’s home will be on this winter and the winter after.

“I know the pipe won’t be done this winter, but it’ll be done some time in the future, but I want assurance that the pump will be turned on and filled with diesel going forward,” he said.

Deputy Denis Naughten said that he proposed a taskforce because he felt it was the onlyway there can be a “practical implementable change,” in Lough Funshinagh.

“But sadly that proposal was not accepted,” said Deputy Naughten. “I’ve been speaking privately to Minister Patrick O’Donovan of the OPW and he believes that’s what’s needed, but we need all the officials, including the Dept of Agriculture, because farmers can’t be ignored.”

Senator Aisling Dolan said that it’s important to get a commitment from the OPW and Roscommon County Council about putting temporary measures in place for pumps in the locality this winter.

Fianna Fail’s Senator Eugene Murphy said that substantial negotiations and talks are going on with the OPW and the National Park and Wildlife Services.

Deputy Claire Kerrane, Sinn Fein added: “Unfortunately we might see the rain sooner than the winter, so it’s an important question and there should be no uncertainty for Padraig and his family to make sure their pumps are put on,” said Deputy Kerrane. “That assurance should be given, without doubt.”

Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice, Independent said that the OPW told some politicians that if Roscommon County Council asked for help from the OPW it would be there to help.

“All needs to come together for a taskforce, and there are solutions,” he said.

The former IFA President said there has to be short term and long term solutions to the Lough Funshinagh crisis.

“In the short-term, there has to be absolute commitments which thankfully seem to be there from the council, for pumps in place, so people can feel safe in their own homes,” said Joe Healy.

“The second one is a long-term solution, a coming together of different groups, a taskforce, all singing off the same hymnsheet. We have the solution.

The work is two-thirds done, and we need to get the lake back down to 600 acres, that everyone has lived with in the past," he ended.