Council act to address Bawnboy flooding

For several weeks, concern has been growing among residents in the Derrymoney area near Bawnboy, where persistent flooding continues to disrupt daily life. According to local Fianna Fáil councillor Áine Smith, the situation reached a “critical point” on Thursday evening, November 13, when exceptionally heavy rainfall left the local road “completely impassable".

By the following morning, many residents suddenly found themselves unable to travel to work, while children were prevented from getting to school.

“This was a deeply distressing situation for families,” Cllr Smith said, describing how quickly conditions deteriorated and how significantly the community was affected.

Upon being notified of the flooding, Cllr Smith contacted the council’s Director of Services and the local area engineer. She praised both officials for arriving on-site without delay to assess the situation firsthand.

“I want to commend their swift action,” she said.

Work to address the flooding began shortly afterwards.

“I’m pleased to confirm that works have since commenced on the road,” Cllr Smith continued, noting that these initial measures should help ensure residents can pass safely if similar weather occurs again in the near term.

Additional support for affected households came from the Civil Defence early Friday morning.

“I want to offer my sincere thanks to the Civil Defence, who responded to my request and assisted residents as they navigated access to and from their homes,” she said, emphasising how residents were most appreciative of the response from the council, its workers, and the Civil Defence.

Looking ahead, Cllr Smith said she remains committed to finding a lasting solution and says she will work with residents and the local authority to explore the possibility of creating an alternative access route that would offer safer, more reliable entry during adverse weather.

At the November monthly council meeting has also asked the local authority to write to the Office of Public Works (OPW) seeking additional funding for flood relief, stressing the need for improved drainage to reduce future risks.