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24 Oct 2025

Leitrim village still has no broadband coverage following Storm Éowyn

'Eir, sadly was privitised and the service is extremely poor; during Storm Amy more wires were damaged and who knows when they will be repaired'

BROADBAND

People in Leitrim are still suffering with no broadband coverage following Storm Éowyn back in January.

Reporter:

Claire Corrigan

24 Oct 2025 1:00 PM

People in Leitrim are still suffering with no broadband coverage following Storm Éowyn back in January, Cllr Ita Reynolds-Flynn said at a local meeting where she asked for an update on fibre broadband coverage in Fenagh and Cloone.

She said: "Pockets of places are still without broadband and they are telling me that their neighbours have it and they don't."

Nicola McManus, Broadband Officer for Leitrim County Council, said that if anyone has a query regarding their broadband, "they can contact me with their Eircode and I can check what's available and supposed to be available" to which Cllr Reynolds-Flynn responded that she has contacted the office but the issue is persisting. 
The official response said that Fenagh National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and Cloone NBI completed the network rollout in the area last year (Keshcarrigan Deployment area) and the service is now available for order/pre-order with works to the south also completed this year (Carrigallen Deployment area).
The response concluded that the status of NBI's deployment areas (and search per county) can be accessed on https://nbi.ie/reps/"
Ms McManus said that NBI cover rural areas "outside towns and villages; in the towns and villages, you have providers. such as Eir."
Cllr Roisin Kenny said she was aware of Cloone residents who were told "they couldn't get it at all" and said "between Aughavas and Cloone is a black spot for mobile phone coverage and broadband."
Cllr Brendan Barry stated: "You had the disaster with the delay of the national roll-out where Eir cherry-picked areas and put in fibre broadband but then you had the NBI putting up another fibre broadband line beside that to get to houses in surrounding areas so you have two fibre cables in many towns and villages; if it had all been done together, it would have been faster and more people would have been facilitated."
He added: "The intervention area is outside the towns and villages and NBI won't provide fibre to those who are not in the intervention area. Eir, sadly was privitised and the service is extremely poor; during Storm Amy more wires were damaged and who knows when they will be repaired."
Ms McManus clarified that over 80% of the NBI fibre network has now been rolled out but "of the 80%, 30% or so have signed up to bring it into their own homes. You can take up a NBI fibre contract through Eir or Vodafone; there are various different retailers. If someone is in the intervention area and being told they can't take it up, they can request to be added to the intervention area."
Cllr Enda McGloin said that many people are opting for Starlink which works through a satellite and said that people "may have looked at other options in the meantime" while fibre was being rolled out.
Dave Mintion, director of services, said that 30% uptake is "comparatively low" with Cllr Gary Prior saying he spoke to residents who said that with Starlink "you can get a back up and pay €5 a month for it to use it, if it needs be; that's how untrustworthy they are of services we have, in the event of a storm; they're keeping this as another option."

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