Power restored to nearly all Leitrim Homes – 20 Days After Storm

Following weeks of disruption caused by the storm, which left hundreds of thousands of people across the country without electricity, most Leitrim residents who had been waiting for power to be restored.

Yesterday, the last known customers in Leitrim still without power in the aftermath of Storm Éowyn had their electricity restored, according to the ESB.

The semi-state power company stated that all known faults have been resolved. However, some faults have just been reported today as the ESB urge any customers still without power to contact them immediately.

In the immediate aftermath of the storm—which caused extensive damage across Ireland with record-breaking winds of over 180 km/h—around 10,000 homes in Leitrim were left without power and water.

The prolonged restoration process was primarily due to the severe damage inflicted on electrical infrastructure, as well as the large number of fallen trees in Leitrim, which hindered access to fault sites.

In the weeks following the storm, calls were made for the military to assist in restoring power. Meanwhile, environmental groups such as Save Leitrim and local TDs urged the government to address forestry management issues, which many blamed for the extent and frequency of outages in the area.

The issue was raised in the Dáil last week by Sligo-Leitrim TDs Martin Kenny and Frank Feighan, who questioned Minister for Forestry Michael Healy-Rae.

"We need to do better," said Deputy Feighan. "I believe that the Army should have been called in… It would have sent a signal that we, as a Government, were prepared to help our people in the west and northwest, from Dublin."

In response, Minister Healy-Rae said his department would work to support the ESB by facilitating "any mitigations or actions proposed by [the ESB] regarding the interaction between them and forestry." He also stated that they would collaborate with Coillte to map forests nationwide.

Meanwhile, Leitrim residents are once again organizing a public meeting in Killargue later this month to prepare for potential power outages caused by future storms.

READ MORE: Storm Éowyn may cost Leitrim ‘millions’: Councillor seeks