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⚠️ Storm Éowyn - Fri 24.01.25 (**Please read Mod Instruction in OP.**)

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭SuperBowserWorld


    Interesting video on how monoculture plantation trees grow fast, tall, crowded, weak. The ones at the edges are stronger as they grow with the wind and have more space. Remove these any the rest just blow down in very strong winds. Also in NI, electric pylons going though these plantations get destroyed by the same fallen trees..



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,399 ✭✭✭OldRio


    Not poles. Trees for goodness sake. The grants are for trees.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Robwindstorm


    Agree with you as regards the ivy acting as a sail and adding extra weight to the tree .

    I have some ash trees on my land that have fallen in recent storms and the core of the tree is black with dieback. It surprised me to see that this very large old ash has no sign of disease. I have two more ash trees,that fell victim to Eowyn, to tackle yet so it'll be interesting to see what they're like.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,580 ✭✭✭✭nacho libre


    This Is why I removed ivy from trees after the previous storm. These trees withstood storm Eowyn, perhaps they might not have if the ivy was left on them?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,238 ✭✭✭Dazler97




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,023 ✭✭✭✭zell12


    Paddy Hayes ESBN CEO coming up on Radio1 about the storm effects. Send in your queries Text 51551 Email Us · todaycb@rte.ie · Whatsapp +353870323232

    Edit: He says "[the storm is] a once in a generation event", we will look at preparing for high speed winds in future, trees and impact on lines,.. Not committing to much really, apparently too many issues with the extended infrastructure. No compensation from ESBN for network outages - something which would add to all bills. No PSO levy refund, no standing charge refund. He opines that bills will rise in 2026 to cover costs of the storm outage

    Post edited by zell12 on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,868 ✭✭✭✭sryanbruen


    I would not be using wikipedia as my source for statistical information anyway because anyone can edit it. The UK Met Office separates mountaineous values from stations below 500m in their reports and we don't have mountain stations recording wind or temperature in Ireland.

    Photography site - https://sryanbruenphoto.com/



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,959 ✭✭✭Odelay


    The grants only cover plantations for goodness sake. The thousands of kilometers of trees alongside roadside hedges are not covered. anyway, someone is already paid to look after trees near power lines, let them do their job for goodness sake.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,399 ✭✭✭OldRio


    I'm in the local town using a cafe Internet. Our power has gone off again. Won't be back until Saturday. Not because of trees on fecking hedgerows but plantation of trees by farmers. That's the problem. Take the grant. Feck everyone else. I live in Leitrim it's a plague on our land. Caused by plantations.

    'Let them do their job'??? How's that going then?



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,063 ✭✭✭jj880


    https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/esb-says-customers-who-have-been-without-power-will-not-be-compensated-1726033.html

    The chief executive of the ESB, Paddy Hayes, has said that the energy company will not be compensating customers who have been without power for days or have incurred costs for alternative accommodation.

    Mr Hayes said that he did not know how much the impact of the storm was going to cost, but it would be significant. “It will cost tens of millions.”

    It was likely that costs would increase in 2026, he said. “Ultimately, that's something that gets scrutinised. And in 2026, it's likely that that will add those charges which are allowed.

    Sound.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭crusd


    ESB networks as a semi state are obliged to provide the infrastructure and run on a commercial basis. This is his play for government funding to pay for required network remediation



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭crusd


    Near us on the line running to the house from the exchange there were 8 poles down. They fixed the poles on the Monday after the storm, but as far as I know the only time the broadband went down was when the exchange itself lost power. Maybe its the case that the wires on the ground are still carrying signal therefore they are prioritising places with outage first?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,229 ✭✭✭MBSnr


    Funnily enough I expected that ESB video to say put an Earth wire on your generator. Yeah I never do either. It's unlikely to be a major problem but everything ran from the generator (as in cables and extension leads, if not using an isolator and the existing wiring) isn't earthed.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭crusd


    In 1998 the forests that came down this time would have been young. They are nearly all plantations from the 80's and 90's.

    I think Coilte have a lot to answer for here in how they planned and maintained these plantations, and also the ESB in not contesting trees being permitted to be planted so close to wires. Plenty of old tress down too in older woods and Forests too. But these existed before electrification so don't have wires running through them



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,238 ✭✭✭Dazler97


    No I was on wiki on purpose to see if the storm was on it and lone behold it was , unfortunately yes it can be edited by anyone



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 435 ✭✭redunited


    My electric restore time has now been pushed back to the 9th

    Unbelievable at this stage, I live on a main road and the houses across the road had power restored a few days back, meanwhile the houses on my side are pushed to the 9th.

    Its getting ridiculous now.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Robwindstorm


    In all fairness Rio, alot of plantations in Leitrim are plantations from foreign investors and are usually non native quick growing conifers for a quick return, after 15 to 20 year grants. Usually your forest is thinned out by year 10 for making fence posts etc. Older farmers with no help or interest to farm were coaxed into this ,particularly around the early 90s ,by government schemes. This in turn led to foreign investors snapping up land in counties like your own, and planting them. You can blame the farmers all you want, but they cleared trees off roads, ferried people through floods and cleared snowdrifts in storms gone by.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,298 ✭✭✭standardg60


    No, signal is well gone, wires broken and lying on the ground, Eir have been informed, just nothing happening yet.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭crusd


    Its incredibly frustrating. Have been keeping an eye on Powercheck everyday as even though have power myself throughout, have close older family members who only got it back yesterday and Saturday and was trying to keep them informed. What I noticed is that the dates on the site are probably only loosely related to what is happening on the ground, with it more being an exercise in expectation management than providing accurate information. The person who got it back Saturday had their return date changed to the 5th on Thursday, unknown on Friday and coming back Saturday afternoon, and the people who got it back yesterday were pushed form the 27th to 29th to 30th to 1st and finally 3rd which was when they got it. What i have been noting is they are clearing 100's of faults everyday though which will tell you it wont be long now. Its 550 faults remaining now, was about 700 yesterday evening, 1050 on Sunday, 1400 on Saturday, 1750 on Friday and over 2,100 last Thursday



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,959 ✭✭✭Odelay


    it’s the ESB who are responsible for cutting trees near power lines. This is how it is in every developed country in the world, the power company maintains trees near their infrastructure.
    farmers cannot be cutting trees near live power lines.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,082 ✭✭✭I says


    As I said on this thread earlier the esb connected new houses from the transformer suppling me and ran the line through ash trees so it’s not the fault of any farmer or landowner when you have that level of workmanship installing power to people from the grid.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭WolfeEire
    Clare (430ft asl)


    My fibre internet returned today, 12 days later

    www.x.com/wolfeeire



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,400 ✭✭✭testtech05


    We moved into a new build last year and the same thing happened with both ESB and Eir. Eir contractors at least mentioned trimming the trees but when it came to it they threaded the cable throw the trees.
    The ESB actually upgraded the transformer on a pole beside the house and didnt trim the bushes around it bar ones we had already taken down that we thought were dangerous to the house. They are not getting half enough grief for the state they have left things like this in for years.

    On a seperate topic my parents and there neighbours finally got power and subsequently water restored today. Been a long 12 days for them between the house and trying to keep cattle and other livestock with water.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,655 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    Still waiting here.

    Get these lads and get the job done by cutting trees around power lines.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭WolfeEire
    Clare (430ft asl)


    I rang Vodafone on 7 different occasions and was put through to a call centre. Yesterday, I finally lost it with them. They could not give me a restore date. In fact, yesterday on the 7th call they said they had no record of a fault in my area even though hundreds were without service. Utterly incredibly bad customer service. Sould have ignored NBI and stuck with my wireless internet service with Imagine.

    www.x.com/wolfeeire



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,655 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    I'm with SIRO. No way of contacting them. Talk to your provider. Provider has no restore date. ESB have banned SIRO from any repairs.

    Noone will admit that of course.

    The provider sent February's bill out though. I laughed. I told them I want a refund for no service.The same provider does wireless and I know that's all up.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭WolfeEire
    Clare (430ft asl)


    Got my bill today (the day my internet was restored). Full charge!

    NBI spending 2.7 billion on the roll-out. They are deploying the fibre on up to 1.5m polls, many of which are already in place and in dire need of replacement. Talk about spurning an opportunity to future-proof the fibre network.

    www.x.com/wolfeeire



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,109 ✭✭✭creedp


    Couldn't agree more. NBI connected a neighbour recently and ran the cable straight through an Ash tree suffering badly from dieback. Why?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,429 ✭✭✭WolfeEire
    Clare (430ft asl)


    Contractors get paid per job done. The terms and conditions of the jobs refer to 'connections' only. Such a missed opportunity

    www.x.com/wolfeeire



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,381 ✭✭✭✭Oscar Bravo


    "A new documentary reporting the impact of Storm Éowyn is set to air on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 7pm on Thursday, February 4, 2025.

    Less than two weeks after the once-in-a-century weather event that shook the nation, the new 30-minute documentary from the RTÉ Documentary Unit will tell of the storm’s catastrophic impact on communities and the resilience of the Irish people who faced it."



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Robwindstorm


    Just for a bit of giddiness, storm Eowyn has notched up 727k views and is soon coming to a close. The January snow notched up 651k views between part 1 and 2. Does anyone have a Top of the Pops charts of the the weather events hits?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,632 ✭✭✭davehey79


    local planted forestry in Longford flattened near the home house. Ties in with the poster who linked the video on the outside staying put and the middle going over like dominoes



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,805 ✭✭✭Rougies


    December 2010 surely takes #1. It was absolute mayhem and carnage here, multiple threads per day, different types of threads (regional threads/technical discussion/chat threads etc...) boards.ie crashing frequently, just pure chaos for a full month. "Social media" as we know it hadn't really taken hold by then so boards.ie was basically the online hub for the event.

    BTFE/Storm Emma 2018 would probably be #2, similar situation but a much shorter time period and by then there were a lot more online options to post and discuss matters. Still was absolute madness here for a couple of weeks.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,805 ✭✭✭Rougies


    Well féck me upside down. I was told here that RTÉ don't care about anybody because their headquarters is in The Pale.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,728 ✭✭✭FishOnABike


    What has Bromotrifluoroethylene got to do with it?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,554 ✭✭✭RabbleRouser2k




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 221 ✭✭JohnySwan


    I love to see them on the road, in fact any EV. Much better than a filthy diesel poisoning us all.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,341 ✭✭✭snowstreams


    From Oscar Bravo

    "A new documentary reporting the impact of Storm Éowyn is set to air on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 7pm on Thursday, February 4, 2025.”


    I hope everyone has power back by then so they can actually watch it!
    i was in Dublin for the December 2010 snow & it was very impactful but it was still nothing compared to how impactful Éowyn was in the west & North midlands.

    Post edited by snowstreams on


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,618 ✭✭✭✭tom1ie


    Just a small flavour of the destruction done to the grid by this storm.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 570 ✭✭✭Robwindstorm


    Brilliant photos tom. Are some of them ESB wires going directly through thick forestry or were they on firebreak passage ways like you imagine they at least should be ?

    Well done again for showing the absolute destruction Eowyn has done



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,618 ✭✭✭✭tom1ie


    In a lot of places the forestry grew in and around the wires as they weren’t maintained by the private forestry, is my understanding.
    However there are places outside the forestry areas which were just flattened by the ferocity of the wind.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,143 ✭✭✭✭dxhound2005


    I haven't been following the thread, and this may have been mentioned before. My brother in Cavan has been told by the ESB that they cannot get a new pole to replace the one destroyed by the storm. He still has no power, and all the neighbours are back since 27 January. It would not be surprising if the supply of poles has run out.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,070 ✭✭✭Bishop of hope


    My brother just got his back today and a few other neighbours just up the road from me. Ours and the start of the lane is back since Tuesday last week. They were waiting on poles for them, so possibly there's a shortage or difficulty getting them distributed because of demand.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,086 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    You'd assume with the amount of readily available knocked down trees, that the turnaround time to convert a tree into a pole would be fairly short (appreciate that not all trees make good poles etc)

    I'd think that regular poles aren't that difficult to source but then again who knows.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 29,023 ✭✭✭✭zell12


    Shhh everyone, Communications minister Darragh O'Brien is on Radio1 about ESBN 2023 €800m profit, trees, storms, €10m's of damage done, future preparation



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,728 ✭✭✭FishOnABike


    It would probably take near enough to a year at least. Only a small percentage of trees would be suitable to be made into a utility pole. They have to be transported to one of the few utility pole manufacturers, trimmed, debarked, planed, left season for months, sterilised, pressure treated with preservative, etc. If the poles aren't in stock there's no quick way to make them.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,323 ✭✭✭tphase


    you'd assume that converting trees to poles requires power which requires a functioning electricity network which requires poles…et cetera

    I just hope they are sourcing poles from Scandinavian/Northern European forests

    It's not just poles they need to replace - transformers, voltage regulators, insulators, fuses and holders, mounting hardware, stay wires, anchors. They'll have a large stock of the stuff they need, just not enough of it. The guts of half their customers were knocked out by the storm. I would speculate they carry enough hardware to cover max 20% of their customers being affected; their suppliers will only carry a small % of what ESBN typically order ever year so feck knows what the lead times are on getting new stock.

    Anyway, nothing but admiration for the guys on the ground doing the work - I know a couple of them, both retired. One came out of retirement to help out last week.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 372 ✭✭peterofthebr




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 372 ✭✭peterofthebr


    Where in cavan is he,? maybe someone can help get a pole there before the esb re-review the storm impact. I've been told they will recheck system once all are back online. They are doing a 'patch' atm...



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,655 ✭✭✭irishgeo


    All this talk of resilience for the grid. Will be the NIMBYs be back though when eirgrid want to run new lines and new poles need to be placed in people's land. You bet they will.

    Metal poles should be used in forested areas and on critical lines.



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