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

Ashbourne is so usually well-sheltered from windstorms that storm Darragh, from a few weeks ago, was the first time we had any wind-induced blackout in decades and that outage only lasted a split second, just about long enough to knock off all of the appliances.

I fell asleep at around 2:30 last night and woke up at around 7:30 - 8:00 with no electricity. The mobile internet was only working intermittently. Couldn't log on to the ESB Powercheck app. It was bright enough outside to witness a garden fence panel blow over, so when the winds abated in the afternoon, I had just enough battery juice in the screwgun to mend and reinforce it.

A couple of large branches down and a tree blocking the road in my cul de sac estate. A neighbour's block wall had collapsed. A couple of trees down in the area.

Had all of the battery-powered lights and Christmas decorations out and ready in case the blackout lasted into the night, but the power returned just before 16:00. I had a look at the surveillance footage and my electricity was out for 11 hours.

I don't know if I slept through the climax of the storm and couldn't tell how it compares to others noise-wise, but the damage it left behind was unprecedented.

And the powers gone, again.

I feel sorry for anyone without power.

Always hate if electricity goes which, credit due, is incredibly rare in our area.

I'd mu h prefer the water off tbh. I can always manage to find water, no power just stops everything, definitely in our house.

Only just back online. Power went North Offaly about 3.30 am and for the next three hours it certainly was the most impressive storm I've seen here. Some lovely 200 year old trees sadly uprooted near me, blocking the back roads. Imagine all the gales and storms they had survived through but Eowyn got them. I was glad when it was over which for a weather geek was unusual but I didn't want any damage and it felt like it was one of those. Power won't be back for two or three days I guess, maybe more so prepped for that.

Níl aon tinteán le do tinteán féin.

I’m hoping that having energy in the ministerial title means some attention will be given to the grid. It’s badly in need of significant investment.

I think back to the good ole days on inish Bofin when we had the gas lamps to light our way. Granted electricity came in the late 1970s and put them on on the back burner

Second day without power, but thankfully live in an non-eco 80's hovel and drive an old banger that runs on dinosaur juice. What's hard to take is the silence and introspection forced on you when all the modern electric powered distractions are gone.

wonder did many with roof mounted solar panel see them strewn around the ground/fields around their house yesterday am, does the installer give any guarantee/ warranty based on max wind speed that they can withstand….?

No power since 11 Friday and looking at power check they are only seeing more faults now as the turn back on the mainlines. Possibly no power till Monday reading the tea leaves here outside mullingar.
Generator powers lamps, tv and a few fan heaters. Stoves both lit and am able to connect gen to water pump to refill the tank. Gas hob for cooking and boiling water.

That's where having an ev with v2L comes in very handy in times like this.

Another morning, another coffee and brioche, and again without power or heating with white stuff on the ground. Also the btoadband went in that brief period the power came back. Water comes from a well; so that's no power no water, no heating, no internet and the mobile connection is super slow and will likely run out of whatever backup power source is keeping it going.

The government has a €24 billion surplus they hardly know what do with. 1, build a new hospital in or near Limerick with 1000 more beds than the wholly inadequate current one. 2. Starting with the most problematic power lines in the SW and west, and bury them.

We need fewer renewables as the current crisis shows they are just useless, its gas burning turbines generating the power at the moment, not bloody wind turbines or solar. We need to grow up and get the S Koreans to build us nuclear reactors that are 96% reliable, compred to 70% unreliable for onshore wind and 89% unreliable for solar - reliable referring here to being able to generate at their rated capacity.

Last year France generated more zero CO2 electricity than the total amount they consumed because they have enough nuclear reactors to meet 120% of their electricity needs.

No government in the world can put underground electric lines to every rural house.

That is the issue here - above ground electric lines. It simply isn't feasible to run these underground for rural housing as the cost is too high and the restrictions on land use around buried cables is fought hard against. The fact you suffer so many power interruptions is as a result of your choice to live rurally.

+1, and add to that Ireland has one of the highest percentages of people living in rural areas in Europe which further exacerbates ESB Networks ability to rapidly reconnect large numbers of people simultaneously.

Thanks to all the regular technical posters for their updates. I have been lurking on the technical threads for years and have learned a lot, and have a 12 year old daughter absolutely fascinated with weather modelling thanks to you all.