This article is from page 1 of the 2011-05-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
A NORTH Clare river ran dry in May for the first time in living memory following the unprecedented month-long dry spell experienced by the county.
The Cahir River, which enters the sea at Fanore in North Clare, dried up in late April and has remained dry for the last 10 days. The river drains hundreds of acres of the Cahir Valley, located between Ballyvaughan, Lisdoonvarna and Fanore, and is normally a fast flowing river at this time of the year.
According to Fanore native and local historian, Kevin McCormack, the river has on occasion run dry for a few days during a very hot summer – in late July or early August – but has never before run dry so early in the year.
“It is something that has never happened before at this time of the year. The river ran dry and has stayed dry for the last 10 days. There still is a small bit of water in the river further up in the stream but that has all seeped away before it gets down to the lower parts of the river,” he told The Clare People. Meanwhile fire services across the county have been stretched to breaking point in recent weeks as the recent dry spell has caused an “unprecedented” number of gorse, bog and grass fires across the county.
Clare’s Chief Fire Officer, Adrian Kelly, has condemned anyone who had started a fire deliberately in Clare in recent weeks.
“Such reckless actions have placed the lives of both members of the local community and also firefighters at risk. These fires have also destroyed hundreds of acres of gorse land, forestry and bogs, with negative consequences for property, tourism and wildlife,” he said.
Last month, the highest temperature record anywhere in Ireland was recorded in Clare.