This article is from page 8 of the 2014-02-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
CARRIGAHOLT Postmaster Patrick Gavin’s house has been cut off from the mainland for the last five weeks due to the storms that have been battering the West Clare coast.
With road access is so poor, Patrick has been cut off from much human contact, especially that of his daughter, who he has not been able to see for the last fortnight.
As a sufferer of epilepsy, it’s too dangerous for her to visit in case she becomes ill and cannot access the medical attention she needs.
“It’s starting to take effect you know.
It’s starting to get to me now,” Mr Gavin said.
The Carrigaholt Post Office flooded last weekend for the second time in a month.
“The whole place is destroyed,” he added.
Mr Gavin says that the worst part of the most recent flood damage for the local residents is the lack of action from the Government.
Referring to a visit from Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Brian Hayes, Mr Gavin said the focus of politicians and repair work should be on people affected by the floods, not public amenities:
“He should have come to meet the people, you know and give them some heart.
“The minister should have told them we have it under control, we’ll work at getting funding and getting the place fixed up”.
Mr Gavin claims that more attention should be paid to local residents affected by the storm before attending to public areas such as the promenade in Lahinch.
“I think the six residents up where I live might be a little more important than the prom in Lahinch or the unfortunate people in Quilty that are being flooded out of their houses,” he said.
He also added that plans for coastal erosion should be given priority over proposals for other council and public projects.
Despite the disconnect that Patrick Galvin sees between politics and people the Carrigaholt postmaster was adamant that young people should still get involved in local politics but change their emphasis;
“What we need is people who want to wear the jersey, who want to do it for people, not for themselves,” he added.
The devastation in Carrigaholt and neighbouring areas has seen many homes cut off for the second time in recent weeks as the weekend floods and high tides undid much of the progress that had been made with repairs over the past month from Storm Christine.