The Daily Star Ireland
Several ferry trips between Ireland and Wales have been canceled due to damage at Holyhead caused by Storm Darragh, leaving 35,000 homes and businesses without power in Ireland.
Irish Ferries and Stena Line have suspended their services from Dublin to Holyhead. Irish Ferries announced that the Ulysses’ 8:05 am and 8:55 pm sailings, as well as the James Joyce’s 2:30 pm sailing from Dublin, have been canceled. Passengers can instead take the 8:45 pm Rosslare to Pembroke sailing. Stena Line canceled its four scheduled sailings today, citing technical issues at Holyhead port.
Ger Hyland, President of the Irish Road Haulage Association, reported that some members have trucks waiting for trailers in both the UK and Ireland. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, he mentioned that trucks would be idle for the next two days and that there would be a three to four-day backlog once ferries resume. He highlighted the high costs of these delays due to repayments, wages, insurance, and standing costs.
Meanwhile, ESB Networks has restored power to 360,000 customers since Saturday and will continue work at first light. Due to the severity and extent of the damage, some customers might be without power for approximately a week. Brian Tapley, Regional Manager of ESB Networks, said that calls are prioritized, starting with those involving extreme danger. He noted that the restoration phase is now more challenging, with significant work needed to fix faults that might only restore power to a few customers. He urged the public to treat fallen power lines as live and not to approach them.
Storm Darragh’s impact has been likened to Storm Ophelia in 2017 but has affected the entire country. Met Éireann issued Status Red and Status Orange wind warnings, recording gusts of 141 km/h at Ceann Mhása in Co Galway, 120 km/h at Shannon, Co Clare, and 115 km/h in Co Cork.
