#Flooding - Flooding events in Galway of the likes experienced in the recent winter storms will occur more regularly "with or without" the expansion of the city's port, according to Galway's harbourmaster.
As The Irish Times reports, Capt Brian Sheridan said "worst case scenario" modelling has been carried out on the masterplan for the port's expansion, which was lodged with An Bórd Pleanála yesterday (10 January).
Proposals for the scheme, which would see 27 hectares of land reclaimed from Galway Bay, include a "mini Sydney Opera House".
But for now, many residents in Galway and other western coastal areas blighted by the recent extreme weather are concentrating on picking up the pieces.
On Achill Island, guesthouse and gallery owner John Bartlett said the tight-knit community was "pretty well whacked" by the tidal flooding and sea surges that wreaked havoc along the Mayo coast.
And further south in Kerry, fisherman Patrick O'Sullivan tells The Irish Times of the shocking night last week when the Atlantic literally crashed into his young family's home.