#Flooding - Seaside residents in the popular surfing spot of Lahinch in Co Clare were evacuated yesterday (3 January) after massive swells driven by strong storm-force winds encroached half a kilometre inland.

According to The Irish Times, the emergency came amid some of the worst weather ever experienced in the West Clare coastal town.

Aside from flooding homes throughout the town, the storm surges collapsed metal fencing on the shorefront and sent concrete wall cappings some 50 metres across the promenade car park.

Nearby, part of the old pier in Liscannor were destroyed by the violent wind and wave action, while the 150-year-old base of the Irish Coast Guard's Doolin unit was also damaged, with the road leading from the base to the pier broken up.

Elsewhere in the country, records were broken in Dublin as the River Liffey saw its highest ever tide, breaking its banks near Heuston Station yesterday afternoon.

The Irish Independent reports that Wolfe Tone Quay and Victoria Quay were closed for an hour while Dublin City Council workers pumped the floodwaters from the roads.

In the coastal suburb of Clontarf - the worst-hit area of the capital, experiencing its worst flooding in a decade - seafront businesses were spared when floodwaters stopped just metres from their doors.

Meanwhile, Galway and Cork remain on high alert as high tide brings floodwaters to city streets, with the Salthill Promenade still a no-go area.

#MARINE NOTICE - The latest Marine Notice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) draws mariners' attention to the official report on the sinking of the fishing boat Ainmire and its recommendations for safety on board all fishing vessels.

As reported in September last year on Afloat.ie, the report by the Marine Casualty Investigation Board found that a breach in the engine compartment caused the Ainmire to take on water and sink off the coast of Scotland in April 2011.

The report concluded that the failure of a sea water cooling pipe in the engine room was the most likely cause of the flooding, and noted that the pipework had not been renewed during the life of the vessel.

Investigators also noted that the bilge pump was located under the floor plates in the engine room as was this inoperable when the water level rose in the compartment.

Marine Notice No 58 of 2012 - a PDF of which is available to read and download HERE - reminds fishing vessel operators that large sea-water inlets in engine rooms make their boats vulnerable to severe flooding if they fail.

It is recommended that these pipes should be checked for corrosion every year, especially around the welded joint at the hull. Ultrasonic thickness testing of the pipework should also be considered.

Moreover, such pipework can be eroded quickly by stray currents, so electrical equipment should be checked regularly, while the location of bilge pumps in the engine room should be carefully considered

#SHANNON FLOODING - Galway Bay FM reports that Galway county councillors have postponed making any decision on an Oireachtas report into flooding in areas adjacent to the River Shannon.

The move was taken on the suggestion of Cllr Dermot Connolly in the wake of a joint Dáil and Seanad committee report that highlights eight proposals for dealing with flooding issues along the longest of Ireland's inland waterways.

Cllr Michael Connolly has suggested that Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan and Minister for the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan should meet to discuss the report's findings from both a flooding and environmental stance.

Meanwhile, the Irish Independent reports that the Office of Public Works (OPW) has agreed to carry out tests at Meelick weir on the Shannon in Co Offaly after thousands of acres of farmland were flooded over the summer, ruining silage crops and summer grazing land.

Waterways Ireland has denied allegations that a failure to open sluices and lift boards at the weird contributed to the flooding.

#COASTAL NOTES - It's an alarming figure by any means - new research shows that the level of the Irish Sea will rise by almost half a metre by the end of the century, leading to much more severe flooding along the east coast and elsewhere.

The results of research published by the Ryan Institute at NUI Galway, as reported by The Irish Times, show that sea level rises of up to 47cm are not out of the question.

They also indicate that sea surface temperatures will increase by nearly 2 degrees, which would have serious implications for marine wildlife and the fishing industry.

Dr Mike Hartnett of the Tyan Institute said the new research - from 3D model-based projections of the seas around Ireland - is the most comprehensive study of its kind, and confirms previous "tentative" studies in the area.

The news comes after national weather forecaster Met Éireann announced an incredible 0.75 degree rise in average temperature in Ireland - and a 5% increase in rainfall - over the past two decades alone.

And with recent flooding in Cork and Belfast causing millions of euro worth of damage, the real implications of such figures is coming closer to home.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#FLOODING - The clean-up has begun across Cork city and county after heavy flooding over the past two days resulted in millions of euro worth of damage, as The Irish Times reports.

Debris blocking a rubbish screen on a new culvert on the Douglas river has been blamed for the more than four feet of flood water that swamped the suburb of Douglas south of Cork city.

Elsewhere in the city, six people were evacuated from homes in the Meadow Brook Estate in Glanmire after the Glashaboy river burst its banks.

RTÉ News - which has a photo gallery of affected areas in and around Cork - reports that electricity is being restored to most customers after widespread power outages.

Met Éireann's Eoin Sherlock said that nearly 50mm of rain fell in a single six-hour period on Wednesday night - more than two-thirds of the monthly average rainfall for June.

Meanwhile, in Belfast politicians face public anger over flash flooding overwhelmed the city and left major routes impassable and sparked concerns over rising sewage water.

According to the Irish Independent, Northern Ireland emergency services reported more than 700 call-outs linked to the flooding in greater Belfast alone.

Minister for Regional Development Danny Kennedy, who is responsible for the North's roads and water system, said that "no infrastructure would have been able to cope with the level of rainfall that we have seen.

"It simply isn't designed to cope with those volumes of rain."

#WEATHER - Met Éireann is warning that more gale force winds will affect many parts of Ireland and the Irish Sea today (28 December).

According to the forecaster, stormy conditions over Connacht, Ulster and parts of north Leinster will see gale force westerly winds with gusts of between 100 and 130 km/h.

The worst winds are expected in exposed coastal and hilly areas of Ulster and Connacht. There is also an increased risk of flooding as a result of high astronomical tides combined with very high seas.

#INLAND WATERWAYS - Sluice gates have been opened at locks and dams along the River Shannon due to flooding concerns, The Irish Times reports.

The ESB confirmed that water levels in the upper Shannon had been rising significantly since September, and were just below those recorded prior to the flooding in Carrick-on-Shannon two years ago.

However the flooding threat has abated this week, with levels in Lough Allen dropping by around 300cm, although the situation is still subject to amounts of rainfall in the coming days as the Shannon drains slowly.

Levels in Lough Ree have also stabilised after rising throughout October.

The ESB continues to discharge from the Ardnacrusha power plant, while Waterways Ireland has commenced dredging at Meelick in Co Galway.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

The body of an off-duty garda who was swept away by floodwater in Co Wicklow during Monday's torrential rain has been recovered.

The Irish Times reports that 25-year-old Garda Ciaran Jones was pulled into the River Liffey at the Ballysmuttan Bridge around 7pm on Monday while warning motorists not to cross the bridge.

A search and rescue operation was immediately launched involving the Irish Coast Guard, the Garda helicopter and mountain and river rescue teams, according to the Irish Examiner.

His body was eventually found at 9am yesterday morning some 4km downstream of the incident.

Supt Eamon Keogh of Blessington Garda Station noted that Garda Jones had been crossing the bridge to warn an oncoming car when he was swept into the swollen river by a sudden surge of water.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny led tributes to the young garda as well as a woman who died at her home in Dublin during the flooding that caused chaos across the east of Ireland on Monday evening, with several inland waterways bursting their banks.

A combination of high tides, high winds and low pressure increase the possibility of coastal flooding, particularly at high tide around midnight on Sunday 7 November and midday on Monday 8 November.

A deep low pressure centre is expected to move down across Ireland tonight, clearing away slowly during Monday. This weather system has the potential to bring some severe weather to Ireland. Rainfall totals are likely to reach 25mm - 30mm in places during Sunday and Monday. While not excessive, this rain may lead to some localised flooding on roads. The strongest winds associated with this weather system are likely to be well to the west of Ireland; however if the track of the low pressure is further east than currently expected, then these very strong winds may possibly affect our west coast.

The principal dangers from this weather system will be due to very high seas off the southwest and west coast (waves approaching 9m) and coastal flooding due to a combination of high tides, very low pressure, storm surge and onshore winds. The danger period extends through Sunday night and, for the east coast, much of Monday also. Valid from: 12hrs Sunday Nov 7th To: 06hrs Tuesday Nov 9th.

Householders, property owners, motorists and pedestrians are warned that there is a risk of coastal flooding in Dublin in the next 36 hours according to a Dublin city council update issued last night.  

More from Cork City Council HERE

More from Dublin City Council HERE