FOUR generations of one family are back living under the same roof to share a generator amid continuing Storm Eowyn blackouts.
Weary mum Shauna Murphy and her two children, 10-year-old Fionn and eight-year-old Cara Dowd, have fled their power-outage plagued home in Liscuib, Ballymacward, Ballinasloe, Co Galway.
With a week in the dark, Shauna and her children moved down the road to the family farmhouse where they are joined by her sister and her partner and three children, along with Shauna’s father and 91-year-old grandfather Johnny Murphy.
The three-bedroom home, built in 1932, is now being powered by a generator thanks to sister Bronagh Murphy who gave birth to a baby girl just before the storm hit.
Shauna said: “We have had to move down with my sister who was able to get a generator because she has a newborn baby.
“So there’s actually ten of us at the moment living in a three-bedroom house and that’s including my 91-year-old granddad, so there’s actually four generations together living in the one house.”
This comes as Micheal Martin today defended the Government’s response to Storm Eowyn but warned: We will have similar storms in the future.
The Taoiseach revealed the Department of Social Protection will provide temporary hotel accommodation for vulnerable people left without water and electricity for the past week.
Tens of thousands of people have been without the vital services after the massive storm created havoc, especially in the West of Ireland.
ESB crews along with European repair crews from Europe are working all out to repair the grid and line damage.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met again today to discuss repair efforts over the coming days.
They said power has been restored to 694,000 customers, but some 74,000 homes, farms, schools and businesses remain without supply.
Telecommunications and water supplies have also been significantly affected.
Chair of the NECG Keith Leonard said: “It’s been an incredibly challenging week – both for those suffering prolonged disruption in the storm’s aftermath, and for the thousands of staff and volunteers involved in the intensive restoration and relief efforts.
“Nearly 700,000 people have now had their power restored, and the vast majority of people affected by water outages have had their supply restored.
“This has required an unprecedented level of work and commitment from our infrastructure crews – work that will continue over the bank holiday weekend and beyond until everyone affected is reconnected.”
Speaking in Cork, Martin promised that while Ireland can expect more storms like last weekend’s because of climate change, the Government will accelerate investment in the grid, “to future proof it and make it more resilient”.
VULNERABLE PEOPLE
The Fianna Fail leader said: “In the short, term for those still without power I have asked the Minister for Social Protection and the Department of Social Welfare to again have sustained and proactive engagement with those in the communities in terms of aid payments.
“This is particularly in terms of vulnerable people and, where possible, to organise their accommodation in hotels and so forth.
“They have been without power for a long time now and repairs may not take place until the next couple of days.
“The humanitarian response must take that into account.”
He also stressed: “There will be a need for really substantial investment in our electricity grid into the future.
“If you look at the table over the past 10 years or so, the number and severity of storms of this kind is growing.
“Climate change is now having an impact to a significant degree on our country and we have to step change our resilience in terms of that. We will have similar storms to this in the years to come.
“The numbers are quite stark if you contrast it to 10 years ago in terms of the number of storms and the severity of storms in 2023, 2024 and now 2025.
‘ANGER AND FRUSTATION’
“I can fully understand the anger and frustration. Any of us who were without power for such an extended period would be very anxious and very worried.
“We are very, very dependent on technology and electricity in the modern world. We are doing everything we possible can.”
Martin added: “The West and Northwest took a terrible hit from Storm Éowyn. In a way, nationally, the country was very fortunate in that it did not come straight through the country. It veered northwest and the severity is the reason for the prolonged outage and the impact on the grid.
“We certainly have to evaluate the severity of this storm into the future.”
The Taoiseach was speaking as he turned the sod to formally mark GE HealthCare’s €132 million investment to expand its site in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork.
A new state-of-the-art facility on the grounds of the existing site will enable 25 million more patient doses per year of contrast media by the end of 2027.
