Initial roof-level assessment of the 700-year-old building suggests Storm Éowyn has wreaked substantial damage which may cost more than €100,000 to repair.
Dozens of large roof slates have been ripped from the church’s pitched and tented roofs, and now rest in shattered piles in roof valleys after the hurricane-force gusts of Storm Éowyn smashed them against the church’s tall, limestone parapets. Damage to lead flashing and cast iron downpipes was being assessed when the Galway Advertiser climbed the sixteenth century clock tower after the storm.
St Nicholas’s copper-clad spire appears to have weathered the winds, but from this vantage – which has been the city’s alignment point for walls, piers and Galway Bay’s shipping channels for 400 years - the damage to Galway city’s historic core is evident.
City centre
The roof of the old Pro Cathedral on Lower Abbeygate Street appears to have lost numerous slates, as has the Mechanics’ Institute and a number of other old buildings along Shop Street, High Street, Quay Street and Middle Street. Some of these large slates are sitting precariously in grooves or gutters, and might potentially be dislodged by another strong wind.
A number of retail and hospitality businesses in the city centre had windows broken by wind-born debris, lost signage, and are missing pieces of soffit and guttering. One law office reportedly had its windows blown out, scattering documents to the street below.
“I think everyone should get their roof inspected after this storm,” says Niall Mc Donagh, a high rope access technician and regular visitor to the belfry in St Nicholas’ clock tower. “Working here for six years, I like to say we’ve improved the roof one per cent per year,” he said.
Trees in almost every green space in the city centre are down, including St Nicholas’ graveyard, Eyre Square, Forthill, the Claddagh, New Cemetery, Woodquay, Nuns Island, University of Galway, and Fr Burke Park. At least three cars in the city centre were badly damaged by falling tress, but no injuries reported.
The Rover Corrib is flowing high, coloured a peculiar cocoa colour, and not the recognisable shade of Connemara brown influenced by upstream bogland after heavy rainfall. The Eglinton Canal is also tinted dishwater brown.
A number of tall city-centre aerials survived the strong winds, but some formerly taut support cables are now hanging limp. Tower cranes by the city docks, in Renmore and in Mervue all thankfully survived. Galway Bay FM’s main transmission mast on Sandy Road was knocked down by the wind, officially recorded as gusting up to 183kmph (114mph ) in the west of the county – a new Irish record.
Insurance Ireland records show that storm-related insurance claims across Ireland range from €16m in 2009, to €111m in 2014. Storm Éowyn is expected to break this record too, with widespread damage across Co Galway set to make up a substantial proportion.
