If Storm Éowyn had hit Galway at high tide last January, lives would have been lost. This is the brutal conclusion of a new report from the government’s National Directorate of Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM ), quietly published last week.
Storm Éowyn also knocked out vital coastal radio communication services across County Galway, according to the survey of the State’s response to the worst storm to hit the western seaboard since Storm Debbie in 1961.
Storm Éowyn landed in Galway around 5am on January 24, when a gust was recorded at Mace Head of 183km/h.
Galway’s city and county councils are praised in the report, especially for establishing emergency response hubs in affected areas, and for rapidly clearing main roads across the county, which allowed free movement in the immediate aftermath of the storm which lashed Galway with sustained 142km/h winds.
The report notes that as storm surges approached Ireland, the early expectation was that “critical thresholds are forecast to be approached,” meaning catastrophic flooding, but thankfully the main force of the storm did not make landfall at high tide.
“If the highest surges had occurred at the same time as high tide, the flooding impacts would have been much more significant, with an increased threat to life,” the report authors soberly note. Salthill in Galway city is specifically mentioned in this section.
According to this ‘Review of Storm Éowyn’ published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the high winds knocked out 13 primary and secondary VHF radio sites along the west coast. These antennae are vital for a number of emergency communications, including the TETRA radio systems used by the HSE, Fire Service, An Garda Sciochana, Coast Guard and other agencies.
The Irish Coast Guard was forced to issue a warning to mariners and island communities off the west coast via a commercial radio station, saying it was temporarily unable to receive distress calls. Phone calls to its control centres in Cork and Donegal were routed through its HQ in Dublin.
It is understood An Garda Síochána and some Fire Brigade units across the west and northwest of the country lost Tetra cover as a result of Éowyn, and the HSE suffered nationwide comms difficulties, including for ambulances.
The report notes that after the storm, the Coast Guard replaced 30 of its VHF radio aerials. The state body operates 23 primary radio sites nationwide, and 50 secondary installations.
Reacting to the report, and publication of ESB Networks’ Winter 2025 Grid Resilience Plan, Minister of State, Seán Canney, said the government is procuring mobile generators to ensure Emergency Hubs can operate off-grid.
“Storm Éowyn was one of the most destructive storms ever to hit Ireland, leaving over 760,000 homes, farms and businesses without power,” he said. “The Government’s review shows that strong lessons have been learned – from faster emergency coordination to a more robust and resilient electricity network.”
ESB Networks’ Winter 2025 Plan focuses on the counties worst affected by recent storms, including Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, with large-scale vegetation clearance, new composite poles, expanded repair crews and mutual aid agreements with European utilities.
