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Ireland at a standstill as snow storm pummels country

By
DONAL THORNTON,
IrishCentral.com

Published Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 4:19 PM
Updated Thursday, January 7, 2010, 8:49 AM

 

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A man sleds in Dublin, can you believe it!

Ireland is at a standstill after a severe snow storm pummelled the island.

Thousands of people were stranded up and down the country after significant snowfall Wednesday made the roads impassable.

The snow and ice have hammered air and road transport, particularly in Dublin and the eastern half of the country.

A severe weather warning is in effect overnight with temperatures expected to drop to -8C (17.6F) following heavy snowfalls today.

Dublin Airport was closed down in the mid-afternoon because snow and ice were making the runways dangerous.

Tourists and commuters have been left to find alternative means of transport as bus services in the east of the country were canceled including all services in Dublin.

The national bus service Bus Eireann said they would review service in the morning.

Dublin, Wexford, Wicklow, Meath and Louth were all hit by the snow storm after another very cold night of ice, sleet, snow and freezing fog.

There was also heavy snowfall in parts of Co Carlow and Co Kilkenny.

Secondary roads are said to be very icy across counties Kerry, Cork, Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan, Meath, Wicklow, Offaly, Kilkenny and right through Connacht.

The extremely cold weather is the coldest for about 30 years and could last at least another week.

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6 Comments

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Posted by ThomasCoolberth on Jan 09, 2010, 11:52 AM EST
Perhaps they could burn Global Warming propaganda as a heat source.
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Posted by IrishAndProud on Jan 07, 2010, 09:02 PM EST
Rebelforce wrote: "I think the Irish people better start going back to Mass again. What's next for Ireland? A plague of locusts?".....Yes, but not until spring thaw.
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Posted by kickstar on Jan 07, 2010, 09:54 AM EST
All these government ministers in Ireland are a joke...They do a great job as long as they are not called upon to actually do the Job, Prime example this week as country grinds to a halt over an easily predictable weather condition, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey can't be found neither can Taoiseach Brian Cowen or any of his senior ministers were available to outline what the Government is doing to help by gritting and sanding the roads and making them usable, and to help motorists and homeowners living in isolated areas. You would expect a response like this from a leader of some 3rd world country but for a European Country in the 21st Century this response is abysmal and really shows that Ireland has in fact as far as its leadership is concerned has not moved one inch forward since the diesel tanks froze up in the Dublin buses in the 70s. They should hang their heads in Shame and resign en mass. Go figure this.....You just know These weather conditions will happen again so what would be wrong about finding some corner of the Nation to store a few hundred thousand tonnes of rock salt and a few dozen grit spreaders?? or is this just beyond this Governments imagination. They are as useful as tits on a bull.
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Posted by maizamaya on Jan 07, 2010, 02:01 AM EST
Well, I'm from Maine, USA. We had a three day storm last week and received 14 inches of snow. I don't mind the snow, it's the sleet and freezing rain that make it miserable. I have been to Ireland and love the country. Wish I had money to move there with my husband.
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Posted by jacersisityourself on Jan 06, 2010, 07:09 PM EST
LOL @ Rebel's comment... Mind you, it is a bad night here on the East coast of Ireland. Dublin has almost stopped being a vibrant city. No buses, taxis; lotsa stupid drivers out there. I saw a big bunch of skewedly parked cars abandoned at the bottom of a valley hill... drivers who went down the black-iced hill couldn't get up the other side. And that goes for drivers on both sides of the road. Looked like a knacker's car dump yard. Ah well, a healthy walk home in fresh cold air did no one any harm. Apart from a few broken arms, legs and wrists on the slippery surfaces, that is... Poor us, poor Ireland, freezing our bal - er, no - our ears off.
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Posted by Rebelforce on Jan 06, 2010, 05:00 PM EST
I think the Irish people better start going back to Mass again. What's next for Ireland? A plague of locusts?
 


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