A number of homes and farmyards are under threat from a Roscommon lake that has been steadily rising for the past two decades.

Lough Funshinagh has swallowed up more than 100 hectares of land in recent years, leading to severe flooding issues around the Rahara area.

The lake, traditionally covers around 600 acres; however, it is currently taking up around 1,200 acres during the winter.

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, local farmer Paraic Beattie said a number of homes had to evacuated in recent weeks as the lake continues to rise.

He said his only hope now is that the coming days will be dry enough for the waters to recede.

“Come the weekend now we will be taking the furniture out of downstairs and we will be taking, I suppose, anything small that can be taken upstairs,” he said.

“I suppose then just leave the bare minimum and be prepared for the worst because it could happen, you don’t know what weather is going to come now.

“We are solely dependent on how good or bad the weather is and the diesel pumps.”

Flood preparations at Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, 05-02-2021. Image: Paraic Beattie

He said his elderly neighbours, both of whom are in their 80s, had to evacuate earlier this week.

“If you have seen what happened last Monday it was like a removal of a funeral with all the vans around and people helping to take the stuff out of the house, just in case,” he said.

“Now it didn’t get into the house but it was horrible to watch it.”

Flooding at Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, 05-02-2021. Image: Paraic Beattie

Mr Beattie said the majority of his farmland is still dry – however, his farmyard is now under threat.

“I could lose everything,” he said. “I had a cow that calved two nights ago and if I lose that shed, I have no way to calf the cows and I have nowhere to lamb the ewes come March if I lose that.”

He said the county council has offered to inquire about houses in Roscommon town; however, the family have no plans to leave their land.

“That was hard to hear now to be honest but no, we are not going to leave the house because fortunately we have an upstairs and the mother said herself, she’ll bring the kettle upstairs,” he said.

“I have my whole farmyard here and everything. I can’t leave it. They said they are going to enquire about a house in Roscommon town which is ten miles away – we don’t want it.”

Draining

Also on the show, local farmer and councillor Laurence Fallon said a swallow hole that used to drain the lake is no longer effective.

He said the only way to save the land now is to pump the water from the lake into the River Shannon.

“There are no natural outlets,” he said. “It won’t spill over a hill for another five metres and by then it will be at least 2,000 acres in size.

“The only solution is that we put in a spill-over pipe into the Shannon to lower the level to its natural size of the lake.

Flood preparations at Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon, 05-02-2021. Image: Paraic Beattie

He said the Shannon is around 4km away; however, there is a river that flows into it within 2km.

“It is not a massive engineering feat at all but by doing it we would save about 140 hectares of land,” he said.

“We would save five houses and five farmyards but more importantly, this is a very important area for nature

“It is an SAC (Special Area of Conservation) and NHA (National Heritage Area) area designate for the last 50 years and farmed by the farmers under those guidelines.

“Everything in the current turlough is now dead and if we could restore the turlough to its natural area very quickly, all those little plants that are so rare in the world will flourish again.

“So, it is a win/win for everybody if we can restore the lake to within the boundaries of the SAC.”

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