Despite widespread rainfall during the weekend, there was no fresh flooding in the southeast. There has been some limited flooding of homes and businesses in the region but major damage has been averted.
However, with water levels in the Barrow, Nore and Suir swollen by several feet above normal, towns and villages in the river valleys of Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary remain on flood alert. All three rivers have burst their banks at various locations and thousands of acres of land are waterlogged. Met Éireann has forecast further rainfall this week.
In Clonmel yesterday, town clerk Billy Doyle said things had "definitely improved" and most streets and roads had reopened. Water had receded from most of the quays and last night only the Anglesea Street area remained flooded. Mr Doyle praised the Army for providing emergency transport last week and for filling and distributing sandbags.
He said young volunteers with the Civil Defence were doing "an excellent job".
In Co Kilkenny, a Garda spokesman urged motorists to drive with care but said the flood had receded and all roads appeared to be open. At Inistioge, where the Nore becomes tidal, a flock of seagulls landed on a "lake" which has submerged the famous hurling field.
In Carlow, gardaí said the flooding had receded and streets which had been closed to traffic on Friday had reopened. Emergency council crews were still on stand-by.
Residents of Fermoy and Mallow in north Cork braced themselves for the possibility of further flooding over the weekend but although there was heavy rain on Saturday night, the situation was far less severe than expected.
Some of the worst floods to hit the region in several years struck on Wednesday and Thursday.
Homes and businesses in Mallow and Fermoy sustained extensive damage likely to cost many millions of euros due to flooding by the River Blackwater. The town councils were on standby over the weekend as the forecasts predicted heavy rain. Fortunately river levels had reduced enough to support heavy rainfall on Saturday night.
However, local council officials said the region was not out of the woods yet as there is the possibility of a worsening in conditions over the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile, East Cork Labour TD Seán Sherlock said the flooding situation ought to be assessed as a matter of urgency.
He added that despite the much-hyped launch of the €30 million flood plan for Mallow in April 2005, flood alleviation was obviously no longer on the Government's priority list.
"This is just another in a long list of broken promises from this Government. A scheme that was initially mooted as taking five years to complete is not even at the halfway mark and it's now three years later," Mr Sherlock said.
"This Government needs to deliver for the people of north Cork. The time for talking is over. Minister Noel Ahern and the Office of Public Works now need to give a definitive timeline for completion."