The rain beat down incessantly on Derrybrien, south Galway, yesterday, speeding up a moving mass of mud and debris that began sliding down the mountain side two weeks ago.
The roar of the sliding mud could be heard from a distance while large trees were carried in the fast-flowing river as though they were matchsticks.
Residents said last night the situation was worsening by the hour. They estimated that the landslide had moved about four kilometres since it first began two weeks ago. About 70 acres of bog were disturbed when the ground began to give way.
The locals said they were increasingly fearful that man-made barriers would not contain the sliding mass. They said they feared it would flow into Lough Cutra and cause pollution problems. The lake supplies the water for the nearby town of Gort.
Hibernian Wind Energy, which is building a windfarm in the area, met concerned residents in Derrybrien last night. Locals are convinced the landslide was caused by work at the 71-turbine windfarm but Hibernian said it was too early to attribute blame to anyone.
Mr Michael Kelly, spokesman for the company, an ESB subsidiary, said it was taking the issue "extremely seriously" and was working closely with Galway County Council. He said the company's crews were working on a 24-hour basis to stabilise the situation.
Hibernian expects to have more than 40 people on site this morning. Last night it was organising 12 excavation machines, three dump trucks and six trucks to work on the site.
"We've had crews on site from the early morning trying to halt the progress of the slide," Mr Kelly said. "We've been working on one dam and hope to work on two more tomorrow."
The crews are planning to build 10-metre dams to contain the landslide. However, Mr Martin Collins, spokesman for the Derrybrien Landslide Action Group, said the barriers that were erected yesterday were already being swept away.
"I honestly think there is no stopping the flow. Building dams is only slowing it down. We are looking at an absolute torrent of bog and mud."
He said fish stocks were being wiped out as the slide continued. "The bog has been churned up and when you mix water with that, you have an uncontrollable substance. Where will it all go?"
The small village of Derrybrien was virtually cut off yesterday, with the Portumna to Gort road closed. Parts of the road were covered in about three feet of mud last night. The road from Loughrea to Derrybrien was also blocked off, so residents faced long diversions to travel a few miles.
Gardaí manned the barriers, telling people it was too dangerous to get through.
Derrybrien is a small rural village with about 35 houses. Thousands of acres of commercial forestry are planted in the Slieve Aughty mountains.
Mr Collins said that once local residents saw the first landslide, they knew it would only take a downpour of rain to start the movement again.
At the moment houses are not in the pathway of the landslide but locals said the situation was unpredictable.
The Derrybrien Landslide Action Group has called for an inquiry.
Mr Kelly said Hibernian Wind Energy was conducting a thorough investigation.
"I wish to assure people that absolutely no more work will be done on the windfarm until the situation has been stabilised and the investigation is complete."
