The yellow sandbags along the Clontarf promenade were no match for Storm Barra as the seafront park was submerged by waves on Tuesday afternoon.
Despite warnings, swimmers took to the waters of the north Dublin coast and storm sightseers crossed the wooden bridge to Bull Island before it was closed for a time by Dublin Port Company, which also closed the Great South Wall leading to the Poolbeg lighthouse.
Dublin City Council closed the car parks at Clontarf and Sandymount and all the flood gates on the River Dodder due to the storm, as well as Merrion Square Park, St Patrick's Park, St Kevin's Park, Anna Livia, Croppies Acre, Audeon's Park, Peace Park and Mountjoy Square.
Several trees were felled by the storm, particularly in the Crumlin and Drimnagh areas, while a large building site hoarding on Ballybough Road had to be removed after blowing over.
In Dún Laoghaire, waves overtopped the harbour, and all parks, cemeteries and piers were closed. However, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said there was no major coastal flooding or road blockages during the day.
The council was “closely monitoring the progress of slow-moving Storm Barra and possible adverse weather” overnight and into Wednesday.
Fallen tree
Northbound Dart services were suspended between Dalkey and Dún Laoghaire for a period in the morning due to a fallen tree on the line.
In Fingal, parks and recycling centres were also closed. While there were no reports of localised flooding, there were fallen trees and broken branches in all areas across the county.
“All crews are on standby to deal with any flooding or further reports of incidents this evening and overnight. The public is advised to stay indoors and not to travel,” Fingal County Council said.
South Dublin County Council said it carried out significant work prior to the storm.
“Trash screens on the rivers and streams, particularly at culverts, were checked and cleared of any debris. Road gullies were checked for blockages and cleared.”
The council said there was spot flooding on roads across its area, with crews from the public realm and road maintenance sections removing fallen trees and branches and other debris. There were also reports of loose trampolines on roads across the capital during the storm.
