The Lower Morrell area, comprising the rural townlands of Kileenmore, Alasty, Painestown, Daars and Turnings between Sallins, Straffan and Clane, has been hit repeatedly by flooding over the past several years as the Morrell and Painestown rivers burst their banks any time of high rainfall which floods houses and property all throughout those areas. Despite this being an issue for the past several years, it has taken a very long time to have attention focused on it in terms of securing the necessary relief to carry out prevention works.

 I have been seeking flood relief efforts there for some time (see previous posts here) having advanced this issue through to design stage with Kildare County Council whilst serving as a Councillor and has recently been lobbying the Office of Public Works for the funding necessary for that scheme to proceed.

Kildare County Council put in place the necessary technical and design work for flood prevention measures to be put in place along the banks of the Morrell river basin but they were dependent on OPW funding which was proving difficult to draw down. A feasibility study was required before the scheme could advance but I am delighted to confirm that that feasibility study has today been approved from the OPW which clears the last remaining obstacle for the council to apply for funding. This is very welcome news and should allow the scheme to proceed over the next twelve months. It will be a huge relief to all the affected families and properties within those town lands and especially Killeenmore.

I would like to pay particular credit to Alan Dunney, the principal engineer in the council who has led this work and brought it to this stage, and we wouldn’t have it at this stage without him. The late Michael Fitzpatrick, former TD, was also very active on this issue and I remember visiting the site with him during especially bad flooding in 2008 and 2009.I will continue to lobby at local and national levels to ensure the funding is now provided and that the relief measures are put in place as quickly as possible.