Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was in Clifden and it was horrific to see the damage. The television pictures often reflect what flooding means to a community, but this was just unbelievable. There were front yards ripped asunder, boulders half as big as where I am sitting were just hurtled onto people's front lawns and houses were devastated. There are houses on the Galway road - the Deputy would be more familiar with them than me - from which people were taken in boats. I had seen the impact of severe flooding in my town of Newcastle West, but this was horrific. The issue was that it was monsoon-type rain. The water level rose as quickly as it went down. By the time I arrived there that evening, aside from a roar from the river, one would not have anticipated that this town had an issue with flooding.

There are a number of outstanding issues between the OPW and Galway County Council. It is a smaller scheme so, ordinarily, it would be carried out by the council. It will be up to the council to do it, but the OPW has committed to guide the council through that because it has the resources in terms of its engineering and technical expertise. If there are issues, we have asked Galway County Council to revert to us. If the Deputy wishes to relay specific issues to me, she can bring them directly to my attention.

See this speech in context