‘We’ve seen worse days in these parts’ – relief for farmer as cattle remain safe

SAFETY and animal welfare were paramount for farmer Michael Tevlin, as the violent storm lashed farmland near Loop Head in Co Clare.

Mr Tevlin (inset) and his brother Gerry farm their lands at Kilbaha and they worked to ensure their cattle were kept safe from the anger of Ophelia.

“The worst time was between 2pm and 3pm when the winds were at their worst,” said Michael (65).

The farmer, a former lighthouse keeper at the remote Fastnet lighthouse, said Force 11 winds roared across the landscape.

“Many of our cattle were kept indoors and those that were outside had plenty of shelter from tall hedgerows, walls and ditches. It remained mild,” he said.

Falling trees were not a danger on the windswept farm as “trees don’t grow on Loop Head”, he said.

The bad weather forced the cancellation of a local Irish

Farmers’ Association meeting last night. While fallen trees hampered travel on roads in the vicinity of Kilrush, Mr Tevlin was relieved the animals remained safe and the farm was spared serious damage. “This area has suffered very badly in the recent past with very bad storms on St Stephen’s Night in 2015 and in January and February last year. The area was far worse affected by those storms,” he said. “There was little rain this time. We’ve seen worse days in these parts,” said the father-ofthree. During his four-year stint working in Fastnet lighthouse, he recalled a freak wave in a 1982 storm briefly submerging the entire 120ft tall lighthouse.