BY C.J. MCGINLEY
TORRENTIAL rain on Sunday caused what has been described as one of the worst mudslides in the Falcarragh area for years.
In what one local said was 'like a scene from a horror movie' mudslides occured in the Ballyboes Mountain area at around 3pm after heavy rainfall caused the top of the mountain side to become unsteady and slide down the valley in an area known locally as 'The Butterman'.
People living within a two miles radius of Larrisus Mountain said it was a frightening experience but there are no reports of any material loss although fences were ripped out of the ground. Speaking to the Donegal News, Mr Manus O'Donnell, Supervisor of Roads for the Falcarragh-Creeslough area recalled what happened. While he was off duty Mr O'Donnell was travelling towards Glenveagh when he came across the mudslides.
"On Sunday afternoon I was going towards Glenveagh. We had passed the old dump in the Ballyboes Mountain area when I looked up and there was a massive mudslide on the other side of Larrisus Mountain and running down the hill. There was torrential rain at the time but I'd never seen the likes of this before," he said.
"I travelled on a bit up the road towards the Grotto and near the Bridge of Tears and the road was flooded to a depth of 12 to 14 inches. There were stones and lumps of sod and other debris scattered across the road. The bridge was hardly fit to take the deluge. The two eyes of the bridge were full so I phoned my foreman and got council workmen to rush to the scene," he added.
The local Council work force were quickly on the scene and managed to divert the raging waters into small channels in to the main river leading to the sea which would be about six miles away.
"We put road flooded signs up and cleared the drains and got the stones and other debris off the road. The mudslides didn't come to the road but into the valley but nonetheless this was an experience that very few will forget. I've never seen the likes of it before," Mr O'Donnell said.
"The mudslides were washing down the hillside opposite the road to the dump and slid down the face of rocks and waterfalls into the valley. It was an absolute deluge," Mr O'Donnell said.
One local said it was a very frightening experience.
"This left a trail of destruction on the face of the mountain and several feet of water on the road below near the Bridge of Tears," the local source said.
