From the archives: Raging storm of 1927 left trail of destruction in Mayo

PART 2

By Tom Gillespie

ON Friday, January 28, 1927, a severe hurricane swept over the west of Ireland, inflicting considerable damage to houses, haggards and plantations.

Blowing from a south-westerly direction, Westport, Newport, Castlebar, Ballinrobe and Ballina received the full fury of it, damage to the extent of many thousands of pounds being done, but happily no lives were lost.

It raged for several hours and left a scene of destruction in its trail, being the severest experienced in this country since the Night of the Big Wind that swept across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, beginning on the afternoon of January 6, 1839, causing severe damage to property and several hundred deaths.

On February 5, 1927, The Connaught Telegraph reported on the destruction left in its wake of the hurricane in January 1927:

A young boy named Grady, living near Westport Quay station, sustained severe injuries to his head by being hit with a piece of galvanise which was blown from a shed near his home. The unfortunate youngster had to be medically treated and received some eight or 10 stitches in the wound in his head, and now lies in a serious condition.

A commercial traveller received some nasty injuries to his face resulting from the bursting of the wind-screen of his car by a gust of wind near Murrisk.

The midday passenger train from Dublin, which generally arrives in Westport about 12.30, did not reach its destination until 9 p.m. that evening.

The mail carrier from Westport to Louisburgh could only get as far as Murrisk, a huge tree blocking the roadway somewhere in the vicinity of Mr. J.C. Garvey’s residence, and consequently had to return to Westport.

Appalling destruction is reported to have occurred in the country districts, Lecanvey and other districts along the Louisburgh route being the worst mentioned. Numbers of telegraph wires are blown along the route, roofs swept away into the sea, lands terribly inundated, and vast quantities of hay, oats, etc., destroyed.

It is reported that numbers of livestock have been found foundered with the cold. Large galvanised sheds were blown away at Murrisk and Louisburgh.

Generally, as well as the tragic there is an amusing side to everything, and sometimes the hurricane was in playful mood. An old lady’s shawl was neatly picked off her shoulders by the playful storm and wrapped around the head of a portly old gentleman who was entering the post office.

An altercation between a mischievous youth and a snappy old gent occurred on the Bridge. The old gent was about to press home his argument with something stronger than words when along came the storm, snatching the old chap’s cap, and giving it a marathon run up Castlebar Street.

The old man immediately dropped the argument and rushed in pursuit of his vanishing headgear, while several inches of tongue protruded from the youngster’s physiognomy, and wishing his old-aged opponents a hearty ‘Cheerio’, he departed. Up to the time of writing we don’t know whether the old gentleman recovered his cap or whether he is running still.

A young lady’s nice silk scarf parted company with her at Bridge Street, and took refuge on one of the Mall trees. Another silk scarf hung nimbly from a telegraph wire.

At about 4 p.m. the storm spent its fury and in a very short time had disappeared, being followed by a number of heavy showers of hail and sleet, and Old Sol again made his appearance and people started to venture abroad.

Quickly a number of boys got busy with the fallen trees, cut them in suitable pieces, and brought them homewards.

Heavy snow fell in Westport on Saturday morning.

Owing to the storm, Mr. W.D. Coyne, District Justice, and Mr. J. O’Down, Court Clerk, were unable to attend at Westport, and consequently there was no sitting of the local court.

Workmen were busily engaged in Westport on Friday evening temporarily securing the gaping roof-holes in many of the worst-damaged buildings caused by the storm.

Truly the people of Westport have just undergone a most trying experience, and one which they will ever recall with a shudder when remembering January 28, 1927.

Meanwhile, in Castlebar, the damage is pretty extensive, very few houses escaping some injury, while there was wholesale destruction of sheds and out-offices roofed with corrugated iron.

Sections of the flagged roof or three houses owned by Mr. Mulvey Rush Street, collapsed and fell into the street, and the extensive workshops of Mr. Hughes, in the same locality, were stripped.

The roofs of the County Home buildings (St. Mary’s Hospital) suffered extensively, and it is now believed that it will cost at least £2,000 to make good the damage.

The Mental Hospital (St. Mary’s Psychiatric Hospital) was also pretty extensively damaged, but the institution staff are able to effect repairs. The Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Christ Church, the Brothers school, the County Hospital, the Courthouse and Convent buildings, also a number of private houses, suffered, some to a great extent, and on the whole great havoc was wrought.

Tress and walls were levelled, while many haggards in the country districts were considerably damaged. Fortunately the storm was not prolonged, and was followed by a fall of snow.

Ballina suffered pretty extensively, as did the adjoining town of Killala, the old workhouses in both places being much battered.

Ballinrobe met the full fury of the gale and much damage was done to the roofs. In this and the Hollymount district there was a remarkable destruction of heart timber.

In Balla and Claremorris the damage done was slight, and in Swinford it was pretty extensive, old buildings faring badly.

Concluded.