Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
27. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation for an update on the flood relief schemes in progress or in planning for Kilkenny; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10689/26]
View answerI acknowledge and saw first-hand the devastation that flooding caused across county KIlkenny last week, when I visited some of the affected areas.
The Government is investing some €97m in flood relief schemes completed and underway across County Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is leading the delivery of four flood relief schemes for Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch, Ballyhale, Piltown, and Freshford in the first tranche of schemes and piloting a new national delivery model. The OPW is funding two staff in Kilkenny County Council to project manage the delivery of these schemes.
Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch FRS
The Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch Flood Relief Scheme commenced in March 2020. The Graiguenamagh-Tinnahinch flood relief scheme was submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála on the 12th December, 2025 for planning consent.
The flood relief scheme will include raised defences on the River Barrow along with raised defences and an upstream storage area on the River Duiske to prevent flooding. Where possible, new flood defence walls will replace existing walls throughout the scheme. These defences will protect properties from the 1% AEP (100 year) fluvial flood event. A total of 84 properties will be protected 31 Residential and 53 Commercial properties.
It is currently programmed to commence construction at the end of 2027 and it is expected to take two years to complete.
Ballyhale FRS
The Ballyhale FRS commenced in April 2020. The Ballyhale Flood Relief Scheme was submitted for Planning in May, 2023. Planning permission was granted with conditions on the 22nd August, 2024.
This scheme will include embankments, new channel, flood defences, removal of existing weir and some minor works on the existing Main Street Bridge. These flood relief measures will protect 28 properties, (20 residential and 8 commercial) from the 1% AEP (100 year) fluvial flood event.
This scheme has progressed to Stage 3 Detailed Design and Tender for Construction. It is programmed that construction will commence in 2026 with substantial completion of the scheme in early 2028.
Thomastown and Inistioge FRSs
While the proposed schemes in Thomastown and Inistioge are not in the first tranche of some 100 flood relief schemes being progressed, the OPW continues to liaise closely with Kilkenny County Council to ensure that the programme of flood relief projects identified for Co. Kilkenny is kept under review, and that all projects will be commenced as soon as possible.
Piltown and Freshford FRSs
The OPW is currently trialling a new national delivery model for flood relief schemes towards a more efficient means of delivering all 50 schemes in the second tranche of schemes. The pilot includes Kilkenny County Council trialling a new delivery model for Piltown and Freshford. The design of these schemes is at an early stage of data collection to inform the appointment of engineering and environmental consultants.
The OPW’s Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme, since 2009, has approved over €70m for some 900 projects that are mitigating flood risk to over 8,000 properties. This scheme that provides 90% funding, remains available and I will shortly be announcing the details on increasing the scope of this scheme, including increasing the funding available from €750,000 to €2m for each project.
This scheme is available to fund localised measures to all communities to manage flood risk from rivers and the sea. It is also available to introduce those interim measures that can mitigate the flood risk to those communities pending completion of a major flood relief scheme. At this time the OPW is delivering major flood relief schemes to some 150 communities.
Flooding during and since Storm Chandra came from multiple sources, including the river and the sea. For those communities impacted by this flooding event and where a major flood relief scheme is planned but not yet completed, I have asked those local authorities to set out a plan of all interim measures that can help mitigate flood risk from all sources. I expect to receive these plans over the coming weeks and I will update my Government colleagues of these proposals.
