Tipperary gastropub and restaurant operator 'frustrated' as floods close part of business

The operator of a Tipperary gastropub and nightclub has spoken of his “frustration” dealing with Tipperary County Council regarding his business being hit by flooding over the past number of years.

Jayme Keogh, who runs Boruma in the lakeside town of Ballina with his wife, Ciara, said that they had been running the bar, restaurant and nightclub successfully until late 2019 when the nightclub started to flood from the road next to them. They took over the business from the previous operator in 2018.

“We made the council aware of this but the problem has gradually got worse and the club is completely ruined and written off for use,” he said.

Mr Keogh reckons he has lost close to €500,000 in turnover because the nightclub has had to close.

“We are haemorrhaging money every week,” he said.

He said that they sat down with the council in June 2021 and they had admitted the problem and said that they were sorting it but nothing had been done.

Mr Keogh said the issue was having a personal toll on himself and Ciara, a young couple who were trying to start a family.

“We are at our wits’ end with stress and frustration at not being able to open the business,” he said.

However, even if the flooding was sorted, Mr Keogh reckons it would take at least six months to reopen as the floor has buckled and the plumbing and electrics would have to be redone.

Mr Keogh said that the flooding was not of their making, but caused by the council by not putting in a proper drainage system when they allowed a huge amount of houses to be built in the village.

He said the pipes put in were not capable of dealing with the level of water that has to flow through them.

“The council says it is not their problem, it’s the OPW’s because it has to do with global warming, but they just built too many houses,” said Mr Keogh.

Apart from affecting his business, Mr Keogh said it was having an effect on other businesses in the town.

“It is killing the town. It’s a tourist town and you need a late night industry to keep people in the town.

“I feel sorry for the young people,” he said, pointing out that it was expensive to travel to Nenagh or Limerick for late night entertainment.

The issue of flooding in Ballina in general was raised at the June meeting of Nenagh Municipal District Council by Cllr Fiona Bonfield after heavy rain caused flooding throughout the town.

District manager Marcus O’Connor told the meeting that flooding in Ballina was now the biggest problem in the county.

“It used to be Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir,” he said. “The drains are being overwhelmed.”

The District Manager said that it was “distressing” for people affected by the flooding.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Tipperary County Council said this Tuesday that the council, in partnership, with the OPW was advancing a wider Ballina Flood Relief Scheme.

“The Shannon Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Study recommended the development of a Flood Relief Scheme for Ballina. Consequently Tipperary County Council commissioned Byrne Looby Consulting Engineers, to develop and design a Flood Relief Scheme for Ballina.

“The objective of the scheme is to alleviate the risk of flooding in the area by providing a scheme that is technically, socially, environmentally and economically acceptable. The technical design work for this scheme is ongoing,” they said.