Feature

Cork City stadium roof ripped off by Ophelia

Cork City, the League of Ireland Premier Division football club, saw the roof of the Derryane Stand at its Turners Cross home blown off as Storm Ophelia raged through Ireland yesterday (Monday).

Authorities said it is one of the most intense storms to hit the country, with the south-west, where Cork sits, having seen the most damage.

Cork City were set to play Derry City tonight (Tuesday), with the team on track to win the League of Ireland title.

Social media circulated pictures of the roof blowing off, with parts of it flying away into nearby houses and back gardens. Photos show a metal advertising sign in one person’s front garden, as well as several pictures of the Derryanne Stand collapsed.

During Storm Ophelia, Douglas Community School’s PE hall also blew off and landed in someone’s garden, while slates flew off buildings in the city centre in Cork and from St. Mary’s Cathedral in Killarney.

The Daily Telegraph reports that damages are said to be in the millions, with the majority inflicted by falling trees. Cork City Council said it had recorded at least 100 downed trees, including 17 on Centre Park Road.

Speaking to Independent.ie, Cllr Shane O’Shea, from the South Douglas Road in Cork, said: “I think the worst is probably over. But we got a fair old battering.

“The stadium at Turners Cross has been damaged, and part of the stand has blown into people’s gardens. The gym roof at Douglas Community School is also gone. I’m in work here on Tramore Road and we’re gauging the weather by the trees across the way.”

Image: Naval Research Laboratory