Councillors moaning about the lack of progress on cleanup after Storm Éowyn were chided for their short memories by the man in charge of the operation.

Cllr Declan McDonnell (Ind) kicked off the debate, citing a tree had knocked a wall between Tara Grove and the Atlantic Technological University (ATU). He told this month’s Galway City Council meeting that their officials had informed the university they had to make a claim against the local authority’s insurance company, IPB.

“Three months after the storm, the ATU still hasn’t been contacted,” he complained.

“I was told that 600 houses had to be repaired – now I’m told that’s down to 300 – I can’t understand how so many houses have not been repaired. The footpath in Monivea Park is still not repaired – there’s still an awful lot of backlog.”

A lot of people were upset that a wall in Tearmann Eala in Renmore had still not been repaired, declared Cllr Terry O’Flatherty (Ind).

Cllr Alan Cheevers (FF) asked for a timeframe for the cleanup operation: “In Merlin Lane, trees fell from Council land onto private property,” he stated.

Director of Services for Urban Development, Patrick Greene, admonished the councillors for their litany of complaints.

“People have very short memories. The last storm was the worst in our lifetimes. It caused very significant damage. We started with emergency stuff on the roads, then stuff beside the woods, then the woodlands. If it’s a tree lying beside a wall not doing harm to anyone, then that’s the last tree I’ll get to.”

He said people must claim on their own insurance for trees that have fallen and damaged their properties — not make a claim with IPB.

Crews were currently focused on trying to open up parklands.

Cllr Donal Lyons (Ind) said despite the signs warning people to keep out, the public were still walking in the likes of Barna Woods.

Mr Greene said Barna Woods would be completed in the next three weeks. The public were banned because it was like entering a construction site.

Cllr McDonnell asked whether businesses and institutions had been told they had to claim on their own insurance as this was not widely known.

Mr Greene retorted that they informed anybody who contacted them to claim on their own insurance but did not have the staff to call all affected property owners.

“We have done a lot of assessments and taken down a lot of trees that were unstable. We have had some reports of trees that didn’t need work.”

Lieze Fanning, Acting Director of Services in charge of housing, said 600 Council homes had to be repaired along with 125 roofs and 95 fences.

“It’s a work in progress. We have 380 more houses to do and have €248,000 spent. We are using all resources we have to get to them.”

Pictured: Storm aftermath: Council crews focusing on opening up parklands.