Flooding in Macroom. Picture Síle Murphy

The bizarre summer weather returned again last night when torrential localised rainfall resulted in flash flooding in Macroom, Rathcormac, and parts of north Cork.
While sunshine bathed some parts of the county, three homes and a number of businesses on Macroom’s Main Street were flooded after water cascaded onto it from Chapel Hill.
Homeowners on Cork Street in Macroom were trying to keep dirty floodwaters out of their homes after up to 90 minutes of torrential rain.
A 20ft wall in the GAA pitch was knocked by the sheer force of the flood water.
But in Rathcormac, there was also flooding on the main street, while Liscarroll and Churchtown were also hit by a deluge.
Roads in the Donoughmore area were damaged, while Ballyhea also experienced torrential rainfall.

Flooding in Macroom. Picture: Síle Murphy

One of the affected business owners in Macroom, Caithríona Healy of Enchanted Flowers, said: “It was a complete and utter deluge of rain. We thought it was pretty bad, although thankfully it was nothing like Clonakilty earlier in the year.”
She said her shop had been flooded at the back of the premises but said nearby businesses had been more severely affected.
They are now hoping insurance will cover them for repairing the flood damage.
The town council alerted Cork County Council’s emergency line, while local council workers and volunteers worked to clear drains to help alleviate the floodwaters.
Traffic was diverted away from the main street by gardaí for a time as those affected battled to keep further floodwater out of their homes and businesses.
High areas of the town were also hit, with the rainwater rushing down the hills onto the main street and Cork Street.
Secretary of the GAA club, Pat O’Connell, said: “There was seriously heavy rainfall over the space of an hour and a half, and that is what caused it.”
More showers are expected today and tomorrow, but forecasters were not predicting severe downpours like last night.