County battling against disruption as severe weather set to continue

Co Monaghan is battling to minimize disruption to transport, school services and business as the current spell of severe weather afflicting the country as a whole is being forecast to continue to at least the weekend.
Temperatures dropped as low as minus seven degrees in the county in the early hours of yesterday, Wednesday morning, and similar temperatures were being predicted for this, Thursday morning.
Schools throughout the county were closed on Monday and Tuesday, but all second-level schools and a number of primary schools reopened yesterday. However, school board of management were advising parents to exercise their own discretion on whether they sent their children to school taking account of local road conditions.
School transport services resumed yesterday on all main and treated roads, but parents who lived along untreated roads were being requested to bring their children to pick-up points on main routes.
Monaghan Co Council say they are continuing to salt Priority 1 and Priority 2 roads, or the main national and secondary road routes, throughout the county. Area Offices are also dealing with local road issues as they are reported.
The Council and Gardai have advised motorists that local roads are likely to remain in a treacherous condition over the coming days. They say journeys should not be taken unless deemed necessary. Motorists are also being cautioned to slow down and to allow for the prevailing conditions.
“Spreading of salt does not always mean that the road surface will necessarily be ice-free,” Monaghan Co Council’s Acting Director of Services for Roads Damien Treanor has advised.
“Always drive with great care even if the road has been salted.”
A list of local salt suppliers is available on the Monaghan Co Council website, where a pdf can also be downloaded showing the location of roads where salting operations have been carried out.
The Bus Éireann service from Cavan to Monaghan was not in operation yesterday.
Parents in Co Monaghan have been told to keep their children away from the frozen surfaces of lakes and rivers.
The Irish Water Safety Association yesterday issued a warning to adults and children alike not to walk on ice-covered waterways. Families were also advised to ensure that their pets were kept away from frozen lakes or rivers.
“The danger will increase in the coming weeks as the thaw sets in,” a spokesperson stated, referring to a number of tragic fatalities that had taken place in recent years as a consequence of young people venturing onto ice over deep water.