Storm Darragh Leads to Widespread Christmas Event Cancellations Across Northern Ireland

Numerous festive activities scheduled for Northern Ireland this weekend have been called off due to the impending arrival of Storm Darragh. The entire island is under the second-highest tier of weather alert. Among the closures for Saturday is Belfast’s Christmas market, alongside various other events and amenities managed by Northern Irish councils. Air travel and sea crossings have also experienced disruptions. A more severe amber warning for wind has been declared for Northern Ireland, effective from 01:00 GMT on Saturday until 21:00. Concurrently, several counties in the Republic of Ireland are under a red warning. A yellow warning, covering both wind and rain, commenced at 15:00 on Friday; the rain component is set to conclude at 12:00 on Saturday, while the wind warning will persist until 06:00 on Sunday. Storm Darragh marks the fourth named storm of the current season, succeeding storms Ashley, Bert, and Conall. The most powerful winds are anticipated to strike Ireland’s west coast on Friday night, subsequently tracking eastward across the island. The Met Office forecasts wind gusts along the Northern Ireland coast to reach approximately 80mph (130km/h) starting early Saturday morning. At this point, Friday’s yellow warning will be temporarily elevated to an amber alert. Inland areas are likely to experience gusts between 60-70mph (100-115km/h) before the winds diminish from the west during Saturday afternoon. Additionally, the Met Office has issued a red warning for wind affecting portions of Wales and England’s Bristol Channel region for Saturday. Met Éireann, the Republic of Ireland’s meteorological service, has also released red alerts for the west coast of Ireland. The most severe warning level applies to Mayo, Clare, Galway, Donegal, Leitrim, Wicklow, and Sligo, with these alerts expected to conclude early Saturday morning. The second-highest wind warning tier, Status Orange, is active until 10:00 on Saturday, though a yellow wind warning will persist until 15:00. ESB Networks in the Republic of Ireland advises customers to make preparations for potential power outages should their locality be impacted by Storm Darragh. These preparations include having torches, extra batteries, and fully charged mobile phones. Approximately three million individuals in areas of Wales and south-west England received an emergency notification from the government. Belfast City Council stated that Saturday’s closure of the Christmas market at city hall would be “disappointing” but emphasized that “the safety of our visitors and traders is of the utmost importance”. The council intends for the market to resume operations on Sunday, contingent on weather conditions. Lisa Walsh, a trader, commented that the situation was “unfortunate because most of the traders” at the market “rely on the Saturday”. She informed BBC News NI, “That is really where they might make a wage for themselves.” Walsh added, “Yesterday was really really poor, so the general consensus in the market was that ‘sure it’ll be fine because Saturday will get us over the line’. “So, I think a lot of the traders are pretty upset.” Artist Shauna Fox remarked that Saturday is “our best day”. She further stated, “To hear that Saturday is not going to happen anymore is obviously a big blow.” The Christmas fair in Saintfield, originally scheduled for Friday evening, has also been called off. Typically, the County Down village would be bustling with hundreds of attendees enjoying diverse entertainment and the Christmas lights switch-on. Robin Martin, proprietor of two local businesses, was slated to perform at the event. He commented, “It is just one of those things unfortunately,” adding, “There’s nothing that can be done and we just have to take it on the chin.” Ards and North Down Borough Council has cancelled its Christmas weekend activities at Cockle Row Cottages in Groomsport. Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is implementing closures for its golf courses, parks, open spaces, and pitches on Saturday, along with all household recycling centres. The Craigavon Golf and Ski Centre will be shut on Saturday and will have a postponed opening until 12:00 BST on Sunday. Belfast City Council announced that its parks and playgrounds would be closed on Saturday, and the council urges the public to refrain from visiting Bog Meadows, Cavehill Country Park, and its other open areas. Belfast Zoo will be inaccessible throughout the weekend, as will the council’s cemeteries and crematorium grounds. However, pre-arranged burials and cremations will proceed as scheduled. The Enchanted Winter Gardens at Antrim Castle has also seen cancellations for both Friday and Saturday. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has shut down several outdoor recreation locations and cautioned the public against traversing cliff paths, harbour piers, or forest and woodland park areas during this time. The National Trust confirmed that facilities at Portstewart Strand would be closed. Across the Derry and Strabane council area, facilities including parks, recycling centres, and outdoor sports and leisure amenities will be inaccessible. The council also indicated that the weather might affect street cleaning and waste collection services. No planned outdoor sports activities will take place on Saturday. Derry and Strabane council specified that cemeteries would be open solely for burials on Saturday. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council announced the cancellation of several events slated for Saturday. Lisburn and Castlereagh Council reported that multiple events within its Christmas schedule, such as the Dundonald Christmas Market, would be postponed due to the weather. The council is closing parks and open spaces, including cemeteries, from 17:00 on Friday, with closures continuing through Saturday. Its three recycling centres are also closed from 17:00 on Friday and are scheduled to reopen on Monday. Newry Mourne and Down District Council has rearranged the Christmas craft activities that were planned for Castlewellan Forest Park on Saturday. The council stated that four forest country parks, along with Warrenpoint Park, would be inaccessible to vehicles and pedestrians from Friday afternoon until Sunday. The Downpatrick and County Down Railway Lapland Express train services have been cancelled for Saturday. National Trust Mid Ulster has cancelled its Twilight Market on Friday and the first day of its Christmas Fair on Saturday, both of which were scheduled to occur at the Argory in Dungannon. All public parks, forest sites, and play parks managed by the council across the Mid Ulster council area will be closed for the entire period of the warnings. Household recycling centres in the region will be closed on Saturday, and street cleansing operations will also be suspended. In the Mid and East Antrim council area, Sentry Hill, Memorial Park, and Bracknamuckley Wood in Ballymena are scheduled for closure from Friday through Sunday morning. Several flights originating from Belfast International Airport and Belfast City Airport have experienced disruptions. Belfast City Airport has started issuing announcements regarding flight cancellations for Saturday. Stena Line has issued a warning that certain sailings connecting Belfast/Dublin with Great Britain, and between the Republic and France, are now cancelled. Numerous sailings from Belfast to Cairnryan on Saturday have also been called off. P&O Ferries confirmed the cancellation of its Saturday sailings from both Larne and Cairnryan. The Department for Infrastructure reported that the monitoring of river and sea levels has been continuous and will persist until the weather warning expires.