Ballybofey underwater in the 1960s

On Thursday 8th of October 1965 at 1.30 a.m., the River Finn burst its banks and major flooding was caused at Lower Main Street, Ballybofey. The Stranorlar and Ballybofey Fire Brigade turned out to the flooding, but little could be done until the water level began to drop.

The Brigade equipment at this time was confined to the small B.S.A. 150 pump, hoses and branches. Having no fire tender in the Twin Towns, assistance was sought from Letterkenny to help ferry the dance-goers, who had been enjoying the music of the Royal Blues Showband from Claremorris in the Butt Hall, to safety.

Major flood damage was caused to the ground floors of all households and business premises from the Garda station to the bridge. The local fire brigade spent most of the next twenty-four hours pumping water from flooded premises.

Over a period of two decades the problem of flooding in the Twin Towns persisted. The equipment in the Fire Brigade improved with the arrival of the fire tenders and larger capacity mobile pumps, and so the task of clearing the flood water became more efficient.

Thankfully today the problem does not arise, as in the late 1970's and early 1980's the Board of Works carried out extensive banking of the river in order to alleviate the flooding problems of the past.