Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has today issued an urgent call for the Government and Uisce Éireann to immediately address the crippling water supply shortages affecting homes in Dunboyne. Teachta O’Rourke said; “The situation in Dunboyne is beyond a crisis point. It is a scandal. Families are forced to buy bottled water to maintain basic sanitation. Many have been unable to flush toilets regularly or use washing machines and dishwashers over the entire Christmas period. This is not a minor inconvenience, it is a profound failure that is impacting people’s hygiene, health, and basic dignity. I have been contacted by constituents in Kilbreena and Millfarm and estates on the Summerhill Road. I am sure there are others too. This lack of basic service is simply unacceptable in this day and age.
“For some time now, I have been raising the deteriorating water infrastructure in Dunboyne with Uisce Éireann and through parliamentary questions to the Minister. The responses have been entirely inadequate. I receive vague references to long-term projects ‘in design stages’ with ‘no definite timelines for construction.’ Meanwhile, people cannot take a shower or flush a toilet!!
“The reply from Uisce Éireann is an insult to the people enduring this daily hardship. Telling a family who has had no water since Christmas that future projects will ‘cater for future development and relieve existing low-pressure issues’ offers zero solace and zero solution today.
“I have repeatedly sought to raise this as a matter of urgency in the Dáil, and I will do so again when it returns next week. This cannot wait.
“I am demanding immediate and direct intervention from Uisce Éireann and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Dunboyne needs emergency measures to restore a consistent water supply now, not vague promises for years down the line. The people of Dunboyne deserve a reliable water service. That shouldn’t be too much to expect in 2026.”
