Popular Midleton restaurant must relocate due to damage caused by Storm Babet floods

A month's worth of rain fell in Midleton in just 24 hours, causing many businesses to close their doors. And while many of those have since reopened, they are still counting the cost of the flood damage. 

Among those to be badly hit was the Farmgate restaurant, which has been operating in Midleton for over 40 years, and on Tuesday, its owners confirmed that the costs to restore the building are "far beyond our means."

In a statement posted online, owners Máróg and Sally O’Brien said: "Due to the severity of damage caused by the flood in this premises, it has been confirmed that we are unable to return to trade here as a food establishment.

"The damage caused has been so extensive that it is no longer fit for us to trade. The costs to restore the building are, quite simply, far beyond our means.

"40 years of constant investment, so many wonderful memories created - it is such a sad ending to our decades here."

The relocation of the restaurant now depends on what funding Farmgate will receive to help them restart "all over again, from scratch."

Sally and Máróg took the opportunity to thank their customers for their support over the years.

"We have so many wonderful memories to cherish during our time here on the Coolbawn.

It is down to you all, and our wonderful team, past and present, that made Farmgate what it became over the many years we have been in business.

"It has been such a wonderful space that evolved over the years. It was a wonderful street to trade on," the statement read.

Any updates on the restaurant's future will now be posted on its website and social media channels.

Farmgate was established in 1983. It is a family-run restaurant and food store located on the Coolbawn in Midleton. 

In October, Sally O'Brien told the  Irish Examiner that "everything was destroyed, including the kitchen, which is the engine room of a business like ours."

She said there was an incredibly frustrating Groundhog Day aspect when the flooding hit again.

"You question why in the first instance we had no adequate warning or indeed any warning until an email arrived at midday. 

There needs to be a more accurate targeted weather warning on a localised level, not simply a country warning.

"And you wonder why the drains on the street weren’t cleaned. This seems like basic stuff. 

"Particularly given that back in 2015 clogged drains were flagged by traders in Middleton as being a major contributory factor to the problem of flooding. It makes no sense," she said.

According to Sally: "Businesses can’t survive if they’re not protected from flooding, and they can’t get insurance.

"And it’s completely unrealistic to expect small businesses to reinvest in their businesses, and then to be decimated when the next flood happens. The basic economics don’t work."