Major ESB upgrade planned for Clare village after woodpeckers cause several power outages

The source of 11 power cuts near the County Clare town of Sixmilebridge in the last 14 months has finally been identified.

Surprisingly, it was not a faulty transformer or storm damage causing the outages but woodpeckers attacking electricity poles, it has been established. 

The discovery was made by Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney, who had asked ESB Networks to explain the repeated outages in the area. According to Mr Cooney, this ongoing issue was causing significant inconvenience for householders in Clogga, a townland located to the east of Sixmilebridge.

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Eight interruptions were recorded in 2025, including two multi‑day losses of supply in both January and November. Three more outages were then recorded in January of this year.

When questioned by the Clare TD as to why so many outages were occurring in Clogga, ESB Networks said its staff were “very conscious of the continuity issues” experienced locally and confirmed that a major upgrade of the network is now under way. 

The company said the unusual problem stemmed from woodpeckers boring into wooden poles, which had weakened them to the point that they had to be replaced.

"At issue here is woodpeckers. They have been damaging our poles on the network," the company said in its response to Deputy Cooney. "Our colleagues are replacing these wooden poles with a composite pole in order to prevent woodpecker damage going forward."

ESB Networks said the work would require further planned outages, which would be staggered to “minimise the disruption to the customer.” 

A spokesperson for the company said, “ESB Networks acknowledges the continuity issues experienced by some customers in County Clare in recent months and apologises for the disruption caused. We can confirm that a significant upgrade of this section of the local network is currently underway.

“The outages have been linked to damage of electricity poles caused by woodpecker activity. Our crews are installing composite poles in place of the existing wooden structures, which are not susceptible to this type of activity and will strengthen the resilience of the network locally.”

“Further planned outages will be required to safely complete these works. Customers will receive advance notice of any interruptions, and outages are being carefully scheduled and staggered to minimise disruption as much as possible.

“We apologise for the inconvenience and thank customers in Clare for their patience and cooperation. These works will deliver improved reliability and continuity of supply for the area into the future,” they concluded.