Street lights restored in Rathwire estate

Residents of the Radharc an Mhuilinn estate in Rathwire have welcome reconnection of lighting but are seeking clarification over why ESB Networks can turn off a public amenity without referring to the council.

Street lighting in Radharc an Mhuilinn was restored following an outage lasting more than seven weeks, bringing relief to residents who had raised concerns over public safety as darker evenings approached.

Joe Bingham, writing on behalf of the residents association, confirmed to the Westmeath Examiner that ESB Networks switched the lights back on during the afternoon of Friday, October 23, resolving the long-running problem affecting approximately half of the estate, and the local authority is taking charge of a newer part of the estate.

The lights in Phase 1 had been out since late August, while newly installed Safe to School lighting outside the development was also affected.

The fault was first reported to Westmeath County Council on August 31, 2026.

Residents subsequently contacted the council, its engineers, local councillors and public representatives in an effort to have the issue resolved.

According to Mr Bingham, residents had been informed that public lighting bills had not been paid by the developer and that a disconnection notice had been issued to ESB Networks.

The council later advised that it was transferring the lights to its own unmetered account, allowing reconnection to proceed.

Last Friday residents in Phase 2, the newer section of the estate, received confirmation that the council have also taken responsibility for their electricity connection, to avoid a similar situation arising in the future. The estate is currently going through the process of being taken in charge by Westmeath County Council from the developer.

Mr Bingham also confirmed that the remaining work on the Safe to School scheme involves the installation of pencil bollards, which were not completed during works carried out in August ahead of the return to school at nearby St Joseph's National School.

He also highlighted the efforts of residents to maintain the estate during the transition period, revealing that the residents association had organised and funded the main grass cutting this year through contributions from residents and smaller grants.

Despite the resolution of the lighting issue, residents are keen to ensure that responsibility for the services at he estate is clearly established as the taking-in-charge process progresses.