The car park is back in Mountshannon

Finally the waters subsided and we were able to get to the boat again. She was fine - floating pontoons are excellent things.

There's sand on the pathways, rippled as though on a beach from the waves that were battering Mountshannon over the last few weeks. A tide mark of reeds marks the high water mark. And there's something missing. Spot the difference:

The sculpture has gone from the end of the little pier, knocked by wind and water power. There's just a couple of blocks and buckled tarmac. We've seen all the pictures of terrible damage on the coast, but hard to believe that can happen on a lake.

We finally have the pathway back, but the beach area is still under water.

The water level came above the bottom of the barriers only last week. The Freeman just beyond the barrier is over the harbour wall.

Still a bit wet, but the harbour wall is back.

The Freeman is back in the water - it's behind these two sailing boats whose deep keels kept them off the wall.

I'm almost able to imagine boating again now with these blue skies and still waters.

Lough Derg, high water

The levels are rising. We were in Mountshannon yesterday, and the water was very near the top of the wall in the old Council section of the harbour.

 The newer Waterways Ireland part has a higher wall so is a little less scary:

Aoife the dog was on the other side of this part of the harbour. We thought she was going to run across it towards us it looked so land like. The small white sailing boat has damage to the mast. It's a very exposed harbour in wind. The boat on the left that's listing is often at that angle - it's not because the lines are too tight.

Hard to believe this was full of swimmers and sun bathers only a few months ago. The short piers that had children running up and down them have disappeared altogether.

More rain forecast.