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Irish Independent

Mayo man describes how Spain ground to a halt in biggest power blackout in its history

Brian Murphy's day had begun in radiant, early-summer sunshine but ended in darkness and uncertainty. A three-time Mayo senior county title winner with Ballintubber, Mr Murphy has been living in Barcelona since early 2022. He was speaking to the Irish Independent from a pitch-black apartment in Sant Marti, where he runs a web design and development company called ThemeCraft. His phone was on ten percent battery, just enough to send a few voice notes and a photograph before his electricity returned slightly before midnight Irish time. But it was frustration for most of the day. 'We don't have an office, we require the internet.' "So the whole city went out at about 12.30 this afternoon. At the time I was working and I require the internet to work so I couldn't work for the rest of the day. "Since 12.30 I haven't worked and haven't been able to cook. The elevator in the building wasn't working. You just realise how much we depend on electricity because at first I thought it was in just the building the electricity might have been gone but soon found out it was in large parts of the country and also in Portugal and France as well. "Once I stepped outside the building and saw shops closed I realised it was more serious. The only shops that were open taking payments were shops that had fresh bread, pastries and that had fresh fruit. I realised that this is a much more serious thing. I just wasn't sure at the start how serious it was,' said the 32 year old. There were millions more just like him. Though Barcelona wasn't the worst-hit by Western Europe's unprecedented and unexpected blackout, the city was still rattled from mid-Monday until midnight. Barcelona got off lucky compared to regions like Madrid and Valencia. But life, however briefly, was still upended for the much of the city's 1.6 million residents. The metro was shut down, meaning the only way to get around was by bus, taxi or private car. Large queues formed outside shops that could remain open, where cash was not only king, but the only viable form of payment. Things were 'pretty hectic' but under control. Within 12 hours, most of the city's power had been restored with soaring temperatures as a result of climate change being blamed for the massive blackout. 'With all that being said, with all the shops being closed and lots of the transport options being cut off, Barcelona was still very busy,' said Mr Murphy. 'The beaches were packed. There was a lot of people outside. There was lovely weather here. The summer is starting to kick in here so outside was very busy. Everyone was getting out but it shows how much we depend on electricity. "When we don't have it people get outside, they get off their phones, there is no internet, a big thing. They get up out into the fresh air because there is not much to do inside with no electricity.'