Residents in Portrane, north county Dublin have renewed their calls for emergency measures to be put in place to prevent their homes from being lost to the sea.
They said Storm Bram this week has heightened their worries about coastal erosion as lands from their gardens and some defence systems were swept away.
Locals met on Portrane Beach today to asses the damage and demand action is taken before it becomes too late.
The beach is part of a special area of conservation, meaning it located in a zone in which natural habitats and species must be protected under law.
Fr Eamann Cahill, who previously was the parish priest in Finglas, now lives in the seaside village.
He lost a section of his back garden after it was swept out to sea during Tuesday's storm.
Fr Cahill said the residents in the area are now living in fear that they will soon lose their homes to the tide.
He said: "There was a lot of stuff growing a long there [in my garden]. It is gone. There was a wall at both sides, that has fallen down to the beach.
"That was just in one storm. The waves were coming in over the 'SeaBees'.
"I mean I love the sea. Now, I dread it. We are kind of anxious, we are frightened and we are angry."
Watch: Portrane resident lives in fear house will be lost to sea
Further down the road, Tom Barton, who has lived in Portrane for 35 years, has taken matters into his own hands.
He and a neighbour installed their own coastal protective structures at the beachfront of their properties.
Mr Barton said: "Because of the severity of the storms last year, I was going to lose my home 100%. I had to take drastic measures.
"I had no other choice except to protect my home. It had got to this stage where I needed to work hard and work fast.
"With a neighbour of mine, we worked hard all over the summer time to put this in place, because we knew the storms were going to come and we knew they were going to be severe.
"We never expected the impact that we got this time around. It was the worst I've ever seen in all the years I've lived here."
Mr Barton said he believes that the problem can be easily solved in the short-term before a more permanent solution is later put in place.
"The interim measures that we have done with the sandbags and the TrapBags has worked perfectly and it has held back the storm, whereas everybody else has been damaged because of it.
"So, there is a solution. There is an interim measure. We just need the OPW to come down and recognise that this is the severity of the situation. It is now that we need intervention," he said.
Ray Brett is the Chairperson of the Burrow Residents Association and has said action must be taken now with the installation of permanent coastal defensive structures still years away.
He said: "What we have come to now is that we are going ahead with planning to An Coimisiún Pleanála for the permanent structure here, which will be sea groynes.
"That application is due to be lodged, we are told by Fingal County Council, in December. But we are also looking at the present time.
"You can see the amount of destruction that has happened here this week because of Storm Bram.
"We are looking, in the meantime, for emergency measures because by the time that the permanent solution comes in place that is going to be at least three years down the line."
Councillor Corina Johnston, who represents the area on Fingal County Council, has called for the relevant Government ministers to visit Portrane and see first-hand the damage that has been done this week.
The Labour Party representative said: "This coastline has been devastated. Homes are at serious risk of falling into the sea. They are only a couple of more storms away from being lost.
"Really what the community here is calling for is for Minister Darragh O'Brien, who lives locally in Malahide, for him to intervene.
"And for the Minister for the OPW, Kevin Boxer Moran, who has been a friend of this community over the years, to come out, visit the area and speak to the residents."
Councillor Johnston added: We are looking for an emergency scheme to be provided in advance of a permanent scheme, which, in my opinion, is years away."
In a statement issued to RTÉ News this evening, Fingal County Council said it is aware of reports of damage caused by Storm Bram in Portrane.
The local authority also said that it is reviewing what short term actions can be undertaken in support of the community, "having regard to the significant environmental and other constraints."
A spokesperson for the council said: "A meeting of the Fingal Coastal Liaison Group, which includes representatives from the local community in Portrane, will be convened by the council next week to consider all relevant matters relating to the storm and its aftermath.
The statement goes on to outline the details of the permanent protection measures that the council plans to put in place, but it said there is currently no timeline for when this work will be carried out.
The statement reads: "Earlier this year, the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), approved Fingal County Council's application for a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) for the construction of a Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management (CFERM) coastal protection scheme at Burrow Peninsula in Portrane.
"Obtaining this consent allows Fingal County Council to make a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for the coastal protection works at the Burrow Peninsula.
"Subject to the resolution of some technical planning related issues, the council plans to submit this application to An Coimisiún Pleanála in the coming weeks.
"If the plans are approved, Fingal County Council, working in collaboration with all relevant agencies, will progress the implementation of the works. It is not possible to provide an estimated timeframe for the works as they are dependent on statutory planning approval."
The statement added that: "It should be noted that several years ago, the council engaged specialist engineers to study the coastal change issues within the Rogerstown Estuary.
"This led to the installation of a 1km array of 'SeaBee' concrete units on the Burrow Beach in Portrane which have significantly slowed down the rate of erosion.
"This intervention is however interim to the long-term solution for which the council is now seeking planning approval."
Meanwhile, a statement from the OPW said that it continues to "work closely" with Fingal County Council on the matter.
A spokesperson said that the OPW has funded some €1.65 million for interim works and studies through the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection scheme.
They said: "This includes the funding for a Coastal Erosion Risk Management Study and the installation of 'SeaBee' units as temporary interim emergency measures.
"The OPW have been informed by Fingal County Council that they plan to submit an application for a coastal protection scheme at Burrow Peninsula in the coming weeks to An Coimisiún Pleanála," the spokesperson added.
