What kind of palms are they?

hi
sorry I don't know the name .As well as I can see this is a picture of the type.
http://www.johnnyjet.com/images/PicForNewsletterIrelandSept2005FotaHousePalmTree.JPG
and also
http://www.travelblog.org/pix/shim.gif
Actually ,with a little more searching , I think it must be Cordyline australis although when I type this into Google Images I seem to get a range of similar and not so similar plants....

I am not the only one to seem to have lost these palm trees around here.
Except for those actually on the coast they all seem to have been destroyed in the area.

I bet you are talking about Cordyline (which are not palms--but are somewhat related to them). I know that the hardier Cordylines are grown extensively in coastal Ireland. The plant is trying to recuperate and yes, it's possible for a complete recovery. If the trunk is firm, it may sprout higher up, if the trunk is soft, it's rotten. Cut down until you get to firm trunk--and remove as much rot as possible. Good luck!

thanks
have you heard of anyone using rooting hormone in a case like this as a way of accelerating or just ensuring the recovery?
When I did a search on "inject hormone rooting" in Google I came across a book in 1953 where someone in Pasadena, Ca used this kind of a technique in an ailing cherry orchard.
Maybe I should post that question in the propagation forum....