News from down the country

Saturday July 25, 2009 14:50

by Contaminated Crow

Two telemasts, pylons, two waste sites, a respite house and turfcutting

Seventy people attended a public meeting in Inverin, Co. Galway, last Monday to voice concerns over the erection of a telemast at the village’s garda station. (Connacht Tribune 27/7/09, p. 6).

The Eagle Hill Mast Committee, concerned over the proposed erection of a 36-metre mast by Hutchinson 3G in Ballinamult, Co., Waterford, expects 100 objections will be lodged against the mast by closing date for objections. (Dungarvan Leader 24/7/09, p. 10).

North-East Pylon Pressure (NEPP) has accused EirGrid of planning to vastly increase the number of giant pylons and high-voltage overhead lines in the country, given their plans for a new powerline from Cork to Dublin may involve erecting a further 1000 pylons: NEPP said EirGrid ‘need to tell us the exact locations and distances of all their new 110Kv, 220Kv and 400 Kv high voltage power lines so we can have a properly informed national debate about the issues involved’. (Meath Chronicle 25/7/09, p. 7).

Grant schemes accepted by local campaigners in return for abandoning a judicial review of a Greenstar application for a landfill at Knockharley, near Kentstown, Co. Meath, are being launched at the end of the month by the Meath County Council/Knockharley Landfill Community Liaison Committee. ((Meath Chronicle 25/7/09, p. 6).

North Tipperary County Council won a legal dispute over the Shannon Vermi-composting Ltd. Site at Rathcabbin, Co. Tipperary, when the Supreme Court gave the company eight weeks to remove some 20,000 tonnes of waste from the Rathcabbin site and awarded costs to the Council. (Nenagh Guardian 25/7/09, p. 5; Midland Tribune 22/7/09, p. 2).

Some 150 local residents attended a public meeting in Newport, Co. Tipperary last week over the purchase of a house locally as a respite centre for families affected by drug abuse to be run by Novas Initiatives for the HSE. The chairperson of the Inchadrinagh Residents Association (IRA) said they had difficulty obtaining information from Novas Initiatives and the IRA called for community support to oppose the development. (Nenagh Guardian 25/7/09, pp. 1,2,15).

The Irish Homesteaders Turf Cutting Association (IHTCA) is holding a meeting in Knocktallon, Co. Monaghan on 23rd July. The IHTCA chairperson said ‘We believe that faceless bureaucrats are directing by stealth the eviction of Irish people from the bogs.’ (Monaghan Post 23/7/09, p. 14). Meanwhile Marian Harkin MEP delivered submissions from two recent meetings in Roscommon to the department working group on turfcutting. John Kelly of the Irish Turfcutters’ Association (ITA) said ‘We don’t know who is involved on the working group’ but one submission from the meetings requested that a member of the ITA should be on the working group. (Roscommon Champion 21/7/09, p. 5)

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Comments (3 of 3)

misunderstanding the country folk

by puca

Mon Jul 27, 2009 20:43

getouttamyhead says, "Our country cousins not only know nature, it is part of their being".

I don't know where you get the idea that country people 'know' the country any more than townies. The farmers among them know how to raise cows and grow 4 or 5 crops but that is a long way from having anything to do with nature. Most of them at this stage would not recognize the sound a corn crake makes as none have been heard for years in the Irish country side as agriculture has abolished their living space. Farmers have persecuted badgers for decades based on the misunderstanding that they spread tuberculosis in cows (eh, cows spread it). Same goes for foxes who are now probably as numerous in built up areas as in the countryside. I remember accompanying a group of countrymen (i grew up among them) cross country to attend a mart years ago and, on seeing a fox, the trip was abandoned in favour of digging out and slaughtering the animal. Not uncommonly among country folk they had an entirely antagonistic attitude to nature.

Enter the Nimfy

by getouttamyhead

Sun Jul 26, 2009 13:11

Like the frog in the pot of water, you're being boiled and when you realise it it'll be too late. You're stuck in the old Jackeen - Redneck paradigm. I'm the in suburbs with a mast facing the front of my house. What does that make me? A-Not-In-My-Front-Yard (Nimfy)? Our country cousins not only know nature, it is part of their being and they're giving the rest of us a heads-up. Part of the learning process is denial and attack. You're learning, just keep going. Google Tetra, Dr. George Carlo, Prof. Olle Johansson or websites like Revolt, Wired Child and Mast Sanity. Unless your salary comes from one of the mast operators and if you do a little research, there's still hope for you.
Why do you think they're using Czechs and Poles to install the masts, etc. They don't communicate with the rest of the population and when they get sick, they'll just go home.
Who would've benefitted if they had been allowed to mine the supposed gold under Croagh Patrick? The country people have more sense and insight than they're credited with...

Looks Like

by Dubliner

Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:09

Looks like a lot of nimbys trying to stop every piece of development proposed for "down the country". Considering that the entire rural economy is based on state subsidies eg social welfare, single farm payments, tiny income tax payments (avg €1900 in 2700), green diesel etc etc. When Ireland sinks into bankruptcy in the next eighteen months the rural "community" can expect to lose most off these handouts. I think our nimby friends will be a good bit keener on such development when their hand out gravy train leaves the station..

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Comments (3 of 3)