Sir, – Pat Rabbitte says that the pylon consultations need to improve. Of course he’s right. Now he and the rest of the Government need to do something about it. The Grid Link consultation process only allows “the public” and “stakeholders” to make submissions to EirGrid to help the company to “identify a least-constrained corridor option” that will be one kilometre wide for overhead cables and pylons. Let’s have proper consultations, not just meetings with gridline company consultants.
This “consultation” is just a means of getting soundings from the public about whether they want the gridline over our land, his land, her land or their land. Not in my back yard is the natural response. It’s the proposed method, not the means, that’s creating the problems. There is no consultation on the method. Why not put the cables underground? Why not consider this for at least some of the area? Will the existing electrical gridlines be eliminated and removed when the new ones are installed?
It is the responsibility of our democratically elected Government to take care of public health and to allay people’s fears about proposed national projects. Dismissive statements repeating the EirGrid comments about creating platforms for future jobs are not enough. A €500 million investment covering such a large area is not a very large amount of money. Anglo Irish Bank created much larger jobs platforms for much bigger investors in the Celtic Tiger days.
The people of Ireland are generally interested in “renewable energy” and won’t object to a “secure electricity supply” nor to any suppliers of “platforms for jobs” in the regions. They may even be interested in an electricity “link between either Britain or France”. The public – the people of Ireland – are interested in their health. They are also interested in their families, their future and their environment. These topics were not included for consultation. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL FINAN,
Glencar,
Co Sligo.
A chara, – At a meeting, many years ago, to discuss widening of the Dublin to Waterford road at Jerpoint Abbey, the difficulties were listed. With the river in front and the railway line behind, what was to be done? “Knock th’abbey”, suggested some wag. Proposals to criss-cross the country with electricity pylons sound very much like another “knock th’abbey” moment. – Is mise,
MARY DOYLE,
Jerpoint West,
Thomastown, Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – The Taoiseach’s comments on the necessity of an extensive pylon construction programme are an insult to those who oppose this attempt to destroy the pristine beauty of rural Ireland. Implicitly labelling the said objectors as opponents of job creation is a cynical ploy.
These pylons are an affront to Ireland, a country which has always traded on its clean, green image. For every job the pylons bring, two more will be lost in the tourism and agriculture sector, both of which will be directly affected by their construction. Rural Ireland is not the German Ruhr. It is about time that the perpetrators of such idiotic schemes realised that. – Yours, etc,
MARIAN CONDREN,
The Swan,
Athy,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – What utter fools we would be to rush to deface our exquisite landscape with pylons and wind turbines. When our world collapsed around us it was the beauty of our country which continued to attract income in the form of tourism and to sustain us as individuals with the eternal reassurance of nature. If we ruin it, we have nothing. Our unique and fragile landscape can yield a wholesome and sustainable prosperity; we must treasure and protect it above all. – Yours, etc,
GIA GRIFFITHS,
Salthill,
Galway.
Sir, – Mobile phone masts, wind turbines, nuclear power, oil and gas exploration, incinerators, electricity pylons, etc, etc. Thank God the railways are already here! – Yours, etc,
KEITH NOLAN,
Caldra House,
Carrick-on-Shannon,
Co Leitrim.