Concern at mine blasting in Longford

A group of residents in Co Longford are petitioning the local council to control the level of blasting that is taking place in…

A group of residents in Co Longford are petitioning the local council to control the level of blasting that is taking place in a quarry near their homes.

Residents in the Legan and Carrickboy area are concerned that blasting at Carrickboy Mine is getting stronger, causing house walls to crack and damage to septic tanks.

The most recent explosion in mid-November set off several house alarms in Carrickboy, according to some locals. There have also been reports of windows and doors vibrating three miles away in Legan village.

Twenty-nine people have signed the petition, which is being sent to the council.

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Mr Paschal Dunne, who lives two miles from the quarry and was in his kitchen during the most recent explosion, recalled the aftermath of one blast as being "like someone had stumbled against my front door".

"The whole house was shaking from the foundations up," he said. Mr Dunne, who bought a new house in the area three years ago, said cracks in the plaster work inside and outside the house were "very noticeable". He described seeing "plumes of dust coming up the fields" after a blast last year.

The quarry owner, Mr Al Manning, said he was unaware of any concerns locally at the levels of blasting, which is being carried out by a Nenagh company, Exol. He denied that there had been an increase in the levels of explosives used at the mine.

The blasting at the mine "is not next or near the limit allowed", he added, and the quarry was complying with the regulations that exist.

A spokesman for Longford County Council said they could not comment on specific cases but any reports of breaches of planning would be investigated.