HUNDREDS OF former coal miners have united to press their case for compensation for illnesses caused by working conditions in the mines.
The ex-miners who worked at Arigna Co Roscommon, Castlecomer Co Kilkenny, Slieveardagh coalfield in Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, and Rossmore, Co Carlow, say they have a moral as well as a legal claim, having paid a massive price for their role in meeting the country's energy needs during times of economic depression.
Last June, the National Miners Group (NMG) made a detailed submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Energy and Natural Resources where they insisted there was a direct link between the prevalence of serious lung disease and poor life expectancy among miners with their underground working conditions, particularly exposure to coal dust.
The NMG is to meet in Portlaoise on September 20th to agree a strategy for pursuing their case against the State.
Roscommon county councillor Charlie Hopkins (FG), who worked in the Arigna mines for 26years until it closed in 1990, said they were appealing for all ex-miners to come forward with information before this meeting.
He estimated that as many as 500 people would be entitled to compensation
