Several hundred people, some accompanied by their dogs, yesterday climbed over and crept under newly erected timber fences to assert their rights to walk on open land above Red Rock, on the Howth peninsula. Their action was mirrored in many parts of the Republic on a day which had been designated National Access Day by the Keep Ireland Open group, which is campaigning to protect traditional rights of access to uplands and other scenic areas.
In Howth, young and old turned out to walk over ditches, matted long grass and rocky ground in protest against the recent fencing off of a 10-acre field through which there have been rights of way for longer than anyone can remember.
Mr Gerry Gannon, the property developer who owns the field, denies that these rights of way exist and has been involved in a number of heated conversations with protesters since men with a JCB arrived to erect the rail-and-post fence a few weeks ago.
But everyone who took part in yesterday's protest walk signed a petition calling on Fingal County Council to take action to uphold public access to the land, which is located between Carrickbrack Road and the area around Red Rock, owned by the council itself.
The stout timber fence, with its posts embedded in concrete, had been greased and oiled to make it more difficult for people to climb over it. This proved no deterrent to the organisers, who cut narrow openings in it and snipped off the barbed wire.
Two local Fingal councillors, Mr M.J. Cosgrave TD (FG) and Mr Liam Creaven (FF), declined to cross the fence. But Mr Tommy Broughan TD (Labour), accompanied by his Labrador dog, and Cllr David Healy (Greens) had no compunction about doing so.
The organisers of the protest led people through the fenced-off field and then through an adjoining wood before climbing Shielmartin Hill, part of which has also been bought by Mr Gannon, to look down towards Red Rock. Nobody could see anything, however, because of the fog.
Mr Michael McCarthy, spokesman for the organisers, pointed out that the fenced-off land was part of a proposed Special Amenity Area to safeguard the Howth peninsula against development pressures.
Mr McCarthy also noted that planning permission was required to fence off areas containing public rights of way, but no such permission had been sought in this case. "We will be supplying the county council with evidence for these rights of way and urging them to act on it."
Cllr Joan Maher (FG) said it was "an outrage that anyone should attempt to close off rights of way which have been enjoyed by the people of Dublin for generations" and she would be pressing the council to proceed with the special amenity order "as a matter of urgency".
Keep Ireland Open is staging a campaign rally for "access and the right to roam" this Thursday in Theatre P, the Arts Block, UCD, Belfield, starting at 8 p.m. The main speaker will be Ms Kate Ashbrooke, of the English Ramblers Association.
