A WOMAN whose farm was damaged by a massive bogslide which occurred during the construction of the Republic’s largest wind farm has secured €341,830 damages at the High Court.
Mr Justice Eamon de Valera made the award yesterday to Mary Curley, whose family have farmed 16 acres at Derrybrien, Gort, Co Galway, for three generations.
Ms Curley claimed her land was damaged by the bogslide which began on October 16th, 2003, and continued for three days before stopping on her farm. A two-storey house owned by the family which was unoccupied at the time was surrounded by the landslide, she said.
She brought proceedings against ESB subsidiary Hibernian Power; Saorgas Energy, now Gort Windfarms, who built the wind farm; and Coillte Teo, who leased the land on which it was built.
An estimated 450,000 cubic metres of earth was displaced in the landslide which occurred in south Co Galway in 2003. It was measured as being 2.45km in length and about 45m wide at its head, widening to 270m in some areas along its course.
Liability was conceded by the defendants and the case was before Mr Justice de Valera for assessment of damages only.
The court heard Ms Curley had initiated proceedings in 2004 when it became clear to her, despite assurances by the wind farm operators, her property would not be reinstated.
She further claimed her family were forced to carry out remedial works with limited or no assistance.
Ms Curley, it was claimed, did nothing to bring about this calamity. She claimed the defendants had carried out works for the wind farm without adequately constructing the project.
The court heard her son wanted to move back on to the property which was unusable since 2003 and required to be reroofed and the walls dry lined.