VIDEO: Anti-pylon protestor has placard torn from her hand at Dunboyne 10k

A protest by anti-pylon campaigners at the Eirgrid Dunboyne AC 10k Roadrace on Sunday, saw a race official tear a placard from the hands of one of the protestors.

The incident ended as athletes were finishing the race and protestors were standing around the finish area with posters.

Three of the runners completed the run, carrying a mini replica pylon throughout the race.

"We were running to highlight the issue of pylons and the way they will affect the various communities involved," said Paul English, who along with his brother Terence English and Padraig Dolan, ran the event carrying the 'pylon.'

They were protesting against the proposed north-south electricity interconnector, which will see a 138-kilometre 400kV overhead line linking the existing substation in Woodland Batterstown, with a planned substation in Turleenan, Co Tyrone.

"We do not have a problem with Dunboyne AC, but we have a problem with Eirgrid sponsoring the event, as we believe they do it to try and divide communities."

"It was a lovely run on a lovely day. We got a lot of applause and encouragement.

"We ran through some lovely parts of the Meath countryside that will be blighted with pylons," he said.

"We wanted it to be a peaceful protest. We don't want to have to go out and protest, especially on Mother's Day. We are all runners and members of sports clubs and it is very demotivating to have a company like Eirgrid trying to split communities.

"We don't want to see people living in the shadow of pylons that could cause cancer," he said. 

Tommy McDonnell, Captain of Dunboyne AC said; "We are an unpaid committee working for the community and athletic club, and providing an amenity for the local area. We are not a politically motivated organisation."

(6) Paul English and (57) Padraic Dolan running last Sunday.

David Martin of Eirgrid said that through their sponsorship, community gain and corporate social responsibility initiatives, Eirgrid  interacts with communities around the island.

"Our sponsorship supports dozens of community groups and activities, however this is just a small percentage of the requests we receive every year throughout the country.

 "We are proud of our association with the groups that we support, including our relationship with the Dunboyne 10k which dates back many years," he concluded.