‘I don’t care if I go to jail’

DEFIANT Thirteen years on - farmers still insist there will be no pylons on their land

A Cavan farmer is warning he will go to jail before he allows pylons to be erected on his land to facilitate Eirgrid’s North South Interconnector project.

Michael Farrelly is among scores of landowners North and South of the Border who say they remain united against the powerlines being erected and have no interest in a €10M compensation fund being suggested by Eirgrid.

Planning permission for the Northern element of the project was granted earlier this month.

Our sister paper The Anglo-Celt visited the Muff area of Kingscourt last week to gauge the feeling of the people on the ground who have been campaigning for the last 13 years to have these lines put under the ground.

Pat Farrelly is a campaigner with the North East Pylon Pressure Committee (NEPPC) lobby group. He’s adamant “nothing has changed” since 2007.

“Eirgrid have made very little progress in that time. The farmers from Meath right down to Monaghan are totally united against it [overhead lines],” he told the Celt.

NEPPC claims that, based on the plans, overhead cables would be running about 365 meters from Muff National School and, in one instance, would be less than 50 meters from a home; while some farmers could have up to three pylons on their lands.

Farmer Michael Farrelly told the Celt that the lines would practically be hanging right across his sheds where he is finishing cattle. “In fairness, there is no way I can put up with that,” he said.

“This is not about money. I have my farm the way I want it and I want to be left alone. I don’t want to be bullied by Eirgrid or by anybody,” he continued.

“If they think they can come down and walk across everybody, they are going to be facing a lot,” warned Michael.

“They can get the gardaí out here and take me away - then they will have to start taking my son away; then they can start looking after my cattle. Into jail I will go, I don’t care if I go to jail,” lambasted Michael.

He insists he is not against progress and has no problem with the lines being put under ground. “They could have it long done, if they wanted to,” he surmises.

Accusing Eirgrid of “arrogance”, Michael continued: “In a few years’ time, I could have to leave my home because of it. I have a daughter who was going to build in that field over there but would not build on it now because of the threat of the pylons.”

Pat Farrelly stressed: “We are not stopping progress. We want the cables put underground. We did our studies back in 2009 and we know it can be put underground.”

He questioned Minister Eamon Ryan’s green credentials. “I don’t see much green about an attempt to build pylons using many thousands of tons of concrete,” said Pat.

He pointed out that a powerline came in under the sea from Wales at Rush and it was undergrounded from there to Batterstown and the project was done peacefully.

Pat also raised questions about the money spent by Eirgrid on advertising since 2007.

“There is no need for Eirgrid to advertise because they have a monopoly. Why are they advertising, wasting money?” he asked.

In relation to the proposed €10M Community Fund, Pat accused Eirgrid of “trying to buy their way in”.

He remarked: “Compensation is not much good... This is serious stuff. Put the lines underground and there are no issues!”

Pat also insisted the project could have been completed with the lines underground long ago and said landowners are “not looking for confrontation”.

He claimed that Eirgrid does not have planning permission for access routes to complete the project and warned against ESB relying on Way Leave notices going back to the 1930s.

“Any ditch they [Eirgrid] wish to go through where there is not already an entrance, will require planning permission. They have not got it and they will have a fight on their hands before they get it,” contended Pat.

Stating that landowners are totally united on the issue, Pat is calling on local politicians to stand by undertakings they gave at previous public meetings. He pointed out that politicians in Mayo and Tipperary were able to get similar overhead lines scrapped in their counties.

Landowner Padraig Tinnelly said that people are “getting disillusioned” and feel they have been “let down” by politicians, the system and the political establishment on this issue.

“Here we have something that is blatantly not wanted and, there is a commercial alternative to it, yet it is going to be put through family farms and families will have to put up with it for life.

“This is not a temporary structure - it is permanent. No one wants this around here - we are willing to accept it underground, for all the disruption to drainage that it will cause,” said Padraig.

Bridie Martin from the Corlea area said her mind has not changed on the issue. “It is ‘no’ to anybody coming in on our property to put up pylons and pull lines. I am disgusted with my politicians – everyone of them. Underground - that is the answer – modern technology has improved in the last 13 years,” she said.

“It would destroy our community and our land and the beauty of the country – it is not on,” insisted Bridie.

Stick together - Cllr Kelly

Local councillor Clifford Kelly believes this is a battle landowners can win. “If farmers North and South stick solidly together, Eirgrid will never put a pylon on lands on either side of the Border,” he contended.

Cllr Kelly believes it makes more sense to put the lines under ground and pointed to an increasing number of storms every year that cause power lines to fall, cause power outages and are a danger to the public.

“It defies logic that, after the 13 years when they have not made progress, that they are still proceeding with the pylons.

“There is a fear that they will endeavour to bully the communities – that is not on,” said Cllr Kelly.

Cllr Kelly also expressed his disillusionment with his own party politicians on the issue

“I sat at meetings in Kells and Navan and politicians gave undertakings that they would object and would stop this line going overground, if they got into power. I have to say, as a Fianna Fáil person, I am very very disappointed that not one of them could find their voice when this so-called Green Minister came out and made a statement that he was not going to look at this whole situation again.

“I did not hear the Taoiseach Micheal Martin coming out and saying that he was going back to Minister Ryan that they had given undertakings that this project would be re-looked at and that this overground option was not going to happen,” said Cllr Kelly.

“I am calling now on all the politicians in Cavan, Monaghan and Meath who gave undertakings at those meetings to come forward now and let us know exactly where they stand on the issue and what they are going to do about it. Don’t hide – we want to see and hear yous,” he urged.

Another landowner, Charles Clarke, said they were not going to give up the fight and also disputed Eirgrid’s right to access lands. “They did not get planning permission to do that. I am determined as the first day that they will not be putting any pylons and cables on my land,” he insisted.

Charles expects garda intervention if Eirgrid proceed to try and access lands.

“We will be waiting for them. We also have to go out and do our day’s work on our land at the same time. They can’t put us off it. We will not be moving our cattle from one field to another to accommodate them,” he said.

“The pylons will destroy this whole end of the country and de-value our property by 50%. They are also not good for our health and we would be looking at them and working under them every day of the week, if they were to proceed.

“I can’t understand how they can’t see, at this stage, that this is never going to work. They are coming in on your land, totally uninvited. They know we don’t want them. They are still pressing on – we will be here waiting for them!” warned Charles.

On the issue of compensation, he said: “We don’t want any compensation. We want to be left alone and do our day’s work and make a day’s pay. They could have had these lines underground 10 years ago. They can come through the land underground if they want, but not overhead!”