‘We feel RTÉ owes us’... Residents who lived under shadow of hated radio mast want land for community facilities

Residents of the Moynalvey and Clarkestown areas have appealed to RTÉ to hand over some of the 60 acres of land to the local community, now that the Radio Tara transmitter has been demolished.

Local residents have also sought the help of Meath County Council in persuading RTE to make the land available for community facilities.

According to local resident, Enda Quinn, the 248 metre-high mast has been a major inconvenience to the local community for the past 35 years. "We feel as a community, RTÉ owes us this," he said. "There is a severe shortage of community land and facilities in the area."

Mr Quinn and other residents have written to Meath County Council and earlier today councillors unanimously voted to support a motion for their campaign at the Ratoath Municipal District Council meeting.

Proposed by Cllr Brian Fitzgerald and Cllr Damien O'Reilly the motion requests Meath County Council to write to Minister Catherine Martin requesting they release some of the 60 acres of RTE lands at Clarkestown, Kilcock to the Moynvaley community as the Radio Tara Mast is now decommissioned after 35 years, which was a blight on this community for that timeframe.

Speaking after the council meeting, Cllr Fitzgerald said:

"The members unanimously agreed to support the efforts of the community to obtain part of that land at today’s meeting.

"We had a letter from them and we fully endorsed it and we are going to advise the chief executive of the council of our position and the two ministers in the county, Catherine Martin and Helen McEntee who I believe are supportive of them as well.

"They are being made aware of the situation and the best we can do at this stage is show our full support for those campaigning and hopefully that it will benefit the community eventually so it was a very positive outcome."

Cllr Fitzgerald said the area was in dire need of land for recreational use. "This would provide some compensation. This will have to be a deision made by the government, but we won't be found wanting if the government work with us," he said.

Mr Quinn recalls the fears the people of the area when the mast was erected.

"People were very concerned. When I left to go away to college, my mother said she was glad I was getting away from the radiation of the mast."

In a letter to the council, Mr Quinn recalled that at 11.20am on 27th July, the community watched as the mast fell over and left their lives forever.

"We have a close community, partly due to the time in the mid 80s when we pulled together to try to stop RTE bullying their way into our area.

"However at the time, we ended up being treated indifferently by RTE and they bullied their way into building this monstrosity in our midst."

He said tat at the present time, the community in very bad need of land for a schools sports area and another GAA pitch.

"We have both men's and ladies football teams that play at senior level, as well as many underage teams. However, all training and matches are played on the one pitch.

"This would serve as some type of compensation for enduring the consequences of the mast for 35 years.

"With current prices for land on the open market, the chance of the parish raising enough funds to buy the land for another pitch are slim for years to come."

Cllr O'Reilly said that the land would be ideal for much needed community facilities.

The demolition of the mast in July was an emotional occasion for the local community who had fought a furious four year battle against the erection of a gigantic steel structure in the quiet countryside. At 248 metres high, the mast was more than double the height of the Spire in Dublin and was fiercely opposed by the local community.

The site was originally constructed to transmit the commercial radio service, Atlantic 252, which was on air from 1989 to 2001.

RTE and The Department of Turism, Culture and Media were approached for comment.