The monks of Mount Melleray Abbey in Co Waterford have objected to the construction of two wind farms which, it is claimed, would spoil the beauty of the area and threaten the safety of water supplies.
Permission for wind monitoring masts at the two sites near Cappoquin has been granted by Waterford County Council, but an appeal has been lodged with An Bord Pleanala in one case and is expected in the other.
One of the developers concerned is the Keane family of Cappoquin Estate, which has owned land in the area since 1710 and donated the grounds of the abbey to the Cistercian order in 1832.
The estate is owned by Sir Richard Keane, whose son, Charles, said yesterday he hopes "to bring people around" to his proposal to construct a wind farm at Knocknafallia in the Knockmealdown Mountains, which overlook Mount Melleray.
Residents have formed the Knockmealdown Protection Committee to oppose Mr Keane's plan.
In a letter to Waterford County Council last month signed by the abbot, Father Eamon Fitzgerald and 19 other members of the community, the monks of Mount Melleray said wind turbines at Knocknafallia would greatly detract from the natural beauty of the Knockmealdowns.
They also raised concerns about noise pollution and the safety of water supplies. "Mount Melleray is a place of religious significance for many people for generations and continues to be visited annually by thousands of people from all over the country and many parts of the world.
"Part of its appeal has to do with its setting in unspoilt countryside. The proposed development would interfere with the natural setting of the monastery," the letter said.
Mr Keane, who is offering the local community a 15 per cent stake in the development, said alternative sources of income would be "important in the future when life becomes more difficult in the uplands due to the withdrawal of agricultural subsidies".
Some people believed wind turbines were unsightly "but other people think it's doing good because it's replacing energy which is generating carbon emissions. It's how you perceive it. There are no absolutes; some people think they're lovely and some people think they're not."
Issues such as the threat to water supplies arose only during the construction stage and he believed these would be addressed by whatever planning conditions were laid down. The monitoring mast would be in place for a year, before any decision was taken about a wind farm, and in that time he would attempt to address residents' concerns.
The second mast which the monks and other residents have objected to would be at Coolnacreena, about four miles outside Cappoquin. Council approval for this mast has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by the Coole Action Group whose chairman, Mr John Kiely, said 560 residents had signed a petition against the development.
Mr Ned Morrissey, one of two farmers behind the proposal, claimed most of the objectors had never seen a wind turbine. "I honestly think if they went to see one they would know what a storm in a teacup they were creating." Waterford County Council has told both developers that permission to erect the monitoring masts is not to be interpreted as agreement, tacit or otherwise, to any future applications for wind farms on the sites.
