Sir, – I would like to thank Frank McDonald (Home News, November 16th) for emphasising in his article on EirGrid's plans to install several hundred pylons in the southeast, that the Comeragh mountains are an EU-designated Special Area of Conservation.
This special attention has been given due to the unique beauty of this area and it is therefore patently obvious to all, those living in the area and the thousands of tourists that visit each year, that hundreds of alien-looking, massive pylons strung across this beautiful countryside would be detrimental to and a denial of this special designation given by the EU.
Ireland is known for its stunning, green and, at times, dramatic countryside. Except for a couple of towns and cities, tourists visit Ireland because of its wild and beautiful countryside. The countryside is Ireland’s major asset without any doubt and this brutal proposal to place these pylons over such a beautiful country is madness and will surely have a permanent and adverse effect on people’s health and future tourism.
If it costs more to place these electric cables underground then so be it. It will cost us but it will be worth the extra cost to preserve something that is so vital to Ireland, namely its beautiful countryside. – Yours, etc,
JOHN ELWES,
Nr Rathgormack,
Carrick-on-Suir,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – Nothing has and nothing will destroy this beautiful island of Ireland more than EirGrid’s preposterous pylon plan
All the work and funds over the years dedicated by the National Parks and Wildlife service to establishing Ireland’s ecological biodiversity will be eradicated by this plan.
The proposed 45 to 60 metre pylons would not only be an unimaginable eyesore on our naturally beautiful land, but would also wipe out hundreds of fauna and flora. The one major attraction for visitors and tourists – our naturally beautiful country – would be destroyed completely and forever.
Great motorways built through Ireland have made travel from city to city, and town to town more convenient, but the cost to natural heritage was huge. If we allow this decimation of kilometre upon kilometre through our rural areas, we will pay a price of destruction which can never be reversed. Once the rural natural heritage is gone, it's gone.
Hundreds of families whose homes and livelihood lie in the pathway of the route of these proposed monstrous pylons, are already burdened due to our economic downturn. However, they will now have what little they have managed to survive on destroyed.
Studies by Oxford University have proven that children living nearer to overhead high voltage electrical cables, have a substantial increase in the incidence of the life-threatening, terminal disease of leukemia. Several other serious illness are also linked to electric pylons and overhead electricity of this high voltage. Do we really need to add to our health burden? Do we not care about the future health of our children and their children?
If the powers that be do not stop this destruction in its tracks, Ireland will be facing a very bleak future. How can we be so shortsighted as to even contemplate a project that will have so many diverse and catastrophic consequences? – Yours, etc,
BARBARA BARRETT,
Pier Road,
Kinsale, Co Cork.
A chara, – Why are we talking about putting our high voltage main connectors on pylons or underground when we could be putting them offshore with no disruption to the countryside or its residents?
We are a small island and all our main cities in both the North and the Republic are also ports.
The technology for laying cables at sea is well established.
We could put a cable all around Ireland with links to the land at Waterford, Wexford, Dublin, Drogheda, Belfast, Derry, Sligo, Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Cork and as these cities are already connected to the national grid, the connection could be both ways. Connections from these cities to the power generation stations already exist as does the local distribution network.
Any existing and future development of wind and wave energy generation could be linked directly into an offshore system.
I would like to see this alternative discussed and any reasons for dismissing it aired. – Yours, etc,
RÓNÁN de PAOR,
Annestown,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – I refer to Frank McDonald’s article (Home News, November 16th). The proposed EirGrid plans to build pylons in the Comeragh Mountains and beside Sliabh na mBan defy any common sense and Minister Pat Rabbitte’s approach to the issue is out of touch with public opinion. Can you imagine the reaction there would be nationally if a series of pylons were routed through Killarney’s National Park? The Comeragh Mountains and Sliabh na mBan are of similar value to the nation. If this project is allowed to go ahead with pylons supporting overhead cables it will be an act of vandalism and a national disgrace. – Yours, etc,
EAMONN WALSH,
Limekiln Green,
Dublin 12.