Republicans hold dignified vigil to mark anniversary of Dublin/ Monaghan bombings

Coinciding with the visit to Dublin of the English Queen, over 70 Republicans gathered at the Diamond, Monaghan on Tuesday evening in a dignified vigil marking the 37th anniversary of the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974. Among those in attendance were the Mayor of County Monaghan, Jackie Crowe, and several Sinn Féin elected representatives.

34 members of the demonstration held black flags symbolising the thirty-four people (including an unborn child) who were killed when loyalist bombs detonated in Monaghan and Dublin. Others held placards highlighting the fact that the Irish government has withdrawn funding for the victims group ‘Justice for the Forgotten’ while spending an estimated €40million on hosting the English queen who is also the commander-in-chief of the British Armed Forces. It is widely believed that those forces were behind the bomb attacks 37 years ago. The British government continue to refuse to hand over their files relating to the bombings which would assist the families get to the full truth behind the happenings of that day.

Tuesday’s vigil was held between 5 and 6pm and received widespread signals of support from passers-by.

Sinn Féin reps call on An Bord Pleanála to reject EirGrid application

In an impressive sign of party unity Sinn Féin elected representatives, from across the region impacted by the EirGrid proposals to erect massive 400kv power lines and pylons, submitted a joint submission to An Bord Pleanála last week.

In a submission that states clearly the party’s opposition to the EirGrid plans the Sinn Féin representatives also articulate their view that the project can and should proceed, but only via the alternative underground method favoured by local communities.

Prior to the submission being delivered to An Bord Pleanála Sinn Féin representatives from Counties Monaghan, Cavan and Meath came together and again reaffirmed the party’s determination to stand in full support of the community opposition to the current proposal. A similar submission has been made by the party to the planning authorities in the six counties. Among those at the meeting last week were Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD and Monaghan County Councillors Matt Carthy, Noel Keelan and Jackie Crowe.

In their submission the Sinn Féin representatives record their outright opposition “to the stated intent of Eirgrid to introduce an overhead pylon-supported 400kv interconnector through our countryside, across the lands of our neighbours and friends and dangerously close to homes, schools and other facilities frequently used by people and fields and facilities constantly in use by farm animals and those who tend to them”.

The submission contends that Eirgrid have continuously refused to consider the underground alternative stating that this “was best exemplified in their stated options, all three being overground pylon-supported routes. Their rigid dismissal of the validly-held concerns of citizens, and the wholly sustainable arguments against an overground approach, places their so-called consultation process outside the acceptable parameters of such an exercise”.

The Sinn Féin submission strongly objects to the proposals contained in Eirgrid’s application, now due for consideration by An Bord Pleanála, and it provides 6 key reasons for its refusal. They are:

1) There are real causes of concern for human and animal health arising from the nearby presence of overground cables.
• This is a view supported by several expert reports.
• Electromagnetic fields now have a reported danger level greater than has heretofore been realised.
• A significant body of research points to young children being most at risk.

2) The overwhelming number of affected landowners, most of whom are actively involved in farming, are opposed to what will prove to be a major intrusion, not just for those currently working the land but generationally into the future. Land will be closed to many activities and values will drop accordingly. The very presence of the pylons, and their load carriage, will be a turn-off for potential clients/investors in these farms in the future.

a. There will be significant curtailments of current farming practices by the presence of these pylons.
b. Livestock, and those who tend to them, will be placed at risk from emissions.

3) Residences, be they those of farmers or standalone rural dwellings of those not involved in agriculture, will face a downturn in value.

a. Sites, and possible sites, for domestic purposes will no longer attract the same interest.
b. Other attractions, business, social, leisure and cultural will be negatively affected.

4) The threat to schoolchildren and teachers and to those in nearby employments has already sparked serious anxiety, threatening the very fabric and future of our communities.

a. Our potential for development, for new and innovative business and community initiatives will be seriously curtailed.

5) The visual impact is certainly off-putting and arguably prohibitive and dramatically alters the environment and the natural presentation of our, to date, unspoiled countryside.

a. A recent report highlighted Cavan and Monaghan as a tourist destination because these counties can boast an unspoilt landscape.
b. Our drumlin topography is rich in sites of interest with known and as yet unresearched archaeologically important sites atop many of our countless hills.

6) The cost to each of us, the consumer, will be greater over the lifetime of the interconnector if the overground approach is to proceed.

a. While the ‘on paper’ initial outlay would appear to favour the overground method on economic grounds, the length of time involved in its physical construction as against the acceptable underground approach, the anticipated difficulties that will present from landowners and threatened families and communities, the greater maintenance cost of overground systems and the known greater outage rates of same, all place the underground cabling approach well ahead in cost terms over an anticipated forty year lifecycle.


Ó Caoláin remarks:

Speaking following the presentation of the Sinn Féin submission to An Bord Pleanála Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin stated that he hoped that their would be united political opposition to this project. Outlining the reasons why his party presented a united and joint submission to the bord Deputy Ó Caoláin stated: “As an all-Ireland party with elected representatives in all five counties affected by both the EirGrid and NIE plans we wanted to state clearly our view that this project can only proceed on the basis of the underground alternative. We also wished the record to show that we are not only voices in opposition to Eirgrid’s plans. We are voices that support absolutely the objective of putting in place an interconnector north-south and the creation of an all-Ireland electricity market. And we are wholly convinced that that goal will be best achieved by the underground cable method and for the reasons we clearly articulated.

“We have appealed, in the strongest possible terms, to An Bord Pleanála to reject the Eirgrid application and to find in favour of the undergrounding alternative that is steadily proving to be not only the popular choice of communities but the first choice of better-informed, more community-aware and far-sighted companies and systems installers globally.

“Faoi thalamh an bealach is fearr” he concluded.

Ireland’s Interests Best Served by No Vote – Crowe

Speaking at a Sinn Féin meeting in Castleblayney this week local councillor, Jackie Crowe said that Ireland’s interests were best served by voting No to the Lisbon Treaty on October 2nd.
Cllr. Crowe said: “Sinn Féin believes that Irelands place is at the heart of Europe. Our approach to the EU is to support those proposals that are in Ireland’s interests and to oppose and campaign to change those that are not.
“Our European agenda is positive and progressive. We are active participants in a European wide movement of parties and people whose aim is to create a more democratic and people centered European Union that promotes workers rights and public services, supports rural communities and plays a constructive role on the International stage consistent with this state’s neutral status.
“In June last year the people, including the majority of Monaghan voters, rejected the Lisbon Treaty. They did so because they believed that is was a bad Treaty and because they wanted for a better deal for Ireland and Europe.
“The result presented the Dublin government with a strong mandate to negotiate a better Treaty.
“At the time Sinn Féin presented Brian Cowen with very detailed proposals as to how we felt the electorate’s concerns could be dealt with.
“What did the government do? Just like their mismanagement of the economy, they prevaricated, sat on their hands and did nothing.
“As a result they have not secured a single change to the text of the Lisbon Treaty. On October 2nd we will be voting on exactly the same treaty as we did last year.
“The Governments claims of having addressed the concerns of the electorate are entirely false.
“We will still lose our Commissioner, only now in 2014 instead of 2009. Our neutrality will still be undermined. Workers rights and public services will still come under attack. And tax harmonisation will still be made easier.

“There are three weeks left in the campaign. For our part the fact that exactly the same Treaty is being placed before the people means that we should give the same answer.
“A better deal is still possible, but only if we reject the Lisbon Treaty on October 2.”