CEREMONY AT ISLANDBRIDGE

11/07/2015 by borderroamer

Heather Humphreys T.D.
Photo: © Michael Fisher

Minister for the Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Cavan/Monaghan T.D. Heather Humphreys has had a very busy diary of engagements since her appointment to the Cabinet just less than twelve months ago. Yesterday she was with An Taoiseach launching the new online search facility for genealogists at the National Library, where old Catholic parish registers that were on microfilm have been digitised.

Today Minister Humphreys attended the Royal British Legion’s annual ceremony at the National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge in Dublin. She read a lesson and also laid a laurel wreath. Tomorrow there will be a national day of commemoration at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham at 11am. Speaking ahead of the ceremony the Minister said: Speaking ahead of the ceremony Minister Humphreys said:

“This ceremony remembers the Irish men and women who died during the two world wars. Just last week I travelled to the Somme to mark the 99th anniversary of what was the bloodiest battle of World War One, claiming thousands of Irish lives.

“Through the World War One commemorative events, we have gained a much greater understanding of the scale of Irish sacrifice and suffering. Families have, for the first time, discovered that their relatives went to the Front to fight, and many of them never returned home.

“One hundred years on, Ireland is respectfully remembering its sons and daughters who served in what was a horrific conflict. Events such as this one help us not only to pay respect to those who died, but also to recognise how far we have come over the last century.”

Royal British Legion Ceremony of Remembrance

In the Irish Times, Marie O’Halloran reports as follows:

“The Sinn Féin Lord Mayors of Dublin and Belfast and the Sinn Féin Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly have laid wreaths at a ceremony in Dublin to commemorate the dead of the first and second World Wars. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys led the wreathlaying at a ceremony organised by the Royal British Legion in Ireland at the National War Memorial Gardens in Islandbridge, Dublin. Members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, along with members of the Defence Forces, attended the annual commemoration, which was first held in 2006 to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. It is now held on an annual basis on the Saturday before the National Day of Commemoration.

Ms Humphreys laid a laurel wreath at the cenotaph, as did newly elected Dublin Lord Mayor Cllr Críona Ní Dhálaigh and Lord Mayor of Belfast Cllr Arder Carson. Poppy wreath Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett laid a poppy wreath, while Speaker of the Assembly Mitchel McLaughlin laid a laurel wreath. Poppy and laurel wreaths were laid by representatives of the diplomatic corps and others from a number of states including the Vatican, Japan, Republic of Cyprus, the UK, the Russian Federation, Netherlands, Australia, India, France, Nigeria, Lithuania, Germany, the US and Kenya. In all more than 100 wreaths were laid during the ceremony, introduced by Lt Col Ken Martin, chairman of the Royal British Legion in the south.

He told almost 1,000 people in attendance that they were in a “garden of exquisite beauty” in the centre “of what can only be described as the finest national memorial to the sacrifice of a nation, in Europe”. They were there, he said, to remember the sacrifice for the defence of small nations. Archdeacon of Ferns Christopher Long said that every war was cruel, but the first World War “was unlike any other unspeakable carnage, the unbearable loss, the almost unbelievable bravery”. He said it was a conflict that spread from the western front to the deserts of the Mediterranean, from the plains of Poland to the frozen mountains of Austria, touching and ending millions of lives. Dismissed as ‘pointless war’ “Too often it is dismissed as a pointless war, wrought by people who didn’t know why they were fighting. I believe that to be wrong. Men signed up to prevent the domination of a continent, to preserve the principle of freedom that we cherish today.” He added that “we should never fail to cherish peace in our country, and never underestimate the patient work it has taken to build and to maintain that peace”.

Members of the Royal British Legion paraded at the start of the ceremony to the accompaniment of the Army No 1 Band, and during the ceremony as the wreaths were laid the band was accompanied by the Tramore Ladies Choir. The lament ‘Oft in the Stilly Night’ was played as wreaths were laid at the memorial. Ms Humphreys read a lesson during the ecumenical ceremony.

Head of the Defence Forces Chaplaincy Monsignor Eoin Thynne HCF

Head chaplain of the Defence Forces, Msgr Eoin Thynne read the bidding prayers for all those who suffered as a result of conflict. He prayed “for peacemakers and peacekeepers who seek to keep this world secure and free”. Minute’s silence The Last Post was played and president of the Royal British Legion in the south Major Gen The O’Morchoe read the exhortation: “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” A minute’s silence was observed and the Reveille played and the dedication then read: “When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.”

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Ms Humphreys said: “So many thousands of Irish men lost their lives in the first World War…It didn’t matter whether they were unionist or nationalist, it didn’t matter whether they were Protestant or Catholic the bombs and the bullets of war treated them all the same. So it’s nice that we’re all here today to remember those who lost their lives in the first World War.”

GAA SAYS SAFETY RECORD IS EXEMPLARY

10/07/2015 by borderroamer

Casement Park GAA ground in West Belfast

GAA SAYS SAFETY ISSUES ARE PARAMOUNT IN NEW CASEMENT PARK PLAN

Michael Fisher Northern Standard Thursday 2nd July

GAA Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Ó Dufaigh

GAA Ard Stiúrthóir Páraic Ó Dufaigh has told a Stormont committee that the Association has an exemplary safety record and it regards safety issues are paramount. He was giving evidence last Thursday to the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly about safety fears which had been raised about the stalled plan for the redevelopment of Casement Park in Belfast.

A safety expert had claimed he faced “undue pressure” to approve the proposals and had accused Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) officials of bullying. Paul Scott claimed a proposed 38,000-seat stadium could not be evacuated safely and warned of a potential tragedy similar to the Hillsborough disaster in England.

Mr Ó Dufaigh said the GAA would categorically reject any assertion that its supporters would ever be put at risk at any of its games, or within any of its stadia. He said the Association’s partners would engage continuously with the stadiums project Safety Technical Group throughout all steps of the planning process to deliver a state of the art provincial stadium at Casement Park in Belfast for use by Antrim and Ulster. The Ard Stiúrthóir was joined at Parliament Buildings by Danny Murphy, Chief Executive and Secretary, Ulster Council GAA, Tom Daly, Chair of the Casement Park Provincial Project, Oran McCloskey, Project Director, HBJV and project designer Mike Trice, Senior Principal Architect at Populous, a globally renowned company that specialises in developing sporting stadiums.

A GAA statement said that during the session the Association had expanded upon its impeccable health and safety record citing its management of a large number of major provincial and county stadiums built to the highest specifications and conforming to all of the relevant health and safety legislation across Ireland and Britain. The Committee was briefed on the GAA hosting over one million people at its stadiums throughout the 2014 championship season, with fixtures drawing crowds of up to 82,300 for major games.

Ulster GAA chief executive Danny Murphy said the comparison with Hillsborough made at an earlier hearing of the Stormont committee was “wildly inaccurate, unfounded and hysterical”. During last Thursday’s hearing, Mr Murphy produced an email he claimed showed that the stadium safety expert Paul Scott had been largely supportive of the design for the new Casement Park.

Mr Murphy read out an email that he said Mr Scott sent to a Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure official in August 2013. In the correspondence Mr Scott wrote: “There appears to be a consensus that the latest proposals address the exiting concerns.” Mr Murphy said the GAA believed “that this confirms that everything we were doing was moving towards an acceptance that our plans were proper and correct”. It is unclear if Mr Scott was referring to emergency exiting or general exiting arrangements for the West Belfast stadium plans.

Commenting after the Committee session, Danny Murphy said:

“The GAA has reiterated that at all stages of the Casement Park Provincial Project the development had been scrutinised throughout the design process by the STG who signed off in principle, prior to the submission of the planning application. The ongoing work to date on the safety issues and exiting made progress and this is evident in a correspondence from the Chair of the STG dated 23rd August 2013 which states that as part of the developmental process, “there appears to be a consensus that the latest proposals address the exiting concerns”. At all stage boundaries, from outline business case to the appointment of the contractor the safety of the design was paramount and whilst some contingency planning were discussed, no red flag issues were ever raised with the GAA.

“The GAA examines all industry-recognised threats and develops contingency plans to allow safe evacuation of the spectators in 18 designated grounds within Ulster. The SGSA Safety Management guidance is a vital tool which recognises partial and phased evacuation dependant on the threat. We look forward to re-engaging with the STG to develop these plans with their full input as we move forward.”

Casement Park Redevelopment Group including Ulster GAA Secretary Danny Murphy (back middle) with NI Sports Minister Carál Ní Chuilín and (right) Tom Daly, Chair of Stadium Project Board

Tom Daly Chairman of the Casement Park Project board commented:

“In the near future the GAA will announce its programme for a fresh planning application for Antrim and Ulster’s new stadium at Casement Park. At that time we will also outline our plans for local engagement and it is our intention again to work constructively and pro-actively with all relevant stakeholders.”

He said the emergency evacuation did not appear in the risk section of the independent business case. “The Ulster GAA believe that emergency exiting was not a showstopper and never was,” he said.

Earlier Noel Molloy, former director of the DCAL stadiums programme, said there was a feeling that the STG’s Casement work was “inconsistent” with previous stadium projects at Ravenhill for Ulster Rugby and Windsor Park for the IFA. He said claims that the Casement design could have led to a Hillsborough-type scenario were “disrespectful and disingenuous” to the victims of the 1989 tragedy. “There is not a potential to have a Hillsborough scenario unless the (safety certificate) licence is given incorrectly,” he said. In December 2014, a High Court judge in Belfast ruled that the North’s Environment Minister Mark H. Durkan had acted unlawfully in approving plans for a new Casement Park stadium. The GAA is to submit another planning application.

NAMA LAND REVISITED

08/07/2015 by borderroamer

The following article about NAMA’s interests in Northern Ireland was published here in February 2013. It is interesting that in response to a question at an AEJ lunch in Dublin, the Agency’s Chairman Frank Daly quoted a figure of €1.34 billion as being the market value of property it owned in the North in November 2009, representing 4% of its portfolio. At the end of 2012 NAMA had 143 parcels of NI land or properties subject to enforcement action. I am not making any allegations of inferences about what has happened in the intervening period, and will leave it up to others to do the sums. But no doubt readers will be familiar with the latest stories concerning the sale in June last year of NAMA’s 850-property portfolio (known as Project Eagle) involving debtors from Northern Ireland (book value of €5.62 billion) for around €1.5 billion to Cerberus Capital Management (based on exchange rates for 20/06/14). NAMA “is fully satisfied, having taken advice from Lazard, that the process delivered the best possible return that could have been achieved for Irish taxpayers”, and Cerberus says there were no improper or illegal fees paid, according to a report in The Irish Times. It was one of the largest transactions so far by NAMA and seems to be turning out as its most controversial one.

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Frank Daly

Meet one of Northern Ireland’s biggest property owners. Frank Daly is Chairman of the Republic’s National Asset Management Agency. It was set up by the Irish government in December 2009 to deal with 12,000 risky loans in Irish banking arising from the collapse of the property market. Five institutions particpate in the scheme: Allied Irish Banks (trading in the North as First Trust Bank); Bank of Ireland; Anglo Irish Bank (IBRC); Irish Nationwide Building Society; and EBS Building Society, now a subsidiary of AIB.

Mr Daly did not have an up-to-date figure to hand about the value of property securing acquired loans in Northern Ireland now controlled by NAMA. But he quoted a figure of around €1.34 billion, which was the market value of property in November 2009 and represented around 4% of NAMA’s portfolio. He said there had been extensive engagement with the Stormont Executive and that the Agency had developed a very good relationship with the Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson.

Sammy Wilson

When both men met in June last year, more loans must have been transferred to NAMA because it was estimated that their property portfolio in the North was worth over £3 billion. At the time Mr Wilson according to a BBC report stressed the importance of the Agency’s involvement in Northern Ireland. He said he was pleased with the finance being made available by NAMA for the development and purchase of sites there. He believed it would help to stimulate some much needed activity in the local property and construction markets and that its work was going to be very important for years to come.

NAMA publishes a list of land and properties subject to enforcement action. At the end of last year, it had a total of 143 in every county in Northern Ireland. The list includes (in a random examination) properties in Dungannon and Aughnacloy in Tyrone, Enniskillen and Lisnaskea in Fermanagh, Armagh; Dromore, Banbridge and Newry in County Down, and Coleraine in County Londonderry. In County Antrim, it includes areas such as Lisburn and Belfast, where some pubs are listed as well as the high-rise Windsor House office building.

Mr Daly told a lunch in Dublin organised by the Association of European Journalists that the Agency’s approach is the same on both sides of the border, namely to work with debtors to enhance the value of assets and to keep businesses trading. Its primary commercial objective is to obtain the best achievable return for the Irish taxpayer, he said.

Frank Daly addressing AEJ

The bad loan agency has generated sales worth €11 billion since its inception. Mr Daly said the Irish government’s recent decision to liquidate Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (formerly Anglo Irish Bank) and direct NAMA to acquire the unsold residual element of its loan portfolio would significantly increase the Agency’s workload.“Potentially, depending on the scale of loan transfers, the size of our balance sheet could increase by close to 50 per cent”, he explained. The liquidator has until August to decide what to do with IBRC assets. The overwhelming majority of assets on NAMA’s balance sheet are of a commercial property nature and if the Agency took on the IBRC’s mortgage portfolio, it would be a new departure for them.

The NAMA Chairman said it might be time for some entity at a national level to take a central, co-ordinating, policy development role in relation to the residential property market. He also announced details of their plans to develop new commercial and residential projects as part of a €2 billion investment programme in Ireland, including the development of significant additional office accommodation in the Dublin Docklands. He said the Agency was firmly on target to achieve targets for reducing debts by the end of 2013 by 25% and fully by 2020. The full script of Mr Daly’s speech can be found here on the NAMA website.

Dublin Docklands

INTERCONNECTOR OBJECTIONS

30/06/2015 by borderroamer

Checking the details of the EirGrid N/S Interconnector plan at the information meeting in Aughnamullen Photo: © Michael Fisher

ANGER EXPRESSED BY LANDOWNERS IN MONAGHAN OVER EIRGRID APPLICATION FOR N/S INTERCONNECTOR

Michael Fisher Northern Standard Thursday 25th June

Landowners in South Monaghan whose farms and property are along the route of the proposed EirGrid North/South electricity interconnector say it would ruin their livelihoods for generations to come and would cause the biggest destruction ever seen in Ireland. Many of them came to Aughnamullen social centre on Monday night to see for themselves the full extend of the EirGrid plans which were submitted earlier this month to An Bord Pleanála. The County Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee had obtained a hard copy of the application and large folders were spread out over a long table with maps showing the route of the proposed overground line, including the section close to Lough Egish.

EirGrid and its northern counterpart plan to construct 401 new pylons carrying an overhead 400kV supply line across five counties including Monaghan, Cavan and Meath. 109 of the towers would be erected in Monaghan. The power line from Woodland near Batterstown in County Meath to Turleenan near Dungannon in County Tyrone and passing across the border at Lemgare near Clontibret into County Armagh would be one of the biggest infrastructure developments on the island and so it was designated a Project of Common Interest by the European Commission

There is now a ten weeks period of statutory public consultation, running until Monday August 24th.

The Secretary of the Anti-Pylon Committee Mary Marron said they had organised three meetings in Aughnamullen, Cremartin and Corduff during the week to enable landowners to see exactly how their properties would be affected. They were also able to advise them about making submissions to An Bord Pleanála and what they needed to concentrate on. The committee will be taking its own legal advice on the application, she said.

EirGrid documentation about the N/S Interconnector Photo: © Michael Fisher

The maps on the table set out how pylons would be erected in townlands such as Cornasassonagh and Corrinenty. Landowners continued to question why they were being treated as second-class citizens, because the underground option was being considered for two other major electricity supply projects. They claimed the project would devalue their land. They felt that the plans to erect pylons would turn their land into construction sites and questioned the methods EirGrid would use for accessing their property.

LOCAL POLITICIANS OPPOSE EIRGRID PLANS

Monaghan County Council has set up a sub-committee to discuss the interconnector application. It will meet in Castleblayney on July 13th and draw up a response. The Ballybay Clones Municipal District will also be making a submission objecting to EirGrid’s North/South Interconnector project.

COUNCILLOR SEAMUS COYLE

Fianna Fáil Councillor Seamus Coyle, a farmer from Latton, said the EirGrid proposals were totally unacceptable to local landowners. He claimed that the company had not gone out onto the ground and looked at the situation for individual farmers regarding access to their property for the construction work on the pylons. He said the project was contrary to the Monaghan County Council development plan 2013-19 and the sustainable development of the county. He told the Northern Standard it was important that councillors supported the concerns of local people in relation to this project. He claimed the local access roads needed for EirGrid construction work would be totally unfit for purpose in areas such as Corduff and Raferagh. He claimed that the electricity transmission company had not gone out onto the ground to inspect properties that would be affected, but had done an aerial survey instead. This was in contrast to the approach adopted by SONI in the North, where engineers had walked almost 97% of the planned route. He claimed EirGrid had not taken into account the implications for fauna and wildlife in the countryside as well as heritage spots such as ancient burial grounds.

EirGrid documentation about the N/S Interconnector Photo: © Michael Fisher

MATT CARTHY MEP

Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands North West Matt Carthy called on the public to engage with the consultation process and to outline their concerns. He said:

“Unfortunately, due to the Strategic Infrastructure Act enacted by the Fianna Fáil government with the support of Fine Gael, the planning process for the North/South Interconnector is, in my view, flawed. However, that should not prevent interested individuals and communities engaging with the public consultation process during which time the public may provide submissions and observations to An Bord Pléanala. The consultation closes at 5.30pm on Monday 24th August.”

Mr Carthy said Sinn Féin representatives had been working closely with all those groups and communities in Counties Monaghan, Armagh, Cavan, Tyrone and Meath who have been engaged in a campaign since 2007 against the EirGrid and NIE/SONI plans to impose 400kv overhead power lines and associated pylons on their landscapes.

“The concerns are very real; there are genuine worries for health, our environment, the landscape, the economic development of the areas concerned. The communities concerned have made their position crystal clear: the North/South Interconnector can only proceed on the basis that it is undergrounded. Sinn Féin fully supports that position and we will be preparing our own submission to An Bord Pléanala on this issue”.

“This project, despite 97% landowner opposition, is the only EirGrid project that remains unchanged since 2009 following its exclusion from the EirGrid national review. Report after report, including one published by the government appointed International expert commission have clearly proved that undergrounding of the power lines is both possible and feasible. Indeed, many argue that in the medium to long term, undergrounding is economically beneficial. I am calling on the public to take this opportunity to outline their position on this project and ensure that their voice is heard”, the MEP said.

€5000 CHARGE FOR HARD COPY OF EIRGRID APPLICATION

Matt Carthy was also critical of EirGrid for charging members of the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) €5000 for each hard copy of the planning application. The group had requested four copies of the application for their members and had also asked EirGrid to provide a hard copy to each landowner affected by the application.

Commenting on the correspondence between the NEPPC and EirGrid officials, the MEP said:

“It is completely outrageous that a full hard copy of this planning application costs €5000. I agree with the members of the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign that the astronomical costs involved in obtaining a copy of this application will put it out of the reach of many in the community affected by the proposed pylons.”

“The message from the local communities could not be clearer – they do not want overhead pylons blighting some of the most historical landscapes of this country and presenting a real danger to their communities. This is another slap in the face to the community who have had to listen to PR exercise after PR exercise from EirGrid stating their full commitment to engage with local communities on the proposed pylons.”

Mr Carthy went on: “While I acknowledge that soft copies of the application are provided on CD, many people need access to a hard copy for various reasons and it would be expected at the least that the landowners affected could receive a copy of the application. EirGrid cannot expect to be to be taken seriously on its claims of extensive public consultation while communities are effectively excluded from the planning process and I am calling on the company to make the application more readily available.”

Sean Conlan T.D. Photo: © Michael Fisher

SEAN CONLAN T.D.

The Fine Gael T.D. Sean Conlan attended the information evening at Aughnamullen. He said the County Monaghan Anti Pylon Committee deserved great credit for the effort they have put into organising the series of meetings this week to explain to the landowners affected in detail exactly what Eirgrid proposed to do on their land. He strongly encouraged anyone who wanted to find out further information in respect of the proposed route and how it affected their property and their community and who wished to obtain advice in relation to submitting a submission to An Bord Pleanála to contact the committee.

Deputy Conlan said: “The resilience and collective objection of the community as a whole to this application is paramount in trying to achieve our ultimate goal of having this project undergrounded. It is very important that the community continues to stand together to object to this new application by EirGrid to overground the North/South interconnector. By standing together as one the community stands the best chance of defeating EirGrid in their endeavours to put this project overground. It is very clear to me that the communities affected are more determined than ever that EirGrid are defeated.”

“I am available at any time to provide any advice or any assistance I can to members of the community and landowners who wish to make submissions detailing their concerns about EirGrid’s application and how it affects them, their families, their farms and their community. I want to reassure everybody in all the communities affected that I remain fully opposed to the overgrounding of this project by EirGrid. I will be making my own submission to An Bord Pleanála opposing EirGrid’s application to put the interconnector overground.”

COUNCILLOR EUGENE BANNIGAN

Fine Gael Councillor Eugene Bannigan also attended the information evenings. He told the Northern Standard: “Over the last number of weeks EirGrid have published their plans for a new application to an Bord Pleanála where they are looking to build 401 new pylons over five counties. However EirGrid have not walked the full route so they don’t know what damage they could do to wildlife and protected species in the surrounding areas.”

Councillor Bannigan went on: “The recent launch of new farming schemes shows certain requirements are needed in order to be granted acceptance to the scheme, and this means land will be let go wild for Gaming and Wild Bird cover. So if a farmer on the grid is planning to let some of their crops go wild in order to meet these certain requirements, then the Department of Agriculture must help out, and if several farmers along the grid do this then it can slow up the process with An Bord Pleanála, and on the other hand you have the Department for Energy trying to let this interconnector grid go up. It doesn’t make sense as on one hand the government is trying to help farmers and this means let land go wild, and on the other hand, the government is trying to let EirGrid go ahead. So it’s the government versus the government.”

Brendan Smith T.D.

BRENDAN SMITH TD

Fianna Fáil T.D. for Cavan-Monaghan Brendan Smith has criticised the Communications Minister Alex White for refusing to consider a motion by Monaghan County Council calling for the cessation of work on the North/South Interconnector so that the project could be undergrounded. The motion came on foot of comments made by EirGrid’s Chief Executive during a meeting of the Oireachtas Communications Committee, when he admitted that the undergrounding of the lines was technically feasible.

Deputy Smith commented, “I am extremely disappointed by Minister Alex White’s stance on this issue.  Despite submitting a range of Parliamentary Questions raising concerns about the fact that the underground option was not being considered, he failed to give any straight answers, choosing to evade the specific questions.

“The North-South interconnector is an extremely contentious issue here on the border. People have grave concerns about the fact that the Government appears to be content to press ahead with the overhead lines option, without giving due consideration to the possibility of undergrounding them.  This is despite the fact that the head of EirGrid told the Oireachtas Communications Committee that it is technically feasible to put the lines underground.

“It is extremely unfair that the Government is continuing to refuse a review of the North-South interconnector plans, especially in light of the fact that the other two Grid Link projects are being reconsidered.  People here feel as if they are being ignored by this Government, which is refusing to take their concerns on board, and is now even refusing to give credible answers to Parliamentary Questions, and has now effectively passed the buck back to Eirgrid.

“I am very disappointed with the Minister’s evasive and hands-off approach to this issue.  There has been a substantial reduction in the potential cost of the undergrounding project, yet Minister White is refusing to reconsider.  This is not good enough and the people of Cavan and Monaghan will simply not accept it. I will be continuing to put Minister White under pressure to review this project to ensure a safe and secure energy supply for people living on the border”, Deputy Smith concluded.

QUESTION: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on the recent decision by EirGrid to submit a planning application for the North South Interconnector without consideration being given to the options of undergrounding this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. – Brendan Smith.

REPLY
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (Deputy Alex White)
In January 2014, an Independent Expert Panel (IEP) was established to oversee the integrity of the process being undertaken by EirGrid to report on comprehensive, route-specific studies of overhead and underground options for both the Grid Link (GL) and Grid West (GW) projects. While the North South Transmission Line project (N/S) is outside the IEP’s Terms of Reference, the IEP did agree, on foot of a request by my predecessor, to provide an opinion on the compatibility of the methodologies, to be employed on the GL and GW projects with what had already been done on the N/S project up to and including 2 May 2014, being the date that the IEP decided to examine the N/S project.

Having considered and discussed all of the material, the Panel issued a statement on 1 July 2014, indicating its unanimous opinion that, in all material respects, what had already been done on the N/S project is compatible with the methodologies being employed on the GW and GL projects.

On 27 March 2015 EirGrid published a new independently peer reviewed draft Strategy which allows for the achievement of an optimal balance between the competing demands of publicly consulting on necessary network development, choosing the best emerging technology options for that development, and minimising new build. The draft strategy found that there remains a clear need for the North South transmission line, and that the existing proposal for a 400kV overhead line remains the most appropriate solution for the project.

ANNALITTEN SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS

28/06/2015 by borderroamer

Annalitten National School near Castleblayney Photo: © Michael Fisher

BIG REUNION FOR ANNALITTEN NS Michael Fisher Northern Standard

It’s fifty years since the pupils of Annalitten National School outside Castleblayney in the parish of Muckno made the big move from the Old School to the New School. To mark this milestone, the past pupils organised a school reunion on Saturday 27th June. The event marked the 50th anniversary of the move in 1965 to the current premises. It took place at the school at 4pm and many former students were in attendance, as was the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys T.D. After the reminiscing at the school, a social evening was held at the Glencarn Hotel, Castleblayney.

Stone plaque with name of school scratched out during WWII Photo: © Michael Fisher

The organising committee put together a selection of photographs of people who went to Annalitten school. Annalitten is a two-classroom co-educational Catholic primary school with a fascinating history. Elizabeth Brannigan was one of the organisers of the reunion. Five generations of her family have attended Analitten school, including herself.

Stone plaque for Annalitten NS celebrations Photo: © Michael Fisher

Past pupil John McBride has researched the story of the school and to launch the reunion shared some interesting facts about the old building:

Annalitten Car Park’s Amazing Secret

If you were to walk past Annalitten’s fine National School, chances are you would hardly give a second glance to or even notice the adjoining car park. But this spot has a secret. It was the site of a building with a remarkable claim to fame. That building, the’ Old School’, was no ordinary school around the corner, as it was born with a roar that would be heard as far as the Westminster Parliament.

1888 was a year of beginnings, including the founding of the National Geographic Society, Celtic FC playing its first official match, and the birth of John Painter, who would live to the 21st century and become the world’s oldest man. The Castleblayney townland of Annalitten celebrated its own ‘first’ with the opening of a National School. You might think that this local affair would hardly cause a stir, even in ‘Blayney. But events would prove otherwise.

Soon after Annalitten NS opened, the RIC called on three local families. Leading Irish MP, Tim Healy, heard about the police visits. In May 1888, in the House of Commons, he questioned the Chief Secretary Arthur Balfour about the incident. Balfour replied that some children had been moved to Annalitten from the nearby mixed religion schoool. Three Catholic families kept their children at the mixed school. It’s believed that the local church was putting pressure on these families to send their children to Annalitten. The famililes were visited by the local police in order to establish the full facts.

The full text of the discussion can be read in the Hansard Parliamentary report for May 14th 1888 p.144. In the document, the politicians are referred to as ‘Mr. T. M. Healy (Longford, N.)’ and ‘A. J. Balfour (Manchester, E.)’. Annalitten is spelt as ‘Annalitton’

Annalitten being mentioned at Westminster is a great feat, but the central characters in the discussions make it even more special. They were both political giants. Arthur Balfour would serve as British Prime Minister from 1902 to 1905. Tim Healy would go on to become the first Governor General of the Irish Free State in 1922.

The ‘Old School’ at Annalitten was replaced by a new building, a short distance away, in 1965. The old building went on to serve as a community centre until it was demolished in the early 21st century, its longevity surpassing John Painter’s by just a few years. There is now a car park on the site, surely making it one of the most historic parking lots in Monaghan and Ireland.
© John E. McBride 2015

PAT FINUCANE MURDER INVESTIGATION

27/06/2015 by borderroamer

Geraldine Finucane with investigative journalist John Ware in Belfast

The quest for truth continues by the Finucane family into the killing of husband and father Pat Finucane, a Belfast solicitor, by the UDA in 1989. The High Court in Belfast has backed the refusal by the British Prime Minister David Cameron to hold a public inquiry into the killing of the well-known human rights lawyer. He was shot dead in front of his family at his North Belfast home by loyalists believed to have been acting in collusion with British security forces.

A judicial review rejected an appeal by Mr Finucane’s family for a public inquiry into the shooting, saying Mr Cameron’s 2011 decision not to hold one was lawful. Mr Cameron instead commissioned an independent investigation, whose report was published in 2012. The report by Desmond de Silva QC severely criticised members of the British intelligence services and army and the RUC for colluding in the killing and covering it up.

The solicitor’s family has long campaigned for a full independent public inquiry, but Mr Cameron insisted such an exercise would not shed any more light on the events. He instead commissioned a review of the case papers by Mr de Silva, whose report detailed shocking levels of state involvement.

It included spreading malicious propaganda that Mr Finucane was sympathetic to the IRA; one or possibly more police officers proposing him as a target to loyalists; and the mishandling of state agents inside the UDA who were involved in the murder. While Mr de Silva found no evidence of an overarching conspiracy by the authorities to target the 38-year-old lawyer, he said the actions of a number of state employees had “furthered and facilitated” the UDA shooting while there had also been efforts to thwart the subsequent criminal investigation.

As he accepted the report’s findings in the House of Commons in December 2012, Mr Cameron reiterated an apology to the Finucane family and also pledged that the government would examine the review in detail to identify potential lessons.

The judicial review focused on a commitment made by the UK government at Weston Park in 2001 during peace process negotiations with the Government. The Weston Park talks resulted in Canadian judge Peter Cory being asked to examine the grounds for public inquiry in a number of controversial Troubles deaths. The British government said such inquiries would be implemented if the judge recommended that course of action. Judge Cory subsequently did recommend public inquiries for a number of killings, including Mr Finucane’s. But while the British government ordered inquiries into the other deaths, it did not give the green light for one in the Finucane case.

Speaking following the judgment, Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan T.D. said: “I note this morning’s judgment in the judicial review and will be studying it closely. The Irish Government’s position remains unchanged. We continue to believe that an independent public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane, in line with the political commitments made by the British and Irish governments at Weston Park in 2001, should be honoured.”

“This is a matter which the Government has consistently raised with the British Government. I raised it most recently with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers on 19 May, and the Taoiseach discussed the case with Prime Minister Cameron when they met in London last week. My thoughts at this time are with Geraldine Finucane and all the Finucane family, who have campaigned so tirelessly for more than a quarter of a century in pursuit of the full truth in the case of Pat Finucane, including the role of collusion in his murder.”

Relatives for Jutsice

Mike Ritchie of Relatives for Justice gave the following assessment in a blog on the RFJ website:

“In an 86 page judgement, Judge Ben Stephens rejected Geraldine Finucane’s challenge to David Cameron’s refusal of a public inquiry into her husband’s murder. He chose to conclude that any government must be able to change policy and laid out the legal framework that must underpin such a change at the macro political level. He held that the change of view was properly considered and laid out the government’s decision-making process which, he said, was composed of rational grounds.

Mike Ritchie, Relatives for Justice Pic. RFJ

While Geraldine Finucane did have a legitimate expectation that the government should fulfil its promise to have an inquiry as stated at Weston Park, there was no absolute right to be consulted before a change of view, particularly in circumstances that included a change of government after a general election.

While dismissing the application, the judgment nevertheless set out in great detail the variety of investigations and reviews of documentation that had occurred in this case. It also addressed the question as to whether there remained a requirement to hold an article 2 (right to life) compliant investigation. The judge concluded that, whatever about whether previous investigations – including prosecutions – amounted to a fulfilment of the article 2 procedural requirement, the review by Desmond De Silva had uncovered and published significant new information that had not been considered by criminal investigators and/or the public prosecution authorities. In the judgment he sets out in detail the disturbing findings of collusion that were the conclusions of the De Silva review.

Judge Stephens therefore held that there is a continuing requirement on the authorities to complete an article 2 investigation into these matters and he invited submissions from the parties on how these might be concluded.

The major problem with this lies in the fact that, after the De Silva review was published, the PSNI Chief Constable asked the now defunct Historical Enquiries Team (HET) to consider the new material. With the HET out of the picture, lacking sufficient independence to carry out impartial investigations, the matter presumably falls to the Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB) of the PSNI. However, this unit has been found by the Westminster Parliament’s Human Rights Committee not to be sufficiently independent to deal with legacy matters. RfJ agrees with this view.

Furthermore, correspondence from DCC Drew Harris and ACC Will Haire to the judge has also outlined budgetary constraints which have impeded the PSNI in its examination of the De Silva material. In RfJ’s experience, lack of resources has simply become the latest excuse preventing the truth of collusion emerging into the light. Nor can the LIB be trusted to carry out an independent, thorough investigation in a manner capable of leading to the “identification and prosecution of the perpetrators” as required by Article 2.

The Finucanes’ quest for the truth continues. It’s not clear that Judge Ben Stephens proposed route ahead takes us very much further forward.”

HANNA A SHOO-IN FOR SOUTH BELFAST

26/06/2015 by borderroamer

Councillor Claire Hanna at the SDLP Assembly selection meeting in South Belfast Photo: © Michael Fisher

Councillor Claire Hanna has been selected by the SDLP to replace the party leader and Westminster MP Dr Alasdair McDonnell in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Dr McDonnell tendered his resignation as an MLA last Sunday in order to comply with the procedure. Cllr Hanna’s selection was approved by a meeting of South Belfast SDLP members last night at the Wellington Park Hotel, where she was also selected along with Fearghal McKinney MLA to run in the 2016 Assembly election.

Councillor Hanna has served on Belfast City Council since 2011 and was re-elected to serve the Balmoral area in the election for the new district councils last year. She is the daughter of Eamon and Carmel Hanna, both of whom have given great service to the SDLP over the years: Carrmel as a Councillor and MLA in South Belfast, and Eamon as general secretary.

SDLP Councillor Claire Hanna (centre) with her parents Carmel and Eamon Hanna Photo: © Michael Fisher

Claire Hanna said: “It has been a privilege to serve on Council since 2011 and I am deeply grateful to have been selected to continue representing the people of South Belfast in the Assembly. I’m committed to the challenges of defending the SDLP’s second seat in this constituency, refocusing our party and restoring public faith in local politics, which has been in decline for a number of years.”

“As I have in Council, I will be standing up for the diversity of South Belfast, for excellence in public services, a strong and sustainable local economy and for core SDLP values of partnership, reconciliation and social justice. The SDLP are now in a strong position to fight for South Belfast and Northern Ireland at Westminster, in the Assembly and at Council. Our South Belfast representatives, Alasdair as MP and Fearghal and I as MLAs, and our Councillors, Declan Boyle, John Gallen, Brian Hanvey and Kate Mullan are united in this aim.”

SDLP leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP congratulates Cllr Claire Hanna and Feaghal McKinney MLA at the Assembly selection meeting in South Belfast Photo: © Michael Fisher

Dr McDonnell said: “Representing the people of South Belfast as an MLA for 17 years has been an honour and I know that Claire will serve our constituents with the same dedication and passion that she has demonstrated so often in Council. In Claire and Fearghal we have selected the two strongest choices of any party in South Belfast. I am confident that they will be successful in retaining two seats in this constituency in 2016 and continue to provide people here with effective representation and progressive politics.”

SDLP leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell MP congratulates Cllr Claire Hanna and Feaghal McKinney MLA at the Assembly selection meeting in South Belfast Photo: © Michael Fisher

Fearghal McKinney added: “In South Belfast the SDLP’s aim is to retain two seats in the upcoming election and I am honoured that my party has selected me again to represent the people of South Belfast. It has been a privilege to serve as Health spokesperson for the party and if I am returned to the Assembly I hope to continue to spearhead the campaign to make new cancer drugs available in Northern Ireland, fight for the needs of older people and challenge the failure to implement the Transforming Your Care plan.”

Fearghal McKinney MLA with Claire Hanna of the SDLP at the Assembly selection meeting in South Belfast Photo: © Michael Fisher

“We now need to focus on the economy to cement our peace and politics and deliver real prosperity. We need to make Northern Ireland work and pay its own way”, he said.

The announcement came a day after the Ulster Unionist Party released details of who will replace Tom Elliott and Danny Kinahan in the Assembly after they were both elected as MPs in the recent General Election. Neil Somerville from Clogher will replace Mr Elliott in Fermanagh/South Tyrone while Adrian Cochrane-Watson will replace Mr Kinahan in South Antrim.

EIRGRID PLANS FOR N/S INTERCONNECTOR

19/06/2015 by borderroamer

EIRGRID PLAN FOR N/S INTERCONNECTOR WOULD AFFECT 42 TOWNLANDS IN COUNTY MONAGHAN

Michael Fisher Northern Standard Thursday 18th June p.10

(A copy of my article in this week’s newspaper. I expect that reaction will be published next week and in the coming months.)

EirGrid pylons in County Louth Photo: © Michael Fisher

The electricity supplier EirGrid has published its controversial plan for a new North/South interconnector, submitted last week to An Bord Pleanála in Dublin. A sum of €100,000 was lodged by the company with the planning Board. EirGrid and its northern counterpart System Operator for Northern Ireland want to build 401 new pylons carrying an overhead 400kV supply line across five counties including Monaghan, Cavan and Meath. 109 of the towers would be erected in Monaghan. Part of the application refers to a plan to operate a temporary yeard for the storage of construction materials at Monaltyduff and Monaltybane outside Carrickmacross near the N2 by-pass.

EirGrid pylon in County Louth Photo: © Michael Fisher

The power line from Woodland near Batterstown in County Meath to Turleenan near Dungannon in County Tyrone and passing across the border at Lemgare near Clontibret into County Armagh would be one of the biggest infrastructure developments on the island and so it was designated a Project of Common Interest by the European Commission. Such projects are deemed necessary for EU energy policy and are allocated the status of the highest national significance.

Public Consultation

There is now a ten weeks period of statutory public consultation, running until Monday August 24th. The full application documentation, including the Environmental Impact Statement and Natura Impact Statement is available online at http://www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie

Hard copies are also available at a number of venues, including the offices of Monaghan County Council and Eirgrid’s local Project Information Centre at the Workhouse, Shercock Road in Carrickmacross, which is open on Mondays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 6pm.

EirGrid pylon on farmland at Ballykelly in County Louth Photo: © Michael Fisher

Submissions

Submissions and/or observations in relation to the EirGrid application can be made only to An Bord Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, from Tuesday 16th June until Monday 24th August, accompanied by the statutory fee of €50.

EirGrid pylon in County Louth Photo: © Michael Fisher

This is an edited version of the EirGrid application form to An Bord Pleanála.

Application Form for Permission/Approval in respect of a Strategic Infrastructure Development

Please specify the statutory provision under which your application is being made:

Section 182A of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended)

Applicant:

Name of Applicant: EirGrid plc, with the consent and approval of the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) Address: EirGrid plc, The Oval, 160 Shelbourne Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.

Telephone No: + 353 (1) 2370000

Email Address (if any): northsouth@eirgrid.com

Where Applicant is a company (registered under the companies Acts:

Name(s) of company director(s):

John O’Connor, Fintan Slye, Dr. Joan Smyth, Richard Sterling, Regina Moran, Dr. Gary Healy, Liam O’Halloran, Bride Rosney, Doireann Barry

Person / Agent acting on behalf of the Applicant (if any):

Name: Leah Kenny, Operations Director

Address: RPS Planning and Environment, West Pier Business Campus, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Telephone No. + 353 (1) 4882900

Email address (if any): info@rpsgroup.com

Contact Name and Contact Details (Phone number) for arranging entry on site if required/appropriate: Aidan Geoghegan (EirGrid Project Manager): + 353 (1) 2370000

Person responsible for preparation of Drawings and Plans:

CAVAN MONAGHAN STUDY AREA (CMSA) AND TEMPORARY

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL STORAGE YARD, CO. MONAGHAN

Name: Robert Arthur, Project Leader

Firm/Company: ESBI Engineering & Facility Management Ltd.

Address: ESB International, Stephen Court, 18-21 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. Telephone No: + 353 (1) 7038000 Email Address (if any): marketing@esbi.ie

Details all plans/drawings submitted – title of drawings/plans, scale and no. of copies submitted. This can be submitted as a separate schedule with the application form.

See Drawing Register in Schedule 1 attached to this Application Form.

Site:

Site Address/Location of the Proposed Development (as may best identify the land or structure in question)

(i) A new single circuit 400 kV overhead transmission line covering a distance of approximately 100.5km across the following townlands in the counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Meath:

County Monaghan: Lemgare, Lisdrumgormly, Annaglogh, Latnakelly, Tassan, Cashel, Annagh (Cremorne Barony (By)), Carrickanure, Clarderry, Cornamucklagh North, Derryhallagh (Monaghan By), Drumroosk, Cargaghramer, Cornanure (Monaghan By), Rausker, Terrygreeghan, Cornamucklagh South, Crinkill, Clogher, Drumguillew Lower, Drumhawan, Greagh (Cremorne By), Brackly (Cremorne By), Tullynahinnera, Cooltrimegish, Boraghy, Aghmakerr, Drumillard (Cremorne By), Tooa, Tullyglass, Cornasassonagh, Corrinenty, Ummerafree, Sreenty, Ardragh, Corvally (Farney By), Raferagh, Cornalaragh, Doagh, Corlea (Electoral District Drumcarrow), Scalkill and Ballaghnagearn.

(ii) Modifications are required to three existing 110 kV overhead lines in the following locations:

 The vicinity of where the proposed 400 kV overhead transmission line intersects with the Lisdrum–Louth 110 kV transmission line, in Drumroosk, County Monaghan.

 The vicinity of where the proposed 400 kV overhead transmission line intersects with the Louth-Rathrussan 110 kV transmission line, in Corrinenty and Corbane, County Monaghan.

 The vicinity of where the proposed 400 kV overhead transmission line intersects with the Arva-Navan 110 kV transmission line, in Diméin Bhaile Ghib (Gibstown Demesne and Tailtin (Teltown), County Meath.

(v) An associated temporary construction material storage yard to be located in the townlands of Monaltyduff and Monaltybane, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan.

A full description of the proposed development is provided at Item 9, below.

Ordnance Survey Map Ref No (and the Grid Reference where applicable)

Transmission Line:

OSI Discovery Series 1:50,000:

 Monaghan: 2632, 2832, 2630, 2830, 2628, 2828.

OSI 1:10,560 (6”):

 Monaghan: 14, 15, 19, 20, 24, 27, 30, 33.

OSI 1: 2,500:

 Monaghan: 1159, 1160, 1220, 1221, 1219, 1285, 1286, 1354, 1355, 1423, 1424, 1490, 1557, 1624, 1625, 1694, 1695, 1763, 1764, 1766, 1824, 1825.

Existing 110 kV Overhead Lines Modifications:

OSI Discovery Series 1:50,000:

 Monaghan: OS2630, OS2632

OSI 1:10,560 (6”):

 Monaghan: 19, 24, 27

OSI 1: 2,500:

 Monaghan: 1219, 1220, 1286, 1285, 1625

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: (Carrickmacross)

Irish Grid Coordinates: E 286200, N 302169 ITM Coordinates E 686132, N 802180

Area of site to which the application relates in hectares:

The primary element of the proposed development is a linear transmission line.

The proposed transmission line (comprising both a new single circuit, and addition of a new circuit along the currently unused northern side of the existing Oldstreet to Woodland 400 kV transmission line) is approximately 103.35km in length.

The proposed development includes 2 No. site-specific elements:

 Woodland 400 kV Substation: 0.544ha

 Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: 1.4ha

Site zoning in current Development Plan for the area:

Transmission Line: None

Woodland 400 kV Substation: None

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: None

Existing use of the site & proposed use of the site:

Transmission Line:

Existing Use: Primarily Agriculture

Proposed Use: Agriculture and transmission infrastructure (agricultural practices can still be carried out under the line and the land on which the structures will be located will be used for transmission of electricity)

Existing 110 kV Overhead Lines Modifications:

Existing Use: Primarily Agriculture and transmission infrastructure

Proposed Use: Primarily Agriculture and transmission infrastructure

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard:

Existing Use: Agriculture

Proposed Use: Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard

Name of the Planning Authority(s) in whose functional area the site is situated:

Monaghan County Council

Legal Interest of Applicant in respect of the site the subject of the application

Please tick appropriate box to show applicant’s legal interest in the land or structure:

Owner /Occupier/ Other x

Where legal interest is “Other”, please expand further on your interest in the land or structure.

EirGrid plc is the licensed Transmission System Operator for Ireland pursuant to the provisions of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999. Pursuant to the provisions of S.I. No 445/2000, EirGrid plc has the exclusive function to operate and ensure the maintenance of and, if necessary, develop a safe,secure, reliable, economical and efficient electricity transmission system.

The Electricity Supply Board is the licensed Transmission System Owner for Ireland pursuant to Section 14 of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999.

The proposed transmission infrastructure will be constructed by the Electricity Supply Board pursuant to statutory powers.

If you are not the legal owner, please state the name and address of the owner and supply a letter from the owner of consent to make the application as listed in the accompanying documentation.

The owner of the Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard to be located in the townlands of Monaltyduff and Monaltybane, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan is Mr. Peter Kelly, Dunanny, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. A letter of consent and approval to the making of the application from Mr. Kelly is included in Schedule 2 attached to this Application Form.

Does the applicant own or have a beneficial interest in adjoining, abutting or adjacent lands. If so, identify the lands and state the interest.

EirGrid plc, the applicant for approval, does not have a beneficial interest in adjoining, abutting or adjacent lands.

Site History

Details regarding site history (if known):

Has the site in question ever, to your knowledge, been flooded?

Transmission Line: Yes: [ ✓ ] No: [ ]

Some localised flooding may have occurred in particular locations along the length of the line route.

Existing 110 kV Overhead Lines Modifications: Yes: [ ✓ ] No: [ ]

Some localised flooding may have occurred in particular locations along the length of the line route.

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: Yes: [ ] No: [ ✓ ]

While EirGrid is not aware of any flooding on this site, historical geological data indicates that a turlough may have occurred on this site. However, more recent and up-to-date information suggests the site is not a turlough.

If yes, please give details e.g. year, extent:

Are you aware of previous uses of the site e.g. dumping or quarrying?

Transmission Line: Yes: [ ] No: [✓ ]

Existing 110 kV Overhead Lines Modifications: Yes: [ ] No: [✓ ]

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: Yes: [ ✓ ] No: [ ]

If yes, please give details: It is understood that this site was previously used as a construction depot for the N2 Carrickmacross By-pass project

Are you aware of any valid planning applications previously made in respect of this land / structure?

Transmission Line: Yes: [✓ ] No: [ ]

Existing 110 kV Overhead Lines Modifications: Yes: [ ] No: [ ✓ ]

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard: Yes: [] No: [ ✓ ]

If yes, please state planning register reference number(s) of same if known and details of applications See below.

Reg. Ref. No: Nature of Proposed Development

Nature of Final Decision of Application Grant or Refusal by Planning Authority/An Bord Pleanála

Transmission Line

VA0006 (An Bord Pleanála SI Reg Ref) The Meath-Tyrone 400 kV Interconnection Development. Withdrawn

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard

N/A N/A: however, it is understood that this site was previously used as a temporary storage site during the construction of the N2 Carrickmacross By-pass and was subsequently restored to agricultural use N/A

If a valid planning application has been made in respect of this land or structure in the 6 months prior to the submission of this application, then any required site notice must be on a yellow background in accordance with Article 19(4) of the Planning and Development regulations 2001 as amended. Not Applicable

Is the site of the proposal subject to a current appeal to An Bord Pleanála in respect of a similar development? Yes: [ ] No:[ ✓ ]

Description of the Proposed Development

Brief description of nature and extent of development

The proposed North-South 400 kV Interconnection Development located in Counties Monaghan, Cavan and Meath, which will be the subject of the application for approval, is approximately 103.35km long and consists of the following principal elements:

(i) A new single circuit 400 kV overhead transmission line (covering a distance of approximately 100.5km in the counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Meath) extending in a generally southerly alignment from the jurisdictional border with Northern Ireland (between the townland of Doohat or Crossreagh, County Armagh, and the townland of Lemgare, County Monaghan) to the townland of Bogganstown (Electoral District (ED) Culmullin), County Meath. In addition the proposed transmission line crosses the jurisdictional border with Northern Ireland at two points – from the townland of Lemgare, County Monaghan into the townland of Crossbane, County Armagh and back into the townland of Lemgare, County Monaghan. This transmission line comprises 299 No. new lattice steel support structures (ranging in height from approximately 26m to 51m over ground level), with associated conductors, insulators, and other apparatus.

The proposed new transmission line extends across the following townlands of County Monaghan, County Cavan and County Meath:

County Monaghan: (see Section 6 – Site)

(ii) Modifications are required to three existing 110 kV overhead lines. The modifications comprise the insertion of additional polesets and / or replacement of existing structures with polesets of shorter height (ranging in height from approximately 11.5m to 19m over ground level) in the following locations:

 The vicinity of where the proposed 400 kV overhead transmission line intersects with the Lisdrum–Louth 110 kV transmission line, in Drumroosk, County Monaghan.

 The vicinity of where the proposed 400 kV overhead transmission line intersects with the Louth-Rathrussan 110 kV transmission line, in Corrinenty and Corbane, County Monaghan.

(v) An associated temporary construction material storage yard to be located in the townlands of Monaltyduff and Monaltybane, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, on a site of approximately 1.4ha, including associated site works, new site entrance onto the L4700 Local Road, associated 2.6m high boundary palisade fencing (with noise barrier affixed) and associated ancillary staff facilities and parking.

(vi) All associated and ancillary development including works comprising or relating to permanent and temporary construction and excavation.

NOTE: See Schedule 7 attached to this Application Form which outlines the heights of the existing and proposed towers.

11. Where the application relates to a building or buildings*:

(*Note: temporary staff accommodation is proposed for the construction compound site – precise details will be agreed with the planning authority)

Where the application refers to a material change of use of any land or structure or the retention of such a material change of use:

Existing use (or previous use where retention permission is sought)

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard – Existing use is agriculture.

Proposed use (or use it is proposed to retain)

Temporary Construction Material Yard – Proposed use is as a Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard.

Nature and extent of any such proposed use (or use it is proposed to retain).

See Description of Development Item 9

Development Details Please tick appropriate box: If answer is yes please give details YES/NO

Does the proposed development involve the demolition of a Protected Structure(s), in whole or in part? NO

Does the proposed development consist of work to a protected structure and/or its curtilage or proposed protected structure and/or its curtilage? NO

Note: The proposed development passes through the grounds of a number of protected structures that relate to associated demesne landscapes.

Does the proposed development consist of work to the exterior of a structure which is located within an architectural conservation area (ACA)? No

Does the application relate to development which affects or is close to a monument or place recorded under section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994. Yes

The line route passes near a number of monuments or places recorded under section 12 of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act, 1994. (See Chapter 14, Volumes 3C and 3D of the EIS)

Does the application relate to work within or close to a European Site or a Natural Heritage Area? Yes

The proposed electricity transmission line will oversail two European sites (the River Boyne and Blackwater cSAC, and River Boyne and Blackwater SPA) in two locations; no towers are proposed to be constructed within these designated areas. The closest tower (Tower 355) is at a distance of 6m from the River Boyne and Blackwater cSAC boundary.

Does the development require the preparation of a Natura Impact Statement? Yes. Enclosed. (See Volume 5 of the application documentation)

Does the proposed development require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement? Yes. Enclosed. (See Volume 3 of the application documentation)

Do you consider that the proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment in a transboundary state? Yes

The proposed development is likely to have significant effects on the environment of an area of a Member State of the European Union (i.e. Northern Ireland).

16. Services

Proposed Source of Water

Temporary Material Storage Yard:

Other (please specify): If potable / drinking water is required, it will be brought to the site in tanks.

Proposed Wastewater Management / Treatment:

Temporary Material Storage Yard:

Other on site treatment system: [ ✓ ] Please Specify: Portaloos

Proposed Surface Water Disposal:

Temporary Material Storage Yard:

Public Sewer / Drain:[ ] Soakpit:[ ] Watercourse: [ ] Other: [ ✓ ] Please specify:

Settlement pond & grass swale

Notices

Details of public newspaper notice – paper(s) and date of publication

The public notice was published in the following newspapers:

Irish Times published Tuesday 2nd June 2015 (Notice in English)

Irish Independent published Tuesday 2nd June 2015 (Notice in English)

An Seachtain insert of the Irish Independent published Wednesday 3rd June 2015 (Notice in Irish)

Meath Chronicle published on Wednesday 3rd June 2015 but dated Saturday 6th June 2015 (Notice in English)

The Northern Standard published and dated Thursday 4th June 2015 (Notice in English)

The Anglo Celt published on Wednesday 3rd June 2015 but dated Thursday 4th June (Notice in English)

Copy of page(s) of relevant newspaper enclosed Yes: [✓ ] No:[ ]

Refer to Schedule 3 attached to this Application Form.

Details of site notice, if any, – location and date of erection

The approximate locations of the site notices are as follows:

County Monaghan (near the jurisdictional border with Northern Ireland, in the townland of Lemgare, County Monaghan): Irish Grid Coordinates: E 279779, N 328349 ITM Coordinates: E 679704, N 828355

Temporary Construction Material Storage Yard (at the junction of the L4700 Local Road and the link road to the N2 in the townland of Monaltyduff, Carrickmacross, County Monaghan): Irish Grid Coordinates: E 286083, N 302232

ITM Coordinates E 686015, N 802243

Details of other forms of public notification, if appropriate e.g. website The application may be viewed on the following website: http://www.eirgridnorthsouthinterconnector.ie.

Other forms of public notification include: mass mailing to project stakeholders, including landowners, which includes the PCI Public Information Leaflet and a Community Update Brochure; and local print and radio activity to promote the opening hours of the Project Information Centres.

Pre-application Consultation:

Date(s) of statutory pre-application consultations with An Bord Pleanála

2nd December 2010

31st July 2013

15th October 2013

18th December 2013

23rd December 2013

Schedule of any other pre application consultations –name of person/body and date of consultation to be provided as appropriate and also details of any general public consultations i.e. methods, dates, venues etc. This can be submitted as a separate schedule with the application form.

Enclosed: See Schedule 5 attached to this Application Form.

Also see Volume 2B of the application documentation (Public and Landowner Consultation Report) and Chapter 3 of Volume 3B the EIS.

Yes: [✓] No:[ ]

Schedule of prescribed bodies to whom notification of the making of the application has been sent and a sample copy of such notification.

Enclosed: See Schedule 6 attached to this Application Form which identifies the Prescribed Authorities notified of the making of the application and copies of the letters notifying them of the making of the application.

Yes: [✓ ] No:[ ]

Application Fee.

Fee Payable €100,000

I hereby declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the information given in this form is correct and accurate and that the application documents being deposited at the planning authority offices, and any other location specified by the Board in pre application consultations, including a website (if any) will be identical to the application documents being deposited with the Board.

Signed: Aidan Geoghegan, EirGrid Project Manager Date: 9th June 2015

SOLIDARITY WITH DUNNES WORKERS

07/06/2015 by borderroamer

Dunnes Stores worker Muireann Dalton who addressed the rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

“I WANT TO WORK”

“We are not numbers. We are people. We are people who want to earn a decent wage, a living wage. We want to pay our bills. We want to send our children to school. I want to pay for my son to go to college. I want to pay my taxes. I want to work . I want forty hours per week. I want a wage.”

Belfast Trades' Union Council banner being carried past government buildings Photo: © Michael Fisher

A passionate speech by Dunnes Stores worker Muireann Dalton at the rally yesterday in Dublin. Workers at Dunnes belonging to the union Mandate promised to continue their campaign for better conditions of employment and called on the government to introduce planned new legislation on collective bargaining rights without delay. Around 3,000 people took part in a march from Merrion Square backed by the Irish Congress of Trades Unions, followed by a rally outside the head office of the retailer at Aungier Street in Dublin city centre yesterday in support of the workers’ campaign.

Independent Socialist TD Clare Daly admires the Belfast & District TUC banner Photo: © Michael Fisher

Staff belonging to Mandate from more than 100 Dunnes Stores outlets around the Republic staged a one-day strike in April as part of campaign which seeks secure hours and incomes, job security, fair pay and the right to union representation. Dunnes Stores has said it does not engage with trade unions. In February it accused Mandate of engineering a row on issues that did not exist to pursue an agenda of securing union representation rights.

SIPTU General Secretary Jack O'Connor at the Dunnes Stores rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

Last month Dunnes Stores granted staff a 3 per cent pay rise. The company has also said that staff have received two other salary increases in recent years. Mandate said at the time that the retailer would also need to put in place secure, banded hour contracts for staff if the pay rise move was to be “meaningful”.

Larry Broderick (centre) led the IBOA presence at the march and rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

Addressing the rally, Dunnes Stores worker Muireann Dalton said staff had been “punished” for taking part in the recent strike. She said people who had held posts for 20 or 30 years suddenly had been moved to other areas. She said workers had faced a backlash after the work stoppage and had to hold a march to show Dunnes Stores management that they were not backing down. Ms Dalton urged politicians to pass the planned collective bargaining legislation.

ICTU General Secretary Patricia King addressing the rally in support of Dunnes Stores workers Photo: © Michael Fisher

ICTU general secretary Patricia King strongly criticised directors of Dunnes Stores and argued that by any moral measurement, they had descended to a shameful low. “No human being deserves to be treated in the maner in which you instruct on a regular basis.” She said Dunnes Stores used its power to own and control the lives of its workers. “If those workers do not comply with those demands, they threaten disciplinary action or re-assignment and they deny those workers trade union representation”.

UNITE Regional Secretary Jimmy Kelly applauds one of the speakers at the rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

She said they needed to make sure that every TD goes into Leinster House and ensures that the government publishes a bill on collective bargaining and registered employment agreements and that the legislation is enacted and not obstructed.

Mandate General Secretary and ICTU President John Douglas at the Dunnes Stores march and rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

Mandate said that thousands of workers in Dunnes Stores did not know what hours they would have on a week-to-week basis and consequently their income could fluctuate from approximately €144 per week to €400 per week. Mandate say workers need certainty of earnings.

Dunnes Stores workers protesting over low hours contracts Photo: © Michael Fisher

Gerry Light, Mandate assistant general secretary said: “It is totally unacceptable that a local manager in Dunnes Stores can pick and choose which individual members of staff will be able to provide for their families at the end of a week. There are many Dunnes workers who have been with the company for up to 10 years doing 35 hours per week, only to have their hours slashed overnight and the company then hires new staff on lower wages. This is a complete abuse of power and it must be stopped.”

Crowd at the rally supporting Dunnes Stores workers Photo: © Michael Fisher

Mr Light (as reported in The Irish Times) said that Dunnes Stores generated up to €350 million in profit annually and the owners had accumulated an estimated €1.78 billion in wealth. “This is not about the inability of Dunnes to treat their workers fairly, it’s about their unwillingness to do so. Today, Dunnes workers, members of the wider trade union movement and the public will send a strong message to Dunnes Stores and all other unscrupulous employers. We want decent work and a living wage for all.”

ICTU Assistant General Secretary (NI) Peter Bunting and (behind) Sligo Cllr Declan Bree with IMPACT group Photo: © Michael Fisher

Dunnes Stores has not commented publicly on its dispute with Mandate. The retailer employs almost 10,000 workers in 114 stores in the Republic.

Joe Higgins TD at the Dunnes Stores rally Photo: © Michael Fisher

The Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins was one of a number of public representatives at the march. According to the party, new legislation that could enforce agreements on Dunnes could be an assistance, but won’t resolve the problems. A party statement said anything imposed was likely to be minimal, because of what it claimed was the anti-worker bias in state institutions and would be resisted by Dunnes. It claimed the company would respond by making the workplace like a dictatorship. “They need to be pushed back”, the statement added.

Joe Costello TD with Michael Fisher at the Dunnes Stores rally in Dublin on Saturday

END OF THE LINE FOR BOSE

06/06/2015 by borderroamer

Former Bose Plant, Carrickmacross Photo: © Michael Fisher

NO SOUND AT BOSE AS PLANT FINALLY SHUTS DOWN

Michael Fisher Northern Standard Thursday June 4th Carrickmacross News p.35

They came in small groups to collect their redundancy payments. Over the course of several hours last Friday, 140 workers left the Bose plant in Carrickmacross, having clocked out on Thursday for the last time. The car park gates are locked and over the next week, preparations will be made by a Dublin company to auction the plant and machinery inside the building. Viewing begins next Thursday and the public auction will be on Friday 12th June, the final chapter in a 37-year history of production at the site.

Gates Locked at Former Bose Plant, Carrickmacross Photo: © Michael Fisher

As they left the plant, the workers again pointed out that this had been a profitable operation for Bose, manufacturing high quality sound systems, and their Irish base in Europe had never been affected by industrial disputes. They said they had always shown their loyalty to the company and had generally been treated well by their employer, until the founder of the company Dr Amar Bose had died two years ago.

Empty Car Park at Former Bose Plant, Carrickmacross Photo: © Michael Fisher

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Heather Humphreys T.D. said she had been in contact with Jobs Minister Richard Bruton on a regular basis, most recently this week regarding the search for an alternative investor for the Bose facility. She said she had been informed that the Industrial Development Authority (responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to Ireland) was continuing to seek an alternative use for the Bose building and was highlighting the strengths of the border region as a location for inward investment.

Minister Humphreys told the Northern Standard: “As the existing factory is not owned by Bose, the IDA is in discussions with the relevant parties on how the facility could be made available for a new investor. In response to the Bose announcement Minister Bruton established an interagency group to co-ordinate the response from the state in terms of awareness of entitlements and opportunities for the affected staff of the company and to pursue a replacement investor. This group is chaired by Enterprise Ireland and includes representatives from IDA Ireland, the Local Enterprise Office, the Education and Training Boards from Cavan/Monaghan and Louth/Meath, and the Department of Social Protection. I have been assured that the Department of Social Protection has been very active in terms of meeting the staff in relation to that Department’s services, and the Educational Training Board are pursuing relevant courses and training.”

Minister Humphreys said the Bose announcement in January had been a huge blow to the area, and a terrible shock for staff. Her focus now was on helping to secure an alternative investor for the facility if possible. This process could take some time, but she remained hopeful that Carrickmacross could attract another employer into the town. She added: “As well as continuing to seek a new investor for the facility, it is important that all possible training and up-skilling opportunities are made available to the Bose workers. Job opportunities in Cavan and Monaghan have improved considerably in the last year or so; the number of people on the Live Register across the two counties has dropped by an average of 25% and in total 14,300 additional people are back at work in the border area since the launch of the Action Plan for Jobs in 2012. I will continue to work with Minister Bruton to seek alternative employment options for all workers affected by the Bose closure.”

As the BOSE plant closed its doors for the last time on Friday, Carrickmacross-based Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy said the closure of the plant was devastating for the local economy and community who had been let down by the government. The MEP said:

“Today is a sad day for the staff, their families and the wider community of Carrickmacross as we witness the closure of long- standing employer BOSE and the loss of 140 full time jobs in the area. I wish to extend my solidarity, and that of my party colleagues, to the workers and their families on what I am sure must be a difficult day for them personally.”

“I believe that the closure today is indicative of the lack of an effective regional jobs plan by this government.  Since the closure announcement in January I have been in correspondence with Minister Richard Bruton and with the IDA. I held a meeting with IDA Chief Executive Martin Shanahan in his office where I urged that all possible opportunities to identify an alternative employer for the BOSE site to explored. I regret to say that I do not believe that the government or its agencies have done enough to ensure that either the plant remained open or that alternative employment could be secured for the premises.”

Matt Carthy said people in Carrickmacross and South Monaghan felt very let down by the government agencies who had not delivered for the area and he was hugely disappointed on their behalf. He concluded:

“We must redouble our efforts to minimise the impact of this closure on our community and local economy and I am calling on local government representatives to put pressure on their colleagues to ensure that Carrickmacross is not left behind. I have again written to Minister Richard Bruton requesting real action on this front and I will continue to work with my party colleagues, including Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD, on this matter.”

Monaghan County Councillor Colm Carthy is a former Bose employee. The Sinn Féin representative said the closure of the Bose plant was the end of an era. Not only was it a huge blow for the town, it was a huge blow to the whole of South Monaghan and beyond. Councillor Carthy told the Northern Standard:

“The staff of this facility are a family and they are devastated to have lost their jobs. We need to push now for a replacement company to come in to the facility as soon as possible. We have already seen the lack of respect local councillors have been shown by central government in their dealings with all the relevant bodies who are working on getting replacement jobs into the area. This cannot be allowed to continue. We, as a council, will continue to push the government to do all in their power, not only to utilise the facility that is already in place but, more importantly, to utilise the talented workforce that has been left behind.”

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Category Archives: POLITICS

CEREMONY AT ISLANDBRIDGE

GAA SAYS SAFETY RECORD IS EXEMPLARY

NAMA LAND REVISITED

INTERCONNECTOR OBJECTIONS

ANNALITTEN SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS

PAT FINUCANE MURDER INVESTIGATION

HANNA A SHOO-IN FOR SOUTH BELFAST

EIRGRID PLANS FOR N/S INTERCONNECTOR

SOLIDARITY WITH DUNNES WORKERS

END OF THE LINE FOR BOSE