The human stories around the Racefield quarry proposal
As they wait for progress on their Judicial Review of the An Bord Pleanala decision on the Kilsaran Racefield quarry project, members of Ballyshannon Action Group are running a very personal Facebook campaign to highlight the issue, writes Brian Byrne. It involves local residents telling their own stories about their life in the area, and what disruption will come to that if Kilsaran get to open their new quarry.
Anna Sage (above) notes that her 18th century home has no foundations and will be one of those along the road at risk structurally from a minimum of 72 trucks passing just feet from her front door. "Kilsaran seems to think they can rule the roost," she says. "They are taking no notice of us. It is very sad to think that an entire community and the planning regulations in place to protect us, can be ignored like this.”
Doctor and environmentalist Liz Cullen says the quarry will 'industrialise this peaceful and tranquil area'.
Professor Michael Rigby says the quarry decision is not just about environmental protection, but about democracy and future Ireland. "Prime farmland and livelihoods, residents’ wellbeing, and a school environment, will be compromised," he says in his story. "The sole financial beneficiaries are a privately owned company with known landholdings for extensive expansion plans in the locality. Is this how the future of rural Ireland is to be decided? The damage can never be undone."
Joan Dowling has always loved the countryside and nature around her, with birdsong and wildlife which 'will be decimated' once the quarry goes in. "It’s not just the Racefield site too, it’s the ripple effect throughout the lands and hedgerows around it.”
For James Dillon and his family, who has lived beside Racefield all his life, the 'noise and disruption it will bring will be terrible'. "We can’t believe it, it’s like a death to us, but we are a very resilient community. We will fight it.”
Pat and Claire Durkin are second generation dairy farmers just 150 metres from the proposed Kilsaran quarry, and are clear that dairy farming and quarrying on a mass scale don't fit together. "Excess dust on grass and feed will inevitably end up in the milk we produce."
Catherine Allen and her daughter Olivia note that nearly everyone in the area goes out walking or cycling on the local roads. “The safety of residents is my number one concern when it comes to this quarry. Nobody will be able to walk or cycle along this road when the lorries arrive, it is so narrow. It will be very sad.”
Walking in the area is also a regular thing for Niamh Calderwood and Maggie Swan, who have been doing so for the past 15 years, almost daily. "We were horrified to learn of the decision of An Bord Pleanala to allow this quarry to proceed, which will make walking here treacherous. We should be entitled to continue with our daily exercise, to meet our neighbours and enjoy the environment in which we live without having to contend with a minimum of 72 Kilsaran trucks every day."
The campaign is also featuring the archaeological, historical, and cultural heritage of the area, in order to highlight the level of damage the quarry would cause.
A GoFundMe fundraising initiative to fight the project has so far raised €22,380.
READ: 'Hunger strike outside Leinster House' threat over Ballyshannon
Photos: Ballyshannon Action Group.
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