‘Fight for our village’
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Supporting the ‘Move the Mast’ campaign at St Michael’s NS, Cloughjordan, on Friday, where Principal Vivian Dooley and Parents Association Joint Chairperson Kelli Cleary addressed the gathering. PhotoS: Bridget DelaneyImage 2 of 4
Public representatives supporting Cloughjordan Move the Mast Action Group’s campaign at the rally outside St Michael’s NS on Friday (from left): Cllr Louise Morgan Walsh, Deputy Ryan O’Meara, Kelli Cleary (St Michael’s NS Parents Association Joint Chairperson), Deputy Alan Kelly, Cllr Michael O’Meara and Vivian Dooley (Principal, St Michael’s NS).Image 3 of 4
RIGHT: Raya Flannery and Ellie Hogan with their artwork supporting the campaign against the mast in Cloughjordan.Image 4 of 4
Róisín Costello is a retired GP residing in Cloughjordan. She is with one of her 17 grandchildren, Róisín Croker, at the rally supporting the Cloughjordan Move the Mast Action Group campaign outside St Michael’s NS in the village on Friday.A large crowd attended a protest in Cloughjordan last Friday against the planned installation of a telecommunications mast beside St Michael's NS.
An Bord Pleanála earlier this year ruled in favour of a planning application from Eircom Ltd (t/a Eir) to provide a 15m monopole at the existing Eir exchange compound in the village. This was despite objections made by local residents and the school's board of management.
A campaign group - Cloughjordan Move the Mast Action Group - has now formed with the goal of seeking a judicial review of the matter.
“We know better,” action group spokesperson Kelli Cleary told those gathered in Cloughjordan on Friday. “We know Cloughjordan is vibrant and dynamic – a wonderful place to live that is deeply special to those who know it.
“We’re here today because our kids thrive in these schools, because we have built our lives in these homes, or because we want to protect Cloughjordan’s environment, character, and heritage.
“None of that matters to Eir or TowerComm. An Bord Pleanála has failed to protect Cloughjordan and all that we hold dear. It’s now up to us to fight for our village," Ms Cleary said.
“This rally marks the official launch of our fight, led by the Cloughjordan Move the Mast Action Group. It won’t be a quick fight, it won’t be an easy fight, and it won’t be free. We will need funds to pay for our judicial review, and it will take two or three years of events and organisation to stand firm against the proposed mast.
“But most importantly, we need the support of the Cloughjordan people. And looking around here today at the incredible turnout, I’m touched and inspired to see that we’ve got it.”
‘MACDONAGH WOULD BE PROUD’
“Thomas McDonagh would be proud,” Ms Cleary said of the local mobilisation against the mast. “He believed ordinary people could shape the future of their country, and today in Cloughjordan we honour his memory not just with a museum and a statue, but with action.
“Eir and TowerComm want to build a 15-metre phone mast right here that will tower over our homes, our schools and our village. They don’t care about our health and heritage, and they’re convinced that we’ll let them do whatever they want in this village.
“But Cloughjordan has only one thing to say about that – Move the Mast! Move the Mast! Move the Mast!”