Windfarm plans slammed at Carlanstown meeting

Angry calls for Fine Gael to be “obliterated in Meath” if it allowed windfarm proposals to go through in the county were made as hundreds of anti-turbine campaigners packed into a local GAA hall for what was a highly-charged meeting last night.

Crowds arriving at St Michael’s GFC in Carlanstown for a meeting organised by the North Meath Windfarm Information Group were so large that many had to stand outside in the club grounds.

MEP Marian Harkin, TD Peadar Toibin and Senator Thomas Byrne expressed strong support for the campaign. FG TD Helen McEntee was put under fierce pressure from speakers to get Taoiseach Enda Kenny to stop proposed wind energy projects for Meath.

She said she would do anything she could to support the local communities campaigning against the plan but rejected calls for government TDs to resign their seats over the issue.

There were tense scenes as one speaker, a landowner, claimed there was “harassment and intimidation” of people who expressed support for turbines but the claims were denied by committee members.

One speaker who put the Element Power company view to the meeting was challenged by a woman who said she did not want her autistic child to suffer. One speaker claiming to be from North-East Pylon Pressure Group said that landowners who accepted turbines should be “named, shamed, shunned and boycotted”.

The GAA came in for strong criticisms from many speakers after disclosures in the Meath Chronicle that it was considering accepting €375,000 from Element Power.

A pledge by the campaign committee to try to block the wind turbines proposals before the planning stage was given overwhelming support at the meeting.

* NEPPC wishes to point out that the speaker quoted at the meeting does not represent the views of the organisation.