Pylon protestors support EirGrid race

You could call it cheeky, you could call it opportunistic – EirGrid’s sponsorship of the Dunboyne Four-Mile Road Race on Sunday and the support they have provided for the GAA through the provincial and All-Ireland u-21 football championships.

Equally, you could call it cheeky, you could call it opportunistic - the action by a number of enthusiastic runners who made it to the start for the EirGrid Dunboyne Road Race on Sunday.

They paid the entry fee and, according to informed sources, whipped off their tops prior to the start to display a protest message against the pylons that are proposed at various locations throughout the county and further afield.

“This was not done under any club banner or under any group, it was just an idea we had,” protestor Yvonne English told the Meath Chronicle.

“We are a group of residents on the proposed route of the North-South Interconnector and we decided to run in the EirGrid Four-Mile Road Race in Dunboyne whilst wearing our No Pylon t-shirts.

“This was to both protest about the matter and also to raise awareness.
“Our group included Maisy Farrelly, Robert Mathews, Padraic Dolan, Mandy Maree and Karen McGarry who will all feel the impact of the proposed pylons.

“Our big star on the day was the legendary Colm Rennicks who also took part.

“Colm came out of retirement especially to run in this race and he finished third in his category, he won this race twice almost 40 years ago,” she added.

What impact the protest will have is something that could be debated at length, maybe it will be similar to the impact of the proposed pylons as described by an EirGrid consultant at the Bord Pleanála oral hearings.

The consultant suggested that the pylons “will not have a significant impact” in relation to proposed power lines near Batterstown that “won’t be significantly visible” from Tara.

It’s all starting to take on the shape of a 'circus performance’ with the withdrawal of the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) group from the hearings in protest at what the organisation described as “EirGrid’s antics of making it up as they go along.”

Interestingly, Meath GAA Co Board had a discussion about the pylons at a recent meeting with the matter included in the minutes at Monday night’s April gathering at Dunganny.

Wolfe Tones delegate Philip O’Brien received support for his proposal that the Meath Co Board should write to the director general of the GAA outlining opposition to EirGrid’s sponsorship of the provincial and All-Ireland u-21 football championships.

Again, the question of 'impact’ comes into the equation?

However, in what could only be described as an unusual coincidence, the EirGrid Leinster u-21 FC final was played at Navan’s Páirc Táilteann on Saturday - a venue where floodlighting pylons are currently lying flat on the ground behind the terracing after they were dismantled due to health and safety issues.

The football on Saturday was between Dublin and Kildare with the game going to extra-time. Dublin won the final and were crowned EirGrid Leinster u-21 FC champions. Maybe it was fortunate that Meath lost to Dublin in the semi-final, a game that was played in Parnell Park because there were no floodlights in Navan due to problems with the pylons! Well, maybe that’s stretching it a little!

Maybe it would have provided a better opportunity to continue with the protests by those opposed to the pylons if Meath had won the EirGrid Leinster title!

They would then have been in a position to play in the EirGrid All-Ireland series and maybe one of the players could have been recruited to take off his jersey after scoring a point as part of the celebrations - a No Plyons t-shirt underneath would be instantly visible.

But, like the pylons, the impact would be significant, would it?