Protest against proposed new tailings pond facility held at Boliden consultation evening
ANN CASEY
A protest took place on the second of two Boliden Tara Mines consultation evenings held in Gibbstown and ahead of a planning application for a new tailings facility which the company says it will lodge before the end of the year.
The information evenings, took place in Halla Bhaile Ghib (Gibbstown Community Centre) on Tuesday 13th and Thursday 15th October and attracted approximately 100 residents.
A small group of protestors gathered outside the hall where Boliden Tara Mines staff were on hand to explain to visitors, the proposals around a new tailings facility that would be required to serve the new Tara Deep ore body.
The meetings came as residents of the area ramp up their campaign opposing any extension to the tailings dam and concerns about safety at the existing pond.
Boliden has indicated the planning application forms part of Tara’s preparation for bringing the Tara Deep prospect into production - which has the potential to extend the life of the mine for decades.
Speaking outside Halla Bhaile Ghib, Randalstown man Benny Sheridan and member of the Save the Environment of Navan Townlands committee said the concerns of the local community have grown over the five decade life span of the mine and "more noticeably in the last 15, 20 years in terms of the volumes going into the talings dam.
"In recent times then there's been more land acquired, and it's (proposed new tailings pond) shaping up to be as big again the other side of the greenway. Boliden commissioned a dam safety review in 2022, and it's only in recent years that we've gotten an understanding of what we're actually living beside. We've had two or three experts over, and in consulting and talking to people that we've educated ourselves a little bit more, about what we're living beside.
"And based on the dam safety review, and other similar situations overseas, the residents that live within the footprint of the tailings pond have very serious concerns. And our position is now, what we're looking for is to stop putting tailings into that facility, close it up. Because we believe it's a health hazard, for us and for future generations, it's a major thing."
Ann Brady from Simonstown doesn't believe the two information evening and publicity drive from Boliden have done anything to allay the local community's concerns and felt the events were "very much a PR exercise".
"The serious questions we have, are not being addressed fully. We're against it and we do not want to see a second tailings facility in our vicinity.
"We have concerns about the management of it going forward. At the end of the mine's lifetime, who will be left, our children, in years to come, to what will be left in our area."
Ann pushes back on suggestions that without the exploration of Tara Deep, the future of the mine, and survival of a big employer in the Navan area, could be jeopardised. "What is it bringing back to the economy exactly? None of us know. Nobody can tell us that exactly.
"And yes, we understand it's a big employer. But there has to be other ways to address the toxic waste that's coming from it. That's our biggest concerns. That's what we are here to address. And that's what our concerns are about."
The Save the Environment of Navan Townlands (SENT) held a meeting earlier this month as which they outlined their concerns about the tailings pond.
At that meeting Dr Steven Emerman a geophysicist who specialises in groundwater and mining consulting claimed that there were reasons for concerns regarding the Tara Mines Tailings Pond at Randalstown.
The meeting was held just months after it emerged that a breach and spill from a Tara Mines tailings pond pipeline last November resulted in an estimated 250 to 300 tonnes of mine waste being released into the surrounding ground.
According to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, the incident saw over 397,000 litres of mine waste or the equivalent of 25 tankers released within the mine site - following a pipeline failure on 12th November 2025.
The waste was being piped to the tailings pond when the spill occurred. An alarm activated and an Emergency Response procedure was initiated. An immediate plant shutdown commenced and the EPA were notified.
Boliden says the Tara Deep prospect has the potential to extend the life of Tara Mines, bringing strong employment and economic benefits to new generations of the community, as the existing operation has done for the past 50 years.
In a statement to Meath Chronicle, a Boliden Tara Mines said:
"We’d like to thank everybody who attended the community information and consultation evenings in Halla Bhaile Ghib. We know that our proposal for a new tailings facility is of interest to the community, particularly those who live in the surrounding areas. That’s why we believe it is important to hold these evenings, in order to share information with the community, listen to their feedback and concerns, and give them the opportunity to engage and ask questions. Approximately 100 residents attended across the two evenings.
"Protecting the safety of our community, our neighbours and our employees is core to our values. We do not and would not compromise on this. It is central to our ambition to be part of the community for decades to come, bringing employment and economic benefits to new generations.
Members of the community have submitted their views to us via the feedback forms that were in circulation at the meetings. The next step is that we will consider and reflect on this feedback as we prepare for the future, including the application for a new tailings facility. We remain committed to open and transparent communication with the community throughout the process. A booklet containing the material that was presented at the meetings will be circulated to the community over the coming days."