Eirgrid: Poles apart in power game

Every morning, soon after 6am, they gather in the caravan, writes Michael Clifford. They have a rota, sorting out who can come on which mornings. As the dawn breaks across the Midlands, the light goes on in the caravan, the kettle is boiled, news of the day is exchanged.

Every morning, soon after 6am, they gather in the caravan. They have a rota, sorting out who can come on which mornings. As the dawn breaks across the Midlands, the light goes on in the caravan, the kettle is boiled, news of the day is exchanged.

And then they wait to see whether or not there will be an attempt to breach their blockade. Since last June, local people have been blockading the construction of a new electricity substation on a 20-acre site in Ratheniska, Co Laois, about 10km outside Portlaoise. It’s part of a dispute over the siting of the substation that has been going on for 10 years.