Probes begin as turfcutters’ protest ends after 18 hours

A row which threatened to drag on for weeks was resolved yesterday when talks between high-ranking officials from the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the gardaí, and turfcutters resulted in the end of an 18-hour protest at Clonmoylan bog in Co Galway.

More than 200 local turfcutters had braved the weather and maintained their overnight stand-off after being stopped from cutting turf on the protected bogs in the south of Galway near Portumna.

Protests at the bog started when the NPWS seized turf-cutting machinery on Wednesday afternoon, which triggered the arrival of protesters from all over the West of Ireland and from as far off as Kerry.

Jimmy McClearn, the former mayor of Co Galway, formed part of the delegation whose discussions ended the protest.

He called on Jimmy Deenihan, the heritage minister, to liaise with the European Commission to sort the problem once and for all.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that two investigations were now under way following the protests. Some machinery belonging to the turfcutters had been damaged after it was seized by the NPWS.

A track machine that was seized from the turfcutters on Wednesday caught fire in the early hours of yesterday morning.

According to Mr McClearn, attempts were made to hot-wire the track machine, which is owned by Michael Darcy, while it was in the possession of the NPWS.

“There was no way that any of the protesters would have been near the equipment at the time,” said Mr McClearn.

Mr Darcy collapsed during the furore and was taken to hospital where he was kept under observation.

However, according to gardaí, their initial investigations found there had been no evidence of hot-wiring of the vehicle.

Following the discussions between Mr McClearn, local Sinn Féin councillor Dermot Connolly, and turfcutter representatives Dermot Moran and Francis Donohue, the seized machine was returned to its owner after gardaí had examined the equipment.

Investigations into the damage to the track machine and a separate probe into illegal turfcutting in the area are continuing.

Speaking in Dublin about the protests, Taoiseach Enda Kenny, said that “the land of the land will be observed” and that a compensation and relocation package was available to turfcutters.

Q&A

Q. So what’s the deal with these 53 raised bogs? Why have they been singled out?

A. There are two types of bogland — raised and blanket. Raised bogs have a higher peat depth than blanket bogs and were formed in the hollows left by glaciers. Because they contain more peat, they are considered more ecologically valuable. Irish scientists decided these 53 raised bogs had the best functioning ecosystems and would respond the best to regeneration efforts.

Q. Why are bogs so important from an environmental perspective?

A. Peatlands are unique ecosystems made up of 95% water. They support a range of plants, including the peat-forming sphagnum moss, and animals that do not exist in other habitats. Their ability to shore up water, or act like a sponge, is hugely important as they absorb excess water from nearby rivers. They are also important carbon sinks.

Q. When did the Government first act to preserve them?

A. The EU Habitats Directive was adopted by the Government nearly 20 years ago. But it was 1998 before then minister for arts, heritage, gaeltacht and the islands, Síle de Valera, announced she was seeking to phase out turfcutting on blanket bogs with special areas of conservation (SAC) status. At the time, she also said a ban on turfcutting should apply immediately at raised bog SACs. However, following a period of consultation, she announced a 10-year derogation for domestic cutting in raised bogs and an indefinite derogation for cutting in blanket bog SACs.

Q. And the commission went along with that?

A. The commission commenced proceedings against the Government in January last year after conservation regulations announced in May 2010 and almost 19 years after the Habitats Directive was first adopted by Ireland. In June it then went a step further, issuing a “reasoned opinion” to the Government. It gave Ireland a month to get the directive implemented.

Q. So eventually the politicians got down to negotiating with the turfcutters?

A. A forum was set up earlier this year where turfcutters and environmental groups laid out their stalls. Following the publication of chairman Mr Justice Quirke’s 166-page report, the Cabinet decided landowners would receive €1,500-a-year compensation for 15 years and a once-off sign-up payment of €500 this year. Cutters also have the option of receiving a delivery of 15 tonnes of turf.

Q. But it doesn’t seem to have made any difference?

A. Friends of the Irish Environment completed an aerial survey in May this year and found that 17 of the 22 bogs it flew over had been cut this year. This is equivalent to 32% of the 53 bogs that have special conservation status and 77% of the sites surveyed. It described this illegal cutting as “nothing short of heritage vandalism”.