Teresa Treacy released - No winners in this saga

THERE are no winners in the dispute between Offaly farmer Teresa Treacy and the ESB and Eirgrid.

Ms Treacy was released yesterday after spending 22 days in jail. She was imprisoned because she refused to comply with high court orders which decreed that she allow the ESB and Eirgrid onto her land to cut down trees and erect an overhead power line.

Because of our way of doing things she was left alone to face one of the most powerful corporate entities in the country. Recent changes in legislation mean that such projects will be subject to more rigorous oversight in the future. This is as it should be.

Any country that hopes to remain solvent must continually redesign its infrastructure but that cannot be regarded as a carte blanche for developers, local authorities or any other corporation to dismiss any individual’s legitimate concerns.