Hundreds gather in Galway in support of Four Turf-Cutters

Hundreds of people gathered earlier today in support of four men appearing in the Circuit Court. Pat, Michael, Padraic and Anthony are back in court on 2nd July. After the court appearance over 200 people marched to the statue of Irish patriot Liam Mellows in Eyre Square. Mellows, who organised at local level during Easter week 1916 was executed by the Free State forces in 1922.

At the statue of Liam Mellows, Dermot Moran, spokesman of the Bog Action Group addressed the large crowd.  The message is continue to cut your turf and stand up for your right to cut turf.

After gathering at the statue of Liam Mellows, the large crowd marched back to the courthouse. There was excellent support from people on the streets, and cars passing beeped the horn in support.

With the State keen to drag this out, today in Galway demonstrated yet again, the turf-cutters are not going to roll over and will fight. They are an example to all. Some people cave in to repression. These four men and the turf-cutting community have backbone. Long may it continue.

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State Harassment Of Turf-Cutters Continues

Two men from Kerry are to appear in court on 9th May.  Later in the month (28th May) four men are to appear in court in Galway. Aerial monitoring continues and the Department vows to continue using aircraft to fly over homes in rural Ireland. Also resources must be questioned as up to 50 Gardai were present in Loughrea in Co. Galway when the four men appeared in court. This comes at a time when elderly people are being beaten and robbed in their own homes in rural Ireland.

Our message to the turf-cutters is to continue using your constitutional right to cut turf on your own land. A weekly picket takes place outside the constituency office of Jimmy Deenihan in Listowel. 

Thought and Action is encouraging people to show support for the men both in Kerry on the 9th May and in Galway on the 28th May. Regarding the ‘rangers’, they are trespassing if found on private property. Don’t let them enter your property. Keep calm, keep a level head but above all cut your turf and tell the EU to sod off.

 

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Spy Planes in Galway!

Barroughter & Clonmoylan Bogs Action Group

“This type of Cessna plane is used by the NPWS every day of the week to spy on our people as they go about their work. We have recorded this plane flying NINE times a day over our bogs and private homes.

To fly this plane, with a crew and 2 NPWS on board costs €1,200 per hour. It flies 12 hours a day over our people at a daily cost of €14,400. This is a weekly cost of €100,800.”

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NPWS ‘Rangers’ and the Black and Tans!

Two photographs of scenes from the 2006 film, The Wind That Shakes the Barley. A modern day type of Black and Tan is trying to intimidate people in Galway. These ‘rangers’ are doing the dirty work of the European Union and trying to make criminals out of rural Irish people.

Turf cutting is under attack, a rural way of life is under attack, Tradition is under attack. You have spy planes flying over homes of people.

With turf to be cut, it is necessary to keep these ‘rangers’ out of your private property. There are laws against trespass and a God given and constitutional right to private property.

As shown in Loughrea on Wednesday, people still have common sense, the common sense and conviction to stand up for what is right and oppose what is wrong.

 

Irish Ways & Irish Laws

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Irish State Neglect of Bogs

This is all very interesting.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barroughter-Clonmoylan-Bogs-Action-Group/195445003875984

“IRISH STATE NEGLECT - Redwood Bog, Co.Tipperary June 2012. BURNT TO A CINDER, 80 acres of precious Habitats Directive species while the bog was being "managed by the NPWS. It suited F.I.E. (Friends???? of the Irish Environment) not to see this destruction during their flyovers in the white Cesna. They did not report this State neglect to the EU Commission. Jackson did not mention it at the Petitions Committee hearing (he had such a bad day there anyway as their video shows) He forgot to tell Conor O' Raghaillaigh, who was at the meeting (he had problems explaining PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS at the hearing.) His Ranger Meskell could not deal with the fire because it "WAS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY" (Media interview with him) F.I.E. did not report it to the EPA. (State Agency) The now famous F.I.E.WEBCAMS in the bog did not pick up the destruction. Remember the Lowes WEBCAMS? He had them installed in all 53 bogs last May. (Register of bog damage website - remember it?) Bring back the people who really care for their bogs and the species therein and forget about the office environ - mental ists.”

“Total destruction of 80 acres of species protected in the Habitats Directive. This picture (and other pictures) clearly shows how this bog was "MANAGED" during their first year in charge of its protection by the NPWS. They appear to have no fire prevention or fire control plan for any of the 53 bogs. The NPWS did nothing about it like calling the fire brigade or putting out the fire. FIE conviently did not notice or report this disgraceful destruction during their much publicised fly overs and ariel pictures. It appears that FIE did not report this to the EU Commission or Jackson did not mention it at the EU petitions hearing. FIE would not and did not report or highlight this STATE NEGLECT of a "PROTECTED EUROPEAN SITE"”

PRIVATELY OWNED PROPERTY at Redwood Bog, Co. Tipperary. This picture shows how the bog was managed last year by Minister Deenihan and the NPWS. They allowed 80 acres of protected species under the Habitats Directive to be destroyed while in their care. NPWS Ranger Eamonn Meskell is in charge of this bog. When this fire took place last June Meskell spent most of his time in Co. Galway trying to make criminals of his fellow bog owners. Minister Shatter allowed the Irish Air Corps to fly twice daily, every day over this bog with NPWS photographers on board. None of the state forces could call a fire brigade to put the fire out. Is this the management plan for protecting the 53 private property bogs under Deenihan and NPWS?

REDWOOD BOG Co. Tipperary. This bog is supposed to be in the hands of Jimmy Deenihan T.D. for protection. He thinks he can protect all the species listed in the Habitats Directive that are in this privately owned bog better than the people who own it. So he puts it in the hands of his little elves in the NPWS and puts Ranger Eamonn Meskell in charge of the job. Last June a fire burned for days in the bog as the picture shows. The Media asked Meskell why he did not deal with the fire and protect the species that he was supposed to be minding. Meskell replied "Can't go there PRIVATE PROPERTY". Last June, Meskell was too busy cutting turf on an active raised bog at Anaholty bog with a DIGGER and HOPPER for himself and trying his best to make criminals of his fellow turf cutters. So Deenihan now has this bog well protected with over 80 acres of the species he thinks he can protect gone up in smoke and he still thinks he can do it better than the owners who had kept it in such pristine condition. No sign of the so called environ - mentalists either, these wee fellas with the shiney wellies and clipboards.

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How Domestic Turf Cutting Works?

Comment:Thought and Action fully supports private property and the rights of the plot holder to cut turf for their families. The families have experienced remarkable harassment from NPWS ‘Rangers’, who seem to believe they can trespass on private land. The turf cutters and 900 families are no criminals.

Whilst I haven’t ever cut turf, I have worked at bringing home turf and rural people are for the environment. This attempt to criminalise 900 families is an attack on rural Ireland and a way of life. It’s bad enough, they are now trying to tax the family home never mind attempting to criminalise families for trying to heat their home and cook meals for their family.

All for EU bureaucrats with no loyalty to Ireland or her people.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Barroughter-Clonmoylan-Bogs-Action-Group/195445003875984

“FOR THOSE WITH LIMITED KNOWLEDGE OF HOW DOMESTIC TURF CUTTING WORKS. Each of our 900 families own a bog plot (Private Property) of between .5 and 1.5 acres. Enough turf for a family to heat their homes and cook their meals is cut in this plot. No family cuts a surplus of turf because if their bog plot is gone they will have no turf to get.

The reason why we have got such good bogs in pristine condition is because of the care and conservation measures taken by the families themselves, without any help from the state over the years. On the other hand, vast tracts of raised bog has been plundered by the Irish State but they still have 28,418 hectares of raised bog suitable for preservation in addition to what they will continue to plunder from next Monday morning onwards. No need it appears for the state to preserve its bog but it is alright for the IRISH STATE to try and make criminals of our 900 families in our 3 bogs. In one of our bogs alone, when we scientifically surveyed it, more than 10,000 cubic metres of turf grows annually in that bog. That amount is GREATER than the amount cut by the families in that bog annually.”

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