Residents’ warnings on turbines

A NUMBER of residents affected by the controversial Raheenleagh Wind Farm near Ballycoog and Croghan shared their experiences with those living along the route of the proposed Ballymanus Wind Farm during last Thursday night’s meeting.

Paddy Condren from Ballycoog said that he wouldn’t like to be any closer than he is to the turbines and said that he is aware of many families who say that it is like living with a constant airplane sound overhead.

‘The noise never goes away,’ he said.

Mr Condren also raised concerns about road closures in connection with the already approved Ballcumber Wind Farm, for which grid line works are currently under way.

‘The Ballycumber cable is going through Ballycoog at the minute and, on the Clone to Annacurra road, I was caught in traffic for half an hour. The amount of traffic on those roads at present is highly dangerous,’ he said.

Eugene Clune who lives in Ballinvalley shared his family’s trauma and said that if he had the chance now he would approach things very differently.

‘My house is situated 800 metres from an industrial turbine and my four-year-old has slept, maybe two nights since last winter.

‘She would ask us why her granddad is outside on the digger in the middle of the night – because that is what it sounds like,’ he said.

Mr Clune urged the people of Aughrim and other areas in the planning application to fight against having turbines erected in their communities.

‘You are very lucky that you are not living with turbines, but the threat of turbines. It is up to you to stop these and if I had my time again I would treat it very differently,’ he said.