ROCKALL TRUCE IS THE REEL DEAL
Irish boats could fish in waters again after UK’s ban
FIRE brigades rushed to the scene yesterday after a bin lorry burst into flames while on a collection route.
The incident occurred along the Lee Road near the Old Cork Waterworks with two fire appliances and their crews on-site shortly after 9am.
According to locals, the road was blocked off from both directions as crews handled the blaze, with brave firefighters even climbing atop the vehicle to ensure the last of the embers were extinguished.
No injuries have yet been reported as a result of the fire.
The road was closed after the incident and drivers were advised to avoid the area if possible.
Batteries
The fire started at the rear of the vehicle inside the rubbish tank.
Blazes like these often occur due to the incorrect disposal of electronics or hazardous materials.
One of the leading causes of bin lorry fires is lithium-ion batteries, commonly found in vapes, laptops and other electronics.
A disposable vape was identified as the cause of a similar bin lorry fire in Lincolnshire, England last year — which saw crews on site for four hours as they tackled the blaze.
FIRE crews were forced to fight four extensive wildfires which were deliberately started in the space of 24 hours along the picturesque area of the Nine Stones on Mount Leinster.
The fires in Co Carlow could be seen 70km away in Tipperary.
Units from Bagenalstown Fire Brigade were first called out to a “large wildfire” on the highest peak of the Blackstairs mountains, which is popular with tourists and hillwalkers, on Sunday night.
Members of the public were advised to stay away from the area as firefighters fought the blazes.
Carlow County Fire and Rescue Service has warned against the burning of wild vegetation as it is illegal. The area has been blighted by wildfires over the past few years.
Acting chief fire officer Liam Carroll said: “These fires are deliberately started. With the past three to four days of dry weather these fires have
THE battle over fishing rights around the disputed Rockall island may soon be over.
The Scottish government has now indicated it is willing to do a deal to allow Irish fishermen to go back around the 50ft high islet, which is claimed by both the UK and Ireland.
Since Brexit, both the Scottish and British governments have banned Irish trawlers from fishing within a 12-mile radius of the infamous rock, insisting it was no longer in EU territorial waters.
The move has cost the Irish fishing fleet €8 million in lost catch, Bord Iascaigh Mhara said.
The UK navy, along with fishery protection vessels, have been policing the Rockall area and forcing the Irish trawlers to stay out.
Any vessel that breached the ban was hunted down and boarded before started up again. They cause a lot of damage to the mountain and ecological and nesting grounds damage.
“The fires are also taking us (fire services) away from the towns, and as a result there are going to be delays in getting to traffic accidents or house fires. These are fires which are completely unnecessary and avoidable.” being told to leave.
The Government here has never recognised the British jurisdiction over the rock which they claimed in 1955.
But in a TG4 documentary called Anfa Mara (Storm at Sea) to be shown tonight, the Scottish government indicated that the long-running Rockall dispute could be coming to an end.
Confidence
A Scottish spokesman said: “There have been developments in recent months which increase our confidence that arrangements can be agreed under the Scottish/Irish bilateral framework which will be satisfactory for both sides.
“The issue of fishing at Rockall is periodically discussed in meetings between the Scottish government and Irish authorities as part of an ongoing dialogue about strengthening an already close relationship.”
Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Charlie McConalogue confirmed that Ireland disputes the British claim over Rockall but added the two governments are working hard to find a resolution to a difficult issue.
Fisherman Adrian McClenaghan, from the Greencastle fleet in Co Donegal, told the programme: “Twenty per cent of my turnover comes from Rockall.
“Most of that is all inside the 12mile zone and now we have to go outside that to international waters to try to catch fish.
“That has serious consequences for myself and for all the boats in Greencastle.”