humans of ballyshannon

Very often the humans on the other side of the planning permissions are forgotten about, so we’ve gathered a number of comments from members of our community here to try and give some context around this unsuitable development at Racefield, Ballyshannon. This is just a small sample of the lives that will be affected if this quarry is allowed to go ahead.

“Ballyshannon is a very rural place and I have always loved the countryside and nature around us. When I am out walking, I hear birdsong and see all sorts of wildlife, which will be decimated once the quarry goes in. It’s not just the Racefield site too, it’s the ripple effect throughout the lands and hedgerows around it.”

Joan Dowling.

“A quarry will industrialize this peaceful and tranquil area.”

Dr Elizabeth Cullen.

“The noise & disruption it will bring will be terrible. We can’t believe it, it’s like a death to us, but we are a very resilient community. We will fight it.”

James Dillon who has lived beside Racefield his entire life, pictured with grandkids (& neighbours) Jamie & Paul.

“The safety of residents is my number one concern when it comes to this quarry. Nearly everyone in the area goes out walking or cycling. Nobody will be able to walk or cycle along this road when the lorries arrive, it is so narrow. It will be very sad.”
Catherine Allen (left) pictured with her daughter Olivia.

“We purchased the farm here in 2000. It was the final thing purchased by my father before he died. Over the past 21 years we have put our lives into building Ballyshannon Stud. We have a client base from all over the world boarding here both seasonally and year-round. It’s a huge impact having a quarry within close proximity to a thoroughbred farm as the dust, pollution and added noise is not conducive to our business. In other areas of the country breeders and stud owners have had dust associated health issues with their stock. Why should Kilsaran be allowed to make millions while we all suffer the consequences, property devalued, businesses ruined and a beautiful countryside destroyed? As for our business, all our hard work to build a stud from scratch, which provides employment both directly and indirectly, will be destroyed to allow a company like Kilsaran fill their pockets at our expense.”

James & Fiona Hughes, Ballyshannon Stud.

“This quarry is going to make my life very very difficult. I won’t be able to go for walks because of the trucks. The noise and pollution from the trucks is a serious cause for concern because of how close my house is to the road and quarry site. I have been let down by our planning authorities. This is the house where I was born and I have lived here for 81 years.”

Gerry Collins.

“I think the quarry plans for Racefield will have a detrimental impact on the environment and surrounding hinterland including the already congested Kilcullen town. Kilsaran have 3 quarries already in operation here with lorries using all the major and minor roads to haul their loads. The minor roads are not wide enough and were not built for this type of haulage. I regularly meet these lorries on these side roads and struggle to get by. As a cyclist and walker too, I’ve noticed a large increase in lorry movements here. Kilcullen has a constant stream of Kilsaran lorries as well as private contractors going through it. Kilcullen has become loud, noisy and unsafe to walk through because of these lorries. Having a fourth quarry will only make these conditions worse. This quarry like all other Kilsaran quarries will be open for decades, once planning is approved and work has begun, the company will continually apply for extension after extension like with all their other quarries. A former Kilsaran-owned nearby was sold to GreenStar, who tried to open a dump in it. Local residents there had to go to the High Court to prevent it going ahead.”

Eoin Houlihan

“Upwards of 72 gravel trucks per day will be added to the traffic on this road if the quarry goes ahead. How on earth are walkers and cyclists supposed to navigate that? I feel An Bord Pleanala put the interests of a private company ahead of the interests of our local community. Kilsaran have everything to win while we have everything to lose.”

Sharon McCabe.

“We moved to Ballyshannon in 2005 and have never regretted that decision. At the time we had three young children and wanted them to have the same experience we had growing up in a rural community and environment. One of the criteria in our house search was that they would be able to walk to school. All three children started at Ballyshannon National School one after the other, and every week from the day each started in infants and left from 6th class they walked to and from school. When the eldest started at Cross and Passion in Kilcullen he walked to and from Dowling's Pub for the school bus, even on dark mornings and evenings. Our youngest was still taking this same walk and bus journey up until May of this year when he finished 6th year in Kilcullen. Not only did they walk to school/bus but used the same road to walk to friends’ houses, cycle to sports clubs, walk dog or just walk/run for leisure, as we all continue to do to this day. There are also new families living in this area - Ballyshannon, Calverstown and beyond- who have young children attending Ballyshannon National School and they also walk. When there are a minimum of 72 x 40tonne lorries on our local roads going to and from the proposed Kilsaran quarry at Racefield every day, are we expected to get in our cars and drive to get to school or to find somewhere else to walk/run/cycle safely?”

Clare Keon

“Our home was built in 1756, so it has no foundations. The new quarry entrance will be just a few yards up the road from us. Our home is just one of those along the road that will be at risk structurally, due to vibrations from the HGV quarry traffic passing our door a minimum of 72 lorries per day. When you come out of our front door you are virtually on the road, that’s how close we will be to these lorries. Kilsaran seems to think they can rule the roost; they are taking no notice of us. It is very sad to think that an entire community and the planning regulations in place to protect us, can be ignored like this.”

Anna Sage.

“The Racefield Ballyshannon quarry decision is not just about environmental protection, but about democracy and future Ireland. The elected County Council, the appointed expert Planning Inspector, and numerous local residents and others, are unanimous that this proposal is damaging and inappropriate. But an anonymous report, without methodology, calculations, quantification, consideration of alternatives, or authorship, is allowed to over-rule all these and support an irreversible destruction of virgin landscape. Prime farmland and residents’ wellbeing, and a school environment, will be compromised. The sole financial beneficiaries are a privately owned company with known landholdings for extensive expansion plans in the locality. Is this how the future of rural Ireland is to be decided? The damage can never be undone.”

Professor Michael Rigby.

“We are 2nd generation dairy farmers, 150 metres from where Kilsaran’s quarry will be. Dairy farming and quarrying on a mass scale do not go hand in hand due to excess dust on grass and feed, which will inevitably end up in the milk we produce.”

Pat & Claire Durkin.

"I have lived in this area for 30 years and know first-hand how important the equine industry is here. Kildare has an international reputation for being 'the thoroughbred county' and for good reason. The limestone that nourishes the soil & has made Kildare so successful for horse breeding and racing is now being quarried in such a large concentration, at multiple quarries within a 16.6km sq area around Kilcullen, that it is jeopardizing this centuries-old reputation. The equine industry has sustained....jobs and families in this county and beyond for generations. I was very sorry to hear that Kilsaran had been given permission to proceed with its plans for a fourth quarry in this area at Racefield in Ballyshannon -a site ironically steeped in racing history. I have a young daughter and fear for her future in Kilcullen with the impact this increase in quarry development will have on the local schools and roads. I am also passionate about nature and wildlife, so to see this greenfield site and the ecosystems in and around it destroyed will be devastating. I support Ballyshannon Action Group and wider community in opposing the decision of An Bord Pleanala to allow this quarry go ahead and hope that common sense eventually prevails."

Tracey Piggott

“I live directly opposite the proposed quarry. If the quarry goes ahead, it’ll have a significant, long-term negative impact on day-to-day life for all. Our peaceful, rural setting will become an unsafe, heavily polluted area.”

Caroline O’Connor

"I do a lot of work that looks at Dun Ailinne’s relationship to the larger landscape. There is quite a lot of archaeology around this site. There are sites around here that we didn’t know about, popping up all the time."

Dr Zenobie Garrett

"People have been on this hill for 4500-5000 years and those connections are made with the landscape. DunAilinne is situated in a larger, lived place and if you put the quarry through here it affects that in a significant way. This isn’t an island, it extends out towards Racefield it extends towards the Curragh- people moved through the landscape, they didn’t just materialise on this site. These places are all connected.” Professor Susan Johnston.

“We have been walking on this road for the past 15 years, almost daily and were horrified to learn of the decision of An Bord Pleanala to allow this quarry to proceed. It will make walking here treacherous. We should be entitled to continue with our daily exercise, to meet our neighbours and enjoy the environment in which we live, without having to contend with a minimum of 72 Kilsaran trucks every day.” - Niamh Calderwood and Maggie Swan.

Why we have a quarry problem in Kilcullen

A Quarry and a Community, Climate Change and the Irish Planning System

ballyshannon action group