Exactly, more power lines!!

In fairness to the judge he did admit that he admired the courage of her conviction however he had to uphold the law.

I say shame on the judge ….. If he was an honest judge for the people he would have put himself in that lady’s shoes … Obviously he is like all judges .. They have a track record of not caring for the environment …

If it’s a HV transmission line than thats not really true, only a very small part of the HV network in Europe is underground. It horrendously expensive and gives rise to serious maintenance and long down-times in the case of cable failures.

http://ec.europa.eu/energy/gas_electricity/studies/doc/electricity/2003_02_underground_cables_icf.pdf
http://psc.wi.gov/thelibrary/publications/electric/electric11.pdf

http://www.europacable.com/default.aspx?ident_id=73&rubrikID=6

Paul you are absolutely right but the truth and fact is something alien to a lot of the people posting on here, they are using Teresa Treacy as a means to their own ends. This lady is 65, why should that matter? Her age is irrelevant here and shouldn’t be used to emotionally blackmailing people and then not present true facts. ESB/EirGrid have been working on this particular project since the late 90′s, they have tried to work things out and wouldn’t have just suddenly gone to the High Court. Undergrounding 35km of cable is not feasible, they can’t over ground the rest of it and underground specifically for Teresa Treacy, how do people think that would work?

People keep talking about her trees, they are immature ash trees in a plantation not mature ancient species. Immature trees in a plantation means there is little or no understorey, the ground flora is species poor and it will not support many species. I can understand she loves her surroundings but the loss of the trees will have a low impact ecologically and the loss can therefore be mitigated for by planting new trees. She may even have the opportunity to shape her trees into a woodland and to introduce a better species mix. If the cable were to be undergrounded there could be no replanting of trees!!! The anti-establishment groupies need to be honest and stop pretending this is about Teresa Treacy and her trees.

ecofreak they cut down a 150 year old ash tree today. It is simply not true to say that these are all immature trees or that the ground flora is species poor .

It’s done by the government to ensure the common good over any one person (I believe http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1927/en/act/pub/0027/sec0053.html#sec53 is relevant). Sometimes it can be used unjustly.

Aah but do we have a democratic government or a dictatorship ? The later I fear.

once you connect to the network for electricity you cant really say you dont want to have the network thats not law but my opinion. hawever the reason she gave is that it would interfere with trees on her land surely if the cables were going underground the trees would still be gone and by the way Ann it cant be the latter as they were just voted in and can be voted out in a few years people whocomplain that thisis a dictatorship should prehaps read about what happens in a real dictatorshipwe wouldn’t be having this debate in China

” I can’t believe the government can just force something to allow some other party to build on their land against their wishes.” … ??? ??? ??? Where have you been ??? Hasn’t the VERY SAME thing happened in Mayo with the Gas pipeline and Shell.

Oh well most of them have been chopped down by now

Also You don’t get a choice they have a legal right to go on your land thank god cos we would only have candles if it was up to fools like you

Den I don’t know you but you are the first person to make me laugh in days in relation to this farce! A voice of sense in a sea of nonsense.

I’m not aware of the ins and outs of the damage trees but as it is her land and she gave them this alternative which also happens to be their industries best practice perhaps they should have gone this route rather than putting a 65 year old woman in jail.

Yeah and they couldn’t replant them if they go underground as nothing can be planted over the cable.

The fact that she is 65 plays no part in this, she is in contempt of court after a long and complex process beforehand. She only has to purge her contempt and she is out.

How do you know she never harmed anything? Do you know her? If not then that is a bit of a mad comment!

Ecofreak – you’re what’s wrong with this country. No, I don’t know here but i know she has caused no ill by talking to people who do know here. Now twaddle back to your little safe corner where ever that is. You’ve no humanity and i stand wholeheartedly by my comment – MAD or not!!

So Teresa is just a mechanism for you to fight some socialist battle against society? It isn’t really about her or her trees at all but about you and your ilk fighting some imaginary war against society and its rules. Teresa can walk out of prison when she chooses to purge her contempt.

Are you off the National Grid? Do you use wood, oil, gas, turf? All of these things come to us as a courtesy of the natural environment. If you are not completely self sufficent you are being absolutely hypocritical in what you are saying.

What does it matter if she is elderly? She is in jail because she is in contempt of court, how do you think people who get a poor ESB supply to their homes, business, school or hospital feel about the hold up on this line for over a decade because of this woman?

You do know the Indians practised Slash and Burn cultivation and were responsible for the loss of vast swathes of forest. Most of the forests in the US are not pristine as ill-informed people would have you believe. Try reading Stephen Budiansky “Natures Keepers” you might learn something!

Chief Seattle’s “other speech”–his “web of life” speech–is a fake, as writers such as former Seattle Times reporter Ross Anderson pointed out. No matter what you read in any source, Chief Seattle NEVER said anything about “weaving the web of life.” This phrase came from an imaginary speech written in 1972 by screenwriter Ted Perry for a documentary about the environment. Perry’s “Chief Seattle” speech was an ecological message of universal brotherhood—the exact opposite of the dark, haunting message in Dr. Smith’s “Chief Seattle” speech, about the deep gulf between Indians and Europeans, and the imminent disappearance of Chief Seattle’s people–which fortunately never happened.
http://www.chiefseattle.com/history/chiefseattle/speech/speech.htm

This attitude sickens me. What the hell has happened to humanity. There is a much bigger situation here and anyways the cost would be pennies. I would gladly pay, as I am sure many others to stop Teresa being imprisoned.

How much is it costing us to keep her in prison? How much do you pay for the pleasure of having your water fluoridated.

The Irish are too quiet, question nothing, complain but do nothing. Stop drinking the water FFS

the bankers hahaha!!!!

I just said I think it’s wrong that she’s in jail and I know it costs a lot to put her in there. But if she can dictate to the ESB the way the cables are installed then every farmer along proposed routes are going to do the same.
What are you on about fluoridated water? Don’t drink tap water myself, it’s rotten in the city centre.

Diego, we are all paying higher electricty because the Grid is so overburdened. All these people are likely to be using the same grid so you really can’t have your cake and eat it.

The grid is at capacity and I’m sure people will be even more outraged when the security of their supply comes into question because of people dragging cases like this through the courts delaying the installation of the cables for years.

Yes but people refuse to see the bigger picture, most of us would prefer not to have roads or cables on our land but unless we are going to be nimbys we understand that the road or cable must go somewhere if we want to use the infrastructure. There of course some situations where the route is ill-chosen or could be situated elsewhere easily to avoid high value natural/built heritage but believe me those situations are pretty rare as there is a whole lot of work goes into constraints and route selection. The people who are harping on about the ESB & EirGrid are the very same ones who complain about utilities bills etc. I totally agree that semi-state and state workers (some of) are overpaid and under worked but this situation is not hurting them nor will it, it will however impact nearby business, schools, hospitals etc. if the grid cannot provide the required supply. We really can’t have it every way, unfortunately life calls for uncomfortable compromise at times.

Hit the nail on the head there

Some laws are bad! I never heard of compulsory purchase orders before, I’m totally shocked by this. Is there any compensation or anything?

ya you get compensated basically my understanding of it was the Roads authority wanted to build a road which infringed on the edge of his land. He didnt get massive money but like i said his attitude was that he used the roads and more than likely they went through someone elses previously owned land. So he was happy to go along with it.

She’s not against them running power lines across her land per se, she’s against the impact on her property and their unwillingness to engage to find a compromise i.e. to bury the cables. ESB have just chosen the ‘do it our way’ or we’ll do the courts approach. I agree that individuals shouldn’t be able to hold up the common good however trampling across someone who has built something themselves is also wrong.

Exactly Randy… Fair play to your uncle and everyone else like him… Without compulsory purchase orders our motor ways would be turning back and forth along the boundaries of farms just like the secondary roads in this country went around the landlords estates in the past. Ireland is the property of all past, future and present citizens and any property that we own individually we are just minding till we die or we sell it. It would be crazy if individuals could block motor ways or power lines going through their property. If something has to be built for the greater good of the country the compulsory purchase orders needed should come with sufficient and generous financial compensation or land swaps (as I presume was the situation in this case).

Like many other Irish people I am sure he was quite happy with his ‘pay off’ Money talks

“It is the attitude of this woman that has the country in the dumps” NO NO NO Its the attitude of people like you and the fascist dictatorship government that has this country in the dumps.

The government is sending a very clear message here, we can do what we like, when we like and if you dont like, we will just lock you up and leave you there. Get off your knees cos they are coming for your personal rights next.

James they are not unwilling to compromise there simply isn’t a viable compromise! There is a difference. It’s not a simple thing to ‘bury’ the line. It’s vastly more expensive and trees would still have to chopped down. I would have thought that it would be obvious that you can’t put a line underground with trees still there

Seriously? Facist overlords? Get a grip

was there a coup when I wasn’t looking the ESB are not the forces of the state they are a company whose employees wether directly employed or contracted have a job. The job happens to be keeping light in our homes, our schools, our hospitals and in the workplcae for the rest of us. The reason it is happening is not that somebody decided just for the hell of it to build a set towers with wires attached its that its need by all of us. On the issue of a lady of 65 it doesnt matter being female and of a certain age doesnt make you exempt from the law if it did then lots of people should be released from prision

Her age shouldn’t make her exempt from the law. I don’t think anyone is suggesting that it should. The law itself, which allows for somebody to be jailed indefinitely for protecting their property simply should not exist. She should be released at once. The work looks like it will go ahead regardless of whether or not she’s in prison.. so what purpose does holding her serve.. is it to teach her to know her place? It’s pathetic and archaic.

mart_n if she is released she will go back to trying to disrupt the process if she wants to get out all she has to do is say she will not do this, then contempt of court will be gone and the lady can go free