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THE EARTH AROUND five houses and along two public roads near an area where a sinkhole appeared in Co Monaghan is to be examined.
An Preliminary Assessment Report into what caused a sinkhole at a Monaghan GAA club has found that recent mining operations involving water storage caused pillars to collapse in some parts of the mine.
The initial report found that the transport and storage of water in an old part of the mine that hadn’t been used for water storage previously resulted in the collapse of some pillars. It said that this was the most likely cause of the sinkhole.
Mining company Gyproc said the report “identified a unique and complex set of circumstances as being the most likely cause”.
The report also indicates that the “disturbance area” or the area affected by the sinkhole, is at a 120m radius around the Monaghan GAA Club.
It added that danger signs evident here do not appear elsewhere in the area, but geological investigations are ongoing.
It’s possible that the ground could split or sink further around the GAA club as the earth settles, the report said, but it would be confined to the 120m radius.
Koen Verbruggen, Director of Geological Survey of Ireland, told Morning Ireland yesterday that it was unlikely that Magheracloone GAA Club would be able to return to its grounds at the area.
When asked directly if there will be more collapses, he added:
The short answer is we don’t know if there will be more collapses… The only thing is to monitor the situation.
Assessing houses in the area
Outside of the actual disturbance zone, the ground around five houses and two stretches of public road has also been earmarked for investigation.
Monaghan County Council said that the Carrickmacross/Kingscourt Road (R179) will remain closed from Drumgossatt Crossroads to O’Rourkes Filling Station at Drummond while investigations are being carried out.
“Further, more detailed, geological assessment is necessary to ascertain the conditions beneath the R179 Kingscourt to Carrickmacross Road and the L4900 Drumgossat
road,” he said.
The LP4900 to Drumgossatt will also remain closed, and traffic between Carrickmacross and Kingscourt is being diverted via Shercock.
The road closures are projected to remain in effect until mid-October, the council said.
Gyproc says that it has been in regular contact with the families in the affected houses to ensure they have appropriate support and have also appointed a family liaison officer from the company. It said:
Gyproc remains in regular contact with Magheracloone GAA Club and Community Centre and has also offered its support to replace the damaged facility.
Gyproc is in regular contact with the relevant experts from Monaghan County Council and other authorities to assess the situation and ensure appropriate support measures are in place to minimise disruption.
Monaghan County Council officials, representatives of Gyproc, members of An Garda Síochána, members from the exploration and mining division of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, and a representative from the EPA met yesterday afternoon and are liaising on the next course of action.
We are the engine that keeps this site running. A lot of us are here not just because of the articles but, to read the opinions of other users. There is no legal reason to have comments closed on the story about the bankers and their pay. Who exactly is pulling the strings Journal? FG’s version of Fox News…
@Sea Graham: the comments on bankters is closed to stop everybody getting blood pressure and stopping the comments page going into meltdown
@Sea Graham: you’re wasting your time on that one Graham. We do use the Journal the commentary, to join in or to just read it. But at this stage nobody seriously believes that the Journal is either a serious news source or an unbiased forum. The agenda bias in the articles are plain to see, as well as the focus of attention (or lack of) on particular subjects. I can live with that, there’s multiple sources out there. But the interference in commentary is really annoying. Closing comments arbitrarily, culling comments to shape the appearance of public opinion and looking after certain commentators with extra word allowances or bumping them upstream. That’s just wrong, but it’s not going to change, they caught the sickness that eventually infects all media. Just keep wide and cynical.
@Gerard Heery: it’s bad enough that we had to bail them out. Now the want us to buy them expensive cars an luxury cruises. The Irish bankers make Judas look good.
@Greg Blake: I don’t think there’s any extra word allowance for certain commentators. I noticed when I comment from my Android device I am limited to 800 characters. However, when I log in from my Windows OS on laptop there appears to be no limit. It seems that the limit, or lack thereof, isn’t person-specific, but OS-specific.
@Brian Ó Dálaigh: I didn’t know that Brian. I’ve complained about that a few times, so, big apology to Journal, for that one anyway.
Assessed lol 7 county council workers leaning on shovels looking into it.is that the kind of assessment that was done?
@Seriously stunned: Try working for a council sometime- if you are able to qualify. The crap you put up with from the public is enough to justify the salary
Great set up to plant a few trees in !
There are photos online of inside these tunnels and mines nearby – they are HUGE caverns under there.
@Anthony Clark: any links?
@Yorkie1892: I’ve been down the Kirkby Thore gypsum mine in Cumbria, it’s nearly as big as this mine is Russia.
https://www.slavorum.org/largest-gypsum-mine-in-russia-and-europe/
I also visited the Kingcourt open pit in the 1990s, the gypsum beds are are up to 35 meters thick and very pure.
The underground mine at Kingscourt, that operated till 1989, while not as extensive would have had caverns as large at the Russian mine and at Kirkby Thore. The mining technique is Room and Pillar mining, which leaves behind tall pillars that support the roof. Gypsum mine at Kirkby Thore was huge and cavernous, like lair of a James Bond villain.
The Kirkby Thore mine in Cumbria is in or next to a national park, so the mine building has to avoid spoiling the scenery, the above ground building are all is 1 story high and the access to the mine is via a hidden entrance that you drive down. The gypsum ore is then transported via a covered conveyor to the gypsum plant a couple of miles away. Here’s the mine, you wouldn’t know it’s the UK’s largest gypsum mine.
@David Jordan: thanks for that great information. From kingscourt myself so know a nice bit about that.
Once again Reactive rather than Proactive, Typical Environment and Health Authority neglect also Local Authority Planners and Engineers.
If anyone remembers the film PAINT YOUR WAGON, they will recall that ‘NO NAME CITY’ sank, because of the number of tunnels beneath the town, dug by Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and others, looking for GOLD. A mad story, but….you have to ask who plans for developments over a mine ?? Like, in REAL life ?
Sinkhole in Monaghan is either (a) a cosmic protest because they were robbed against Tyrone in Champion Ship. or (two) the ducks are fighting back. Apparently every duck in Ireland comes from Monaghan ….,3 2 I.
Little story. Not saying where this happened but one day a garden collapsed. Then the neighbor’s. Then three more then a few more. Finally it was discovered that a stupid family had two pet rabbits and built a run. Didn’t know that they dig tunnels. And voilà! They increased and multiplied. True story. 30 years ago.
@Alex Bailey: sounds a bit far fetched to me.
He’s learned the lesson of the land.
What’s the story with the shite music on all these drone videos
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