Midlands community rallies against proposed 5G mast beside schools and homes

The community of Cloughjordan are expected to come out in force behind the Move the Mast Action Group when the hold a demonstration in the village next week.

The event is planned for Friday, May 2 at 5pm outside St. Michael’s National School in Cloughjordan and organisers told the Tribune their rally is a show of defiance against the 15-metre tall 5G mast planned adjacent to the National School which is surrounded by homes, businesses and a creche.

An Bord Pleanala has approved the mast despite unified opposition from the villagers and local politicians.

In response, St. Michael’s NS Board of Management are working with FP Logue Solicitors in Dublin to request a judicial review of the case and An Bord Pleanala’s controversial decision.

Parents and locals are shocked that their local council representatives approved siting the mast next to the local national school.

Tipperary’s Development Plan specifically states that it will not place masts near schools or homes unless as a last resort, the group organising the demonstration pointed out.

The site next to the school is not a last resort – Eir has admitted in previous correspondence that they considered no other sites, the group said.

“I live behind the school, so this mast would essentially be built in my back garden,” said Noel Feighery, long-time Cloughjordan resident and Move the Mast Action Group member.

“My grandchildren attend the school and I would live under this mast. It’s in completely the wrong place and should never have been approved,” he said.

The Cloughjordan Move the Mast Action Group will hold their rally to draw local and media attention to what they describe as the "inappropriate and illegal placement of Eir’s mast".

The group made clear they’re not opposed to 5G technology or progress, but are unable to accept that a mast of this size should be placed within a quiet, residential setting.

With Cloughjordan behind them, they hope An Bord Pleanala and Eir will see that a 15-metre mast set among schools and homes is wrong.

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“We have a lovely little school here serving 125 local children, including a dynamic ASD unit,” said Viv Dooley, St. Michael’s NS principal.

“This mast would utterly wreck everything we’ve built at this school. It’s so close, we’d have to close the main pathway children use to enter the school.”

Move the Mast are asking anyone in the area – from Cloughjordan residents to friends and family members of children in the school – to attend the May 2 rally.

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“This is a David vs Goliath battle,” said Kelli Cleary, chairperson of the Action Group, “but we’re determined to rally, raise awareness, and make noise about this mast until Eir back down and find a better place for it. Cloughjordan is no company’s industrial site.”

To find out more, visit www.movethemast.com. To donate funds towards the school board’s judicial review, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/MoveTheMast.