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Mullaghcarn Mountain |
In brief the governments of Northern Ireland and Ireland have invited mining companies to come and set up shop . Prospecting licences have been issued and it is a fair statement to declare that the island of Ireland is open for mining.
The mine camp proposed for the Greencastle area, as yet has just one single adit , and whilst there have been many hundreds of prospecting bore holes drilled in the area, mining has yet to begin in the Curraghinalt mine (June 2019) . Dalradian (the Canadian prospecting company) are awaiting the outcome of their ten thousand page planning application. The biggest planning application ever submitted in Ireland North or South.
The proponents of mining claim that this plan would provide employment and bring prosperity to areas that mines are operating in .
Opponents of the mine question the basic assumptions of these mining plans and believe that the planning application is unjust, inequitable and environmentally catastrophic, the cost-benefit analysis grossly inflated in favour of building mines .
It is well established that the proposed planning application rests on untrue and unfounded assumptions of the hydrology of the area, depends on the presupposition that an accidental spill will never occur, rests on the premise that toxic dust will not become airborne, presumes that cancer causing radon gas will not be released, hypothesises that containment ponds, groundwater pumping systems, subsurface drainage systems, and subsurface barriers will suffice to prevent acid rock drainage in the future and so on.
Opponents of mining know that the construction, commissioning and decommissioning of any gold mine causes displacement of people and communities with the accompanying abuse of human rights. That mining of any sort is a major threat to the health and well being of people, of animals and can be devastating to the very ecological systems core to our survival.
They also believe that economic prosperity and full employment could easily be brought to all of these areas through the establishment and promotions of eco tourism and sustainable farming, thereby safeguarding the precious environment, pointing us towards a more socially just future, one that is economically and environmentally sustainable.
Through this blog we shall endeavour to present the view of concerned and worried local communities who know that their way of life will be hugely impacted by the proposed mining camps here in the Sperrins and further afield in our green and pleasant land. We will also present the views of people's movements that have arisen all over the country as a natural response to the threat of mining on the island of Ireland, who are leading the crusade for environmental and social justice for the many.
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Proposed Mine and Processing Plant Greencastle |
