Latest news with #BordnaMona
BreakingNews.ie
27-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Man refusing to stop extracting peat has no trespass sign with '€100,000 charge'
A sign with the signature of a man who says he will not comply with orders to stop extracting peat from a Co Laois bog has been erected saying that anyone who "trespasses" on the land will be charged "€100,000 per minute", the High Court heard. Liam Gorman, Silverwood, Mountmellick, Co Laois, has been repeatedly ordered by the court not to trespass on the 400 acre Garryowen Bog, Tinnahinch, which owned Bord na Mona Biomass (BnMB) Ltd. Advertisement The court has now found BnMB is the owner and that it is Mr Gorman who is trespassing. Mr Gorman has claimed his family owned some of the land for generations and that it had been abandoned by Bord na Mona. He claims he was now living in a caravan on part of it and disputed that BnMB owns it. He said he was extracting peat to sell to farmers as bedding for cattle. He also, at one point, disputed the jurisdiction of the courts and specifically claimed that the High Court was 'legally non-existent' Advertisement BnMB last month applied to the court to have him jailed for contempt for repeatedly failing to obey orders to stop extracting and to remove large machinery and a number of men he has working for him from the lands. That application was adjourned to allow for a hearing of what Mr Gorman claimed were his assertions of ownership over two particular plots of land and to put in a counterclaim against the BnMB case. The matter came on for hearing this month before Mr Justice Oisín Quinn over two days, on both of which Mr Gorman, who represented himself, walked out of the hearing accompanied by a number of individuals. The court heard a sign, signed by Mr Gorman, had been erected on the bog stating: 'Warning Notice – No Trespass' and 'Common Law Jurisdiction Applies Exclusively' and 'There will be a charge of €100,000.00 per minute per man, woman, or corporation and for any incursion what so ever'. Advertisement In a judgment, Mr Justice Quinn found Mr Gorman was trespassing and that all but a small triangle of the land was owned by BnMB. The judge said that on the first day of the hearing, he refused Mr Gorman an adjournment to get legal advice after the court heard he had twice discharged firms of solicitors since the case began more than a year ago. He claimed he also wanted to employ a forensic investigator but did not elaborate on why or why he needed new solicitors. He left the court, after again trying to challenge the court's jurisdiction, and did not wait to hear the evidence. Advertisement The judge said he returned the next day and repeated his complaints made earlier as well as suggesting he had "adverse possession" (squatters rights) of the land. He repeated he would continue to extract peat no matter what happened in court and left again. In his decision, Mr Justice Quinn said he was satisfied BnMB is the owner of the lands with the exception of a small triangle which was unregistered but may be partly owned by an unrelated company, He has been unlawfully using some type of access road and has unlawfully carried out works such as peat extraction from the lands and from one plot in particular., the judge said. He has wrongly placed a caravan on that particular plot and has engaged in peat extraction from the lands, he said. Drone images were shown indicating the use of substantial machinery operating on the bog land in the area of this plot. Advertisement Mr. Gorman had told the court he had returned to the land in April 2025 having 'discharged' himself as far as he was concerned from the obligations to comply with the orders made in the case, he said. He was satisfied Mr Gorman intended to continue trespassing. World Champion Irish jockey (29) charged with drink driv... Read More The judge made orders restraining Mr Gorman, and all having notice of the orders, from trespassing or interfering with BnMB's use or exercise of its rights over the lands. He also said Mr Gorman was prohibited from bringing any machinery or other equipment on to the lands and from extracting peat. The judge said there will be no award of damages against him as BnMB decided not to adduce any evidence in support of a damages claim. As Mr Gorman did not meaningfully participate in the hearing and called no evidence his counterclaim was dismissed.
Irish Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Shane Byrne's unexpected new career as he opens up about life after rugby
Former rugby player Shane Byrne has opened up about life away from retirement – as admitting he wishes he was still playing the sport. The Wicklow native professionally hung up his rugby boots in 2007, ending his career as one of the most capped Leinster players of all time and was regarded as one of most accurate line-out throwers in the world. But life nowadays for Shane looks very different and the star now works for Bord na Mona. 'I'm in the waste management. It was a family business, and we sold sections of the business to Bord na Mona recycling and I'm now working for them.' Asked if he missed playing on the pitch, Shane said: 'Oh god, yeah. How could you not. Look at what they are achieving now. I span a hell of a long time and when I started, Leinster was only getting going and there were only a couple of people in the stands. Now they are filling stadiums.' He said success has driven the fans in their tens of thousands into stadiums. 'Munster started the drive in the late 90s and up to the noughties, they were the best team in Europe and we (Leinster) weren't achieving so that really got the momentum going and what Leinster did was they went right down to the grassroots and got kids into rugby. 'We need other provinces to catch up. They're just not quite there at the moment. And hopefully that will come about when you consider this the fourth sport in the country, what we're achieving is just fantastic.' But his twin daughters, Alex and Kerry, are following in their dad's footsteps and Shane's girls play fullback and scrum half for Arklow Rugby Club. Last year, Shane beamed with pride as his daughter Kerry was named the Wicklow Rose at the Rose of Tralee. 'This was just all completely her, like we had nothing to do with it. No, we were informed, like a lot of things in her life, communication… she's 22,' he said laughing. 'She was brilliant, like, really, really impressive. They had an absolute ball. And the main thing is that she didn't win it, but she was happy with it, happy with the interviews and made lifelong friends like this. Again, they're picking the Kerry Rose, and they've gone down for the weekend for it.' But the 53-year-old said Alex didn't express interest in entering the Rose of Tralee. 'No, she'd be the kind of girl that thinks about it, if we could just walk her into a room and tell her she has to do it. She'd be perfect, yeah, she'd be brilliant, but never say never. No other two twins have ever done it before,' he said. In 2023, Shane signed up for a new challenge to help bridge the gap from rugby to retirement. He signed up to RTE's Dancing With The Stars and was partnered alongside pro dance partner Karen Byrne but was eliminated after orchestra week. Speaking about his time on the show, he said: 'One of the things about it, that I suppose was the most revealing to me, was that the dancers and ourselves - those lives, would never cross. And they, like, all I can say about is they are true athletes in the true sense of the word. 'It was really impressive for me, like I really enjoyed the time. They'd be practicing the dance they have to do beforehand, and watching the interactions between each other, just a nod and a wink, and understanding very little talk, same as we used to do with the rugby league because we knew what we were doing. And watching them do that was, was I really enjoyed that end,' he added.
Agriland
25-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
EPA: Three co-ops and pig farmer on 2024 priority ‘enforcement' list
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified 10 specific sites last year for 'enforcement' action including three co-ops, a pig farmer, two Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants and a Co. Cavan based agri-business. The EPA today (Friday , April 25) published its Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary 2024 and highlighted a number of 'compliance failures' at these 10 sites. 'Poor operational management and a lack of investment in infrastructure underpinned the main compliance failures at these priority sites. 'The 2024 National Priority list was dominated by waste and food and drink facilities, with odour emissions and increased risks to rivers and groundwater being common compliance themes,' the EPA outlined. The agency said that nine of the ten sites on the 2024 list 'have been prosecuted or have legal action pending'. Source: EPA Industrial and Waste Licence Enforcement Summary 2024 The latest report shows that the EPA carried out over 1,300 inspections at 634 licensed industrial and waste facilities last year and that legal action taken in 2024 resulted in fines as high as €500,000. Dr. Tom Ryan, director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said today: 'Recent convictions in the courts of two sites on the EPA's priority list, Killarney Waste Disposal Unlimited Company in 2024 and Aurivo Dairy Ingredients Ltd in 2025, attracted fines and penalties of €500,000 and €350,000 respectively. 'These convictions and the substantial fines imposed are an important endorsement of the 'polluter pays' principle in this jurisdiction. 'However, with the appropriate management commitment to environmental protection and to sufficient investment in infrastructure, particularly in the treatment of wastewater, all of these sites can comply with statutory requirements and be good neighbours to local communities'. The EPA's National Priority Sites list for quarter 2025 has also been released and currently includes three sites from the chemical, food and drink and AD sectors. Source: EPA's National Priority Sites list for quarter 2025 EPA According to the EPA it continued 'to dedicate a significant amount of resources' in 2024 to tackle the illegal large scale extraction of peat. It completed 42 site visits, targeting 38 peatlands across 7 different counties in 2024. 'Legal actions in the District and High Courts have successfully halted illegal peat extraction on several sites,' it stated. The agency also highlighted that it has 'increased its enforcement effort' under Section 63 of the EPA Act to promote enforcement action by local authorities. It detailed that '38 Section Notices and 7 Proposed Directions' have been issued to Local Authorities under the EPA Act (Longford, Westmeath, Offaly, Kildare, Roscommon, Tipperary, Sligo). The EPA also approved a further 10 Bord na Mona rehabilitation plans last year (covering 4,021 hectares) bringing the number of plans approved under the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme to 60, covering an area of 24,202 hectares. Water quality According to the EPA site-specific enforcement plans have been developed for industrial and waste licensed sites that were identified 'as placing significant pressures on water quality'. The agency highlighted in the report that '41 licensed sites remain on the Significant Pressures List with 14 placing significant pressure on surface water quality, 24 on groundwater quality and 3 on both surface water and groundwater quality'. 'This represents less than 5% of industrial and waste licensed sites,' the EPA stated. Source: EPA Meanwhile the agency said that 809 complaints were received by the EPA during 2024 which is a 16% decrease on 2023 numbers. The majority of complaints related to odour and noise complaints and accounted for 90% of all complaints received in 2024.
