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*WARNING: THIS PIECE CONTAINS A GRAPHIC IMAGE*
WICKLOW UPLANDS COUNCIL are pleading with dog owners to stop walking their dogs in the Wicklow Mountains following a number of sheep killings over the past few weeks.
The call comes after the latest incident on Saturday when a ewe was found butchered at White Road, near the Sally Gap.
A spokesperson for the council said that the incident was not the first one reported in the last few weeks.
“Footprints in the snow show that somebody, presumably the owner, caught the dog and took it away without reporting the incident.”
“If anyone has any information please contact your local garda station, the attack happened between 1pm and 3pm.”
Over the Christmas period, farmers near the Lugnaquilla area stopped a number of walkers with dogs from entering the area after a number of sheep were killed.
A local sheep farmer, who has suffered a number of losses recently said that farmers in the area would be forced to withdraw access to established walks in Wicklow.
“It is not something that we would want to do, people have been walking these routes for centuries and the Wicklow Way is an important part of tourism in the area.
“But we also have our own livelihood, myself and a number of nearby farmers have had sheep killed over the years but it has gotten worse lately.
“It has gotten to the stage that even dogs on leads are causing trouble as they are frightening the sheep.”
Another farmer said that it would get to the stage that loose dogs that stray onto farms in the area would be shot.
“I personally wouldn’t have a problem with dogs on leads, and most owners are responsible and understand that there are working farms in the area.
“Recently though more dogs have been left to roam free without a lead and that it were the problems start.”
Similar calls were made in rural Kerry last August after 40 sheep were killed in on a West Kerry farm.
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Leo is upset that the opposition are highlighting his wasteful spending is a more accurate headline.
Hey Leo, who really CHEATS US ALL? You won’t even have to leave your own Inner circle Leo.
@john Appleseed: poor Leo, whats 5 million anyway, its just sheepie taxpayers money …
Not his money is it . It’s ours !
No amount of PR spin could change my opinion on a Politician. To me, this communications unit will be about as useful as an Abs bench in Brian Cowens Bedroom. More waste.
@Dj: you mean more WAIST less ABS
@Dj: Its laughable the way Leo has tried to spin this as opposition resentment. Spoofer of the highest order.
@Dj:
All politicians are the same and if I was a politician id do whatever I can to get as much money as I can then fly off into the sunset.
@Niall Quinlan: and a drama queen
@Dj: abs bench in Brian Clown’s bedroom. – quote of the month!
It’s not the opposition that are concerned with Leo The Sociopath’s spin.
It’s the public.
We need cast iron guarantees that not a single cent of taxpayers’ money will be spent on his new department of propaganda and spin.
And that any breach of this will result in jail time for theft.
@Colin Morris: I don’t think you understand how the Civil Service works.
It’s all taxpayer’s money. Every Civil Servant is paid by the State. Who else would pay them?
Revenue, HSE, Dept of Communications, Dept Social Protection, Gardai……
Literally hundreds of thousands of Civil Servants
37,000 civil servants
@Porterkev: I think brinster meant public servants. Theres 304,000 of them.
If you aren’t doing any wrong then you don’t need people to Spin the truth
The Cosmetic Taoiseach will be made up by his SCU and presented in an inoffensive, attractive, anodyne and superficial way.
The Cosmetic Taoiseach will not be allowed by the SCU indicate his personal position on the 8th Amendment or on any divisive issues.
The Cosmetic Taoiseach can be all things to all men if he plays his cards right and the SCU does its job.
There is a new Teflon Taoiseach in town.
its very clear the Leo is focussed only on those who subscribe to the cult of Leo. He clearly doesn’t care about the rest of us. And also clear that he is happy that his followers will only grow in numbers or at least maintain the current level of support which makes him a player in Irish politics.
He’s not an Irish Taoiseach, he’s a Farmer Gael Taoiseach.
I am sure he will soon have a OR firm for his stance in abortion and the way he is going he will need a PR firm to look after his OR department. This man has been correctly called out on his PR obsession and he retorts like a scolded school boy, hopes dullard.
@Paul Fahey: the opposite of Trump when it comes to public relations and communications
Leo having a laugh at tax payer…..
The tender for how to see how the public perceives the government is €160,000 Wowzers soft money for someone in the click.
@Jonathan Power: Seriously? I could give them feed back for free.
If they were doing their jobs properly, there wouldn’t be any need for this new PR unit. It’s backfiring on Leo, people now know about his false public image, they know its fake, but what’s he doing, he’s making it bigger! It’s the actions that will get the votes. We’ve a homeless crisis and the gov create a new PR unit just says it all about this useless lot really.
It should be easy for Varadkar, after all he doesn’t have to spin decades of murder of innocents into a positive political message.
@bopter: the old Sinn Fein line so just accept whatever any other party does!!!
@bopter: Are you talking about Collins, Boland etc ?
The depressing thing about this is, they are all just going through the motions and playing down the clock to retirement and a fat pension.
Their political party or alleged politics is irrelevant, Joan Burton now back in moanie Joanie voice of the people mode, she’s concerned it’s “a political propaganda unit” Lol!
Micheal Martin is worried about political appointments, they never worried him before, and Mary lou Mac Donald thinks it’s spin! If these things aren’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.
And Leo Varadkar, he says with a smug little grin that he is surprised that “the opposition is more obsessed about his PR than he is!” Come off it Leo, even the people that are your supporters know that’s complete bullshit, nobody is more self obsessed than you!
:-)
@David Van-Standen: but he’s gay
@”": so nobody can criticise
The mouth on Leo is unbelievable. His insulting comments to female members in dail are unbelievable. He shifts the Focus onto others rather than him . Typical arrogance from Fine Gael they’ll never change .
Does anyone else see him and think “Blair”?
@Steven C. Schulz: I see him and think Thatcher
Will Leo be the most Useless taoiseach this country has ever seen?
Certainly looking like it so far!
The SCU sounds very east european ,kinda stasi like ,special lieing unit for the dear leader ,.tell the truth leo then you dont need to spend the taxpayers money on propaganda machine .
Sorry Leo … Listened to ya …Please answer the questions honestly ….So far you’re all spin with no substance.
“will be funded entirely from within “existing allocations”.” So basically some service such has health or education will be paying for this ego massage?
Leo is an arrogant, condescending PR obsessed peacock who will get his comeuppance in the only poll that matters
PR department. . Liam cosgrave must be spinning in his grave
@dangermouse: Doubtful. Liam Cosgrave is still alive at the ripe age of 97.
Quango Quango Quangooooo, ratch cha cha cha chaaaaa,
I sure wish i could Get on that gravy trian.
It’s all about the PR with leo now and the biggest mistake he’s made was publicly announcing it’s creation.
This is sounding very like our MINESTRY OF TRUTH, or MINITRUE in newspeak.
Leo’s a big disappointment ! Egotistical…
He used to talk abov every other department and how he would do things differently yet leaving his own in a total shambles. Now the questions are thrown at him he will be finally found out at what he really is a trash talker
Leo is quite the arrogant T@)R@G, but i have to say, anyone who can wind up Mary Loo MC donald is deserving of a handshake, she is just ghastly and needs to just go away, Please, Pretty please….
It’s hard to take seriously the objections of any politician, no matter what party or persuasion, regarding any other politician’s communications strategy AKA ‘spin’ when even bacteria know that spin is the stock-in-trade of all politicians.
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