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LOCAL RESIDENTS ARE campaigning against plans for lithium exploration along the border between Wicklow and Carlow.
Blackstairs Lithium Company has applied to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to renew its prospecting licence to explore for mineral deposits in over 150 townlands over a 50km area between Carlow and Wicklow – some of which encompasses part of the Wicklow Way nature trail.
The state-owned forestry company Coillte owns several commercial forests in the area.
Blackstairs Lithium Company has been carrying out exploratory drilling in the area since 2013. It is a subsidiary of Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium (which is the world’s largest lithium producer) and Canada-based firm International Lithium.
A community organisation is raising concerns that lithium excavation would inflict permanent ecological damage in the Blackstairs and Wicklow Mountains.
Residents fear it would harm the local water supply, impact biodiversity, create significant traffic problems in the rural area and scar the landscape.
“If these explorations were to proceed, the scar could stretch from Borris in the Blackstairs Mountains to Aughrim in the Wicklow Mountains for over 50 kilometres,” the Protect Moylisha Hill community group says.
Lithium has several industrial applications, including rechargeable batteries, glass and ceramics, medicine and steel and rubber production.
A prospecting licence entitles the holder to explore for mineral deposits but does not authorise mining any minerals. The Department of the Environment says the activities permissible under a licence are, in general, non-invasive and of minimal environmental impact.
However, the local residents say the company has been investigating the area for many years now and its licence renewal indicates an interest in stepping-up its activities in the area.
“They’ve been prospecting for years now. They’ve found stuff, we know they have found lithium up there,” one of the local campaigners, Belinda Bielenberg, explains.
They’re spending a lot of money on geologists at the moment. The more money they spend on prospecting, the more hungry they’re going to be to get going and selling the actual lithium.
International Lithium says it has discovered 19 significant lithium pegmatite occurrences during its excavations on the site to date. Pegmatite is granite-like rock that houses elements such as lithium.
The Protect Moylisha Hill group says that the application is creating a deep sense of unease among locals as the lithium excavation could inflict lasting ecological damage to biodiversity, rivers and farmland.
They say the proposed drilling sites include much of the Wicklow Way and the project is putting at risk a rich habitat for naturally occurring flora and fauna.
They also say the company has made no effort to openly engage with the local community. It also has concerns about the prospecting causing damage to the Moylisha wedge tomb, a megalithic burial site.
“The whole part of the Wicklow Way walk, it goes over two hills down here. Every angle you’ll see this big scar in the landscape,” says Bielenberg.
“All of our German visitors, French visitors who come over to go walking in beautiful Ireland are going to see this ugly scar.”
The community group says it intends to raise its concerns with environment minister Eamon Ryan as well as other politicians shortly.
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A hard earned, fragile but sacred peace that must be preserved.
@League of shadows: Totally agree and fair play the people in the north have move on and left their politicians a long way behind them.
I have to say at the time I was very cynical but I can see now it’s transformed the North and must be preserved.
@Deborah Behan: Yes it took great men to sort this out
@Ger Burke: Don’t forget about Mo Ger.
The Good Friday Agreement has being consistently undermined as the North South bodies were deliberately undermined and ignored by Unionism, facilitated by the British and encouraged by the silence and acquiescence of the Irish Govt.
Waking up after 20 yrs is better late than never I guess, but the prize of peace is too precious to squander on meaningless petty party politics!
The Govts are co guarantors and need to move towards joint authority to create the conditions for change!
When will politics function in Northern Ireland? For how long will they need others to sort out their differences? I embarrassed for both sides.
@Michael Lang: politics in NI will only function when there is true power sharing.
With DUP propping up tories, there is an imbalance.
England has yet again prioritized its interests (Brexit) over the needs of the NI people, I.e. return to the troubles is better than change of government which would destabilize Brexit. NI lives are worth less that English economy.
Ulster could have a special deal (Scots & welsh want it) & enjoy benefits of EU and UK .. for the price of a border in the Irish Sea.
An ideology of hate prohibits logical rational thinking.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: that’s an insightful and informative comment. I find it helpful.
@Mairtin Cathbhar: Mairtin – good ideology. Bad assumptions :
The Labour leader and party are no better.
Populist politics dominate the UK as they do here, the “show” is staged to suit the biggest and most important potential voters. They tell us what we want to hear, when did you last witness promises bearing fruition.
Career politicians are self serving generally, they focus on the economy, sadly all else of concern to voters depends on that. Is the Irish leadership different ?
How would Ireland be treated by the rest of the EU if it was to pull the plug on a negotiated Brexit and forced a hard Brexit instead ?
One thing that should have united both sides was the common betrayal of the interests of the people of Northern Ireland by Brexit.
It’s a sorry state of affairs that politicians of today in NI are incapable and afraid of making a decision.
Every time Blair opens his mouth my ears stop working and my blood pressure goes up. He should be in the Hague. Now he’s telling Theresa May she should attack Syria. He’s a disgusting creature and the MSM are trying to launch him back on the international stage despite not being elected by anyone anywhere.
@Patrick J. O’Rourke: Fully agree, every time I see his face or hear his voice I feel disgusted. Pity he didn’t take off his politicians smugness and revert to being a decent member of society before he comitted the UK to invade Iraq. Pity he didn’t pay attention to the huge public marches in every city of the UK protesting that decision.
He’s a constant embarrassment to UK citizens and should go back under his stone or feck off to a Bush cattle ranch in Texas.
@wattsed: Bas**rd blair is back on the rotten lying bbc pushing for war in syria….its laughable if it wasnt so serious….people in the west are screwed allowing this crap to go on.
The current bunch of politicians both unionist and nationalist are squandering 20 years of progress and letting the whole peace process slip away bit by bit – by their failure to see beyond their own tribal agenda.
@GO GREEN: What’s 20 years to a Dinosaur? I’ve spent a fair bit of time up North and you would nearly be thankful for the politicians we have down here when you listen to some of these lunatics up there. Embittered bigots, especially the Unionists.
Mo Mowlam did all the hard work, once it looked like it could be a success Blair and Co jumped aboard to catch the plaudits.
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