'Not in our area' say 2000 at Mullingar windfarm protest

An estimated 2000 people marched through Mullingar today, and vowed that they will continue their fight against windfarms until the issue goes away.

They also supported calls for GAA Clubs and the Westmeath County Board to turn down the offers of money it has been rumoured they are being offered by the windfarm promoters.

Carrying banners and chanting slogans, the crowd made their way from St Paul's Church to the Market Square, where speakers, including TD Willie Penrose, and councillors Peter Burke, Paul Hogan, Ken Glynn and Paul Daly spoke vehemently against the proposal to locate thousands of 180m tall wind turbines across the midlands.

While the atmosphere was cheery, there was a palpable passion among the participants, who applauded loudly as the speakers called for a moratorium on wind farm development until independent scientific and environmental studies on potential detrimental effects have been carried out.

Sean Casey, a former Westmeath footballer, told the crowd that the wind companies are now trying to offer financial inducements to GAA Clubs and to the Westmeath County Board, but that he would be fighting to have the GAA turn down any offers of "dirty money".

A fundraising barbecue against windfarms is taking place at The Uisneach Inn tonight.

Read the full report of the protest in this week's Westmeath Examiner, in the shops first thing Tuesday morning.