STRABOY WIND FARM ORAL HEARING

Glenties, Co Donegal

18/10/2012

REF: PL 05B.240166

P.A. 11/300127

EVIDENCE OF JOSEPH BRENNAN

My name is Joseph Brennan of Shallogans, Fintown. Tá an tSealgán sa Ghaeltacht cosúil le Srath Bhuí ach o thaobh an Inséint Beál seo níl mé dhul cur isteach oraibh le agallamh as

Gaeilge ach le rá gur trucánta an rud é gur chuir an Comhairle Chondae masla I gcomhair na daoine úd sin a rinne iarracht teagmháil leofa as Gaeilge. Anois rud beag eile fa dtaobh domh féin…

I am a local, born and bred, with some considerable pride in my area. Perhaps that pride stems from a lifetime of a wandering foot which has found me traipsing in upwards of 70

countries down the years. But it was here on the family farm under the imposing Achla Mountain that I set down my roots and raised my family. Mind you I also have an impressive view of Straboy, Derkmore and Derkbeg Hills!

Without a shadow of a doubt my travels opened my eyes to the potential we have in our rugged and beautiful Donegal to attract visitors. Our culture, our way of life, our native language are all part of what makes up the package that allows Fáilte Ireland to proclaim:

“Up here it’s different” I was at a rather interesting chat recently, organized by the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce, where Katrina McFadden interviewed Sir Gerry Robinson. Somebody asked him about a new adage for Donegal and he said unequivocally not to change the one we had.

Up here it is different he said, his early memories of crossing the border into Donegal were of how people lifted a finger off the steering wheel to greet you as they met on the road and how even today after the chaos of the Celtic Tiger that this is still the case.People lift

their finger off the steering wheel. A simple wee gesture….bet ye all picked up on it these past few days….

Interestingly, Gerry Robinson also sees a future for Donegal in tourism. He spoke passionately of our heritage and culture, about our wonderful landscape, our golf world class courses, the US ancestry market. He felt that the visitor comes to Donegal and goes

away thinking “Wow”. He pondered the future for any new manufacturing industry in Donegal citing the Fruit of the Loom fiasco. When questioned then on the industrialization of the landscape by wind turbines he was unequivocal.

“I don’t like what they do to the environment”

He pointed out the need for reduction in fossil fuel electricity but went on to say that the wind industry was “driven by a greed element” and undermined often by an “appallingly poor planning process” as was particularly evident during the housing boom. Sir Gerry said

that subsidies underpin the roll-out of turbines creating an artificial pricing mechanism and he fears that when tariffs are pulled back these projects will fail. He said that this is already evident in Spain.

I have always been an active person in my local community in a positive sense in many spheres of activity. For instance I a member of the wholly voluntary Donegal Mountain

Rescue Team. If there is a rambler crisis in the hills today you may be spared my own ramblings here as I cut a dash for the door! Though, rather ironically, I am here to deal with an altogether different crisis in the hills. We take pride and deep satisfaction in our work in

the hills. When the American lady was missing in Glencolmkille last year and the days went on there was an air of despondency setting in. We were tiring but we didn’t give up and on Day Five against all hopes we found our casualty and she survived. But the crisis I see upcoming for the Straboy hills is one which the hills will not survive.

I am here today to represent the interests of my brother, Declan, and I, in our ongoing efforts to sustain and enlarge a fledgling red grouse population at Cro na mBraonáin Habitat

& Red Grouse Sanctuary in Shallogans, the adjacent townland to Straboy on the Fintown or easterly side. We have been actively engaged in this project over the last seven years with actual support from the Heritage Council over the last six years. Cró na mBraonáin was one

of the sites selected by Dr. Sinead Cummins of BWI in 2006 to survey in their National Red Grouse Survey and they were astonished by the results. If I recall correctly they would have been satisfied with a result of even one bird per two square kilometers, but to have

encountered 10 sightings was a matter of considerable excitement for the survey team. A further survey by Carl Byrne, Conservation ranger with the NPWS found a site characterised by:

“…the blanket bog is characterised by large numbers of peat haags topped by ling heather and huge hummocks of silver haired moss. Swallow holes and drained pools appear throughout the whole site…the whole site is worthy of considering for blanket bog by NHA designation…” He called for a site accreditation report by Dr. Colmán O’Críodáin of the Terrestrial Habitats and Inventory Unit at the Department of the Environment. This underpinned the site as of multiple ecological value. Amongst other things he found:

“a mosaic of dry and wet heath, mountain blanket bog and dystrophic lakes. Huperzia selago is one of several montane species in the flora. It (the site) is in excellent condition..…red throated divers have been recorded from the lakes…” etc Dr. O’Críodáin was more than anxious that we move immediately to have the site preserved as it was: “ of high conservation value” and “unquestionably of high scientific value” but crucially went on to say how he recognizes that ‘our’ habitat does not exist in isolation. He points out that those adjacent farms, therefore including those that turbines may be placed on, would be of a similar habitat value and thus should be included in any preserved area of land and I quote: “we would look on it as part of a larger ecological unit so some of the neighbours land would have to be considered for inclusion” To that end the Heritage Council came on board in 2006 and each year since to appraise

and assess management plans for Cró na mBraonáin. Indeed the Heritage Council raised specific requests to DCC in regard to population and meta populations of Red Grouse at Straboy and Cró na mBraonáin and their flight lines. This request received no reply. In fact the HC submission to DCC in May 2011 was 'mislaid' and did not appear on the Council

website until 2nd June 2011 after several enquiries by their Wildlife Officer which of course was after the conditional grant of Approval and the subsequent request for FI.

Going forward from this year the Heritage Council wants us to adopt a five year management plan for the site. This will tie in with the launch later this month of an All

Ireland Species Action Plan for Red Grouse. Cró na mBraonáin is one of 26 sites throughout the country to be included in this 10 year plan which is supported by major stakeholders including BWI, the Irish Red Grouse Association, The Dept of Agriculture, the NPWS, Bord

na Mona, UCD, the IPCC, etc As I said it is at design & print stage but I have been kindly provided with a pdf copy for this hearing which I can make available to you Inspector.

A recent article by Prof Barry J McMahon of UCD (paper attached) found that Irish red grouse are a distinct sub-species, lagopus lagopus hibernicus, from their Scottish counterparts “Irish and Scottish red grouse were significantly genetically differentiated”.

Bottlenecking and extinction of meta populations of red grouse was found to be an issue with “extant populations of Irish red grouse are both small and fragmented, and as such may have an increased risk of extinction through the effects of inbreeding depression and compromised adaptive potential”. These results arrived at by DNA analysis done on grouse sites throughout Ireland, including

ours, are much more valid than data extrapolated from red grouse studies carried out in extremely densely populated moorlands in Scotland, as alluded to by Coakley O’Neill. I mean we’re talking of perhaps 250,000 breeding pairs as compared to 1,000. Yeah, the Scottish

male won’t travel far to find a mate! Indeed McMahon tells us that the “local (Munster) neighbourhood size was estimated up to 31 individuals corresponding to an average dispersal distance of 31 km.” and points out that in order to manage and preserve Irish red

grouse that “further fragmentation and destruction of habitats need to be prevented” Part of the programme of works agreed with the Heritage Council last winter was a grouse

count using tape lure methodology as devised by BWI during the National Survey in 2006/07. This was done under license from the NPWS, copy attached for your perusal, and was carried out over two days last spring. The results are more than encouraging, 16 calling males which indicates a growing population of perhaps 32 birds. So maybe finally we are

getting somewhere with our conservation project. It is my considered view that Mr O’Neill does not take account of what was complete and

compelling evidence that the red grouse of Cro na mBraonáin sanctuary was ignored as an inconvenient fact for Straboy Wind Energy Ltd. (SWEL). Atkins even have a chapter in the Further Information (p50) titled “Habitats along the R250” between Glenties and Fintown!

But Cro na mBraonain is not included. No mention is made of our Sanctuary in the Planners review despite a 50 page corroborated submission. I noted Mr. Sweeney’s difficulty here on Wednesday under questioning from the Inspector as to how he adjudged that Cro na

mBraonain would be unaffected by this development. Then after sustained probing by the Inspector and a question enquiring what distance the project was removed from us we had the admission that “with distance the Planning Authority didn’t consider it would have

immediate impact”. What does that mean? I note in the 1st Party response that much weight is laid upon the shoulders of the 2012-

2018 CDP. This project, the wind farm, was conceived early in the lifetime of 2006/12 Plan. Can I draw attention to one of the Policies therein of the new Plan since the developer has chosen to place so much emphasis on it:

NH-P-15 of the 2012-2018 CDP states that: “It is the policy of the Council to ensure the protection of Cró na mBraonáin habitats and Grouse sanctuary given its high concentration of Red Grouse and its importance to the national Red Grouse population, which is a protected species under the EU Birds Directive.”

There is much semantics underpinning the First Party Response. However, I would invite the Inspector and the Board to draw their own conclusions on the veracity and substance of our Appeal. I will address some outstanding anomalies in that Response and I suggest that

mere repetition of a statement does not establish the matter as a fact. For instance a breeding bird survey did not take place. In several places throughout this Response the first party asserts that work carried out on the 4th July was

“close enough to the end of June to not materially depart from best practice”. I disagree. I note that this particular assertion is not made to myself. This seems a little selective. It misses the point that no breeding surveying was carried out in April & May.

Moreover the optimum time in June would be the first two weeks, the latter weeks in June would be seen as a fallback buffer.

I am amused by the statement in response to our Appeal : “our ecological consultant, Atkins, did in fact speak with Mr Brennan…” This is not a true reflection of what happened.

They initially spoke to the Heritage Council who in turn asked me would I speak to Atkins. I felt obliged to do so. You also have copies of my email exchanges with Dr Paul O’Donoghue of Atkins. Thus I find it a mis-representation that Mr O’Neill suggests that

they rang me when in fact it was the other way around. Moreover, in that initial conversation they denied working in Straboy. I think the email clarifies that. My recollection of the said conversation is that it ran to more significance than their description of it thus:

“Mr Brennan indicated he would be objecting to the development”. My view quite simply is that they did ignore Cró na mBraonáin despite the declaration that no attempt was made to do so “or mislead by omission of reference to same”. With

particular regard to Straboy it is interesting to note even though the Coakley O’Neill response repeatedly states, to many appellants, that the EIS “recognises the importance of red grouse on Straboy” etc there was little evidence of that in the initial EIS by Aitkins. It is my view that when they observed opposition from us, and others, including An Taisce, the

IPCC and the GET, over the red grouse issue in our initial submissions to DCC we then had these several new mentions of grouse in the Further Information supplied. Even though no explicit request was made for further red grouse work in that Managers Order. Yet, after

perhaps a dozen appraisals, counts, and surveys over so many hours, by a host of experts on behalf of SWEL we had on Tuesday a final clarification sought by the Inspector as to whether the two ecologists who provided oral testimony or their assistant Mr Gettins could

clarify whether or not it was their intention to discourage red grouse from using Straboy. I wonder how they propose to do that? Maybe send in the eagles! Following a repeated question from the Inspector we had the startling admission from Mr Narin:

“There are red grouse in Straboy but not many!”.

It is my considered view that an attempt was made to polarize the position of Cró na mBraonáin and the Golden Eagle Trust in the First Party Response. To state that the frequent sightings of the Golden Eagle on Achla are because of the presence of their

“preferred prey species” is unjustifiable. We are supportive of the reintroduction of this magnificent bird of prey and have the utmost respect for the GET and the work of Lorcan O’Toole. Most eagles we have seen on Achla have come via Straboy and we have supplied

both photographs and satellite links to prove the veracity of that fact. This is not because grouse are their favourite prey, carrion is more easily found on our Donegal hills than the secretive, elusive, red grouse. The eagles presence is quite simply a matter of topography –

an established Golden Eagle migratory path exists coming in from the rich feeding grounds of the Gweebarra river. By extension the Gweebarra feeds up that long valley to Doochary and onwards to Lough Barra and Glenveagh National Park home of the Golden Eagles. The

eagles use the narrow pass between Derkbeg Hill and Graffarelcor mountain to access the next available range of upland hunting habitats and potential nesting sites of the Achla and Straboy mountain ranges. From here, onwards south, it is just a couple of km to an

established nesting site over several years. I will not be naming the site. Even wearing a Mountain Rescue hat no other route out of Glenveagh offers such a splendid unpopulated path for the Golden Eagle. Quite to the contrary they are prevented from using the easterly

approach to the Bluestacks from the Reelin river because of the proliferation of some 100 turbines in the Cark mountain range. I do note that the Inspector asked Ms O’Connell to definitively answer as to whether there were any potential nesting sites for the Golden Eagle

within the whole site, or indeed in the surrounding area, to which the assured answer was;

No. I disagree and perhaps at a later juncture in these proceedings I, or AN Other, will illustrate by way of photographs or slideshow.

On photomontages it is not true to say that my primary concern was the visual impact of the development. My view is that the inaccurate, haphazard placement of turbines on the

montages effected gross inaccuracies and provoke a breach of any confidence among local people in this application. Moreover there is no acknowledgement of the blotting out of my own house in the foreground of VP11. But this too transpired with the redaction of Lough

Derkmore from some of the site maps and redaction of contour lines from site maps contrasting with some of were provided here on Tuesday.

Can I conclude with again referring to what this area has to offer by way of a wild, untamed, unspoiled landscape? Those who live here deserved that continued peace and tranquillity not the rumble of heavy machinery for the next couple of years and the numbing

whoosh, whoosh of turbine blades for a full generation. As Sir Gerry said in Letterkenny, industrialisation of the landscape is NOT the way forward; a good tourism product is the way forward and will benefit the whole community rather than a handful of landowners.

When I invited Brian Friel to become Honorary President when we founded An Cumann Traenach he wrote that most evocative foreword for our members where he lauded us for having taken on “ an ambitious and worthwhile task” and he looked forward to being

among the early passengers on the new railbus when it would “outpace roads and hills and rivers and lakes and make its final triumphant sprint along the straight that ends at Glenties station”. When recently GWiG sought his help with this crisis he responded in kind as before stating that “I approve vigorously of your efforts to act as a restraint on the number and locations of these windmills....the image of indeed a score or more of these windmills crouching above Loch na Crauiche is indeed disquieting” Friel wrote Dancing at Lughnasa around his memories of boyhood summers with his mother

in Glenties. His grandfather sold the land to the railway on which the station was built. Their house, The Laurels is just behind the station house. Behind that the hills of his childhood and of his plays. No wonder he doesn’t want the “back hills” of Lughnasa destroyed.

With respect, I hope An Bord Pleanala will listen to the evidence presented by us to this Oral Hearing.

Thank you.