TWO STAR county footballers united with Monaghan farmers on Saturday last in their opposition to Eirgrid’s proposals to erect giant high-voltage pylons across the drumlin county.   

GAA stars Damien and Thomas Freeman sent a strong message to Eirgrid along with farmers from along the three affected routes placed signs on their lands denying Eirgrid permission to enter. 

Signs were erected on lands from Annyalla to Magheracloone and Lisdoonan.  The pylons are part of the proposed electricity interconnector that will extend across County Monaghan from Tyrone to Cavan.   

Farmers, businesses and residents from across the county are united in their opposition to the pylons. 

Apart from the well-documented health risks posed by high-voltage lines, farmers are concerned about the irreparable damage that will be caused to their lands, the huge negative visual and environmental impacts on the Monaghan landscape and, not least, the massive decrease in land values that will be experienced by landowners even some distance from the pylons. 

It is also feared that this interconnector could be the first of many that will criss-cross County Monaghan. 

As Paul Anderson, Chairman of the County Monaghan branch of North East Pylon Pressure, commented “We are campaigning to have these high-voltage lines put underground.  Even the people of County Monaghan who are not on one of the proposed routes for these pylons should be concerned. If these pylons get the go ahead, it will be practically impossible to prevent giant pylons from springing up all over the county in the future”.