the aarhus convention and the experience of public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117...

254
Denis John Devane Department of Urban and Rural Development Master’s Thesis – 30 HEC European Master in Environmental Science (EnvEuro) Uppsala 2016 Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public Participation in Environmental Impact Assessments: A Case Study of an Onshore Wind Farm in the Republic of Ireland

Upload: others

Post on 27-Jul-2020

1 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

Denis John Devane

Department of Urban and Rural Development Master’s Thesis – 30 HEC

European Master in Environmental Science (EnvEuro) Uppsala 2016

Faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences

TheAarhusConventionandtheExperienceofPublicParticipationinEnvironmentalImpactAssessments:ACaseStudyofanOnshoreWindFarmintheRepublicof

Ireland

Page 2: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

2

TheAarhusConventionandtheExperienceofPublicParticipationinEnvironmentalImpactAssessments:ACaseStudyofanOnshoreWindFarmintheRepublicofIreland

DenisJohnDevane

Supervisor:AntoienetteWärnbäck,SwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences,

DepartmentofUrbanandRuralDevelopment

AssistantSupervisor:AndreasdeNeergaard,UniversityofCopenhagen,

DepartmentofPlantandEnvironmentalSciences

Examiner:ZeinabTag-Eldeen,SwedishUniversityofAgriculturalSciences,

DepartmentofUrbanandRuralDevelopment

Credits:30ECTS/HEC

Level:Secondcycle,A2E

Coursetitle:IndependentProjectinEnvironmentalSciences

CourseCode:EX0431

Programme:EuropeanMasterinEnvironmentalSciences(EnvEuro)

Placeofpublication:Uppsala

YearofPublication:2016

CoverPicture:LisheenTurbines,Photo,D.Devane2015

Copyright:AllfeaturedimagesareusedwithpermissionfromCopyrightowner.

Onlinepublication:http://stud.epsilon.slu.se

Keywords:EnvironmentalImpactAssessment,PublicParticipation,Aarhus

Convention,ExperienceofParticipation,WindEnergy

Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Department of Urban and Rural Development

Page 3: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

3

Abstract

Public participation in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process is

essential to expediting societies’ shift from fossil fuels to renewable energies

suchaswindpower.The current stateofpublicparticipation inEIAs ishighly

contested as the debate on what can be done to improve it continues. The

primaryfocusofthethesisistostudypublicparticipationanditsuseinanIrish

EIA.ItaimstoexploreexactlyhowstakeholdersoftheLisheenWindFarmcase

experienced the public participation offered to them and towhat extent did it

abidebythemainthreeprincipalpillarsoftheAarhusConvention.Theresearch

approachadopted in this thesisutilisesanexplorativecasestudyapproach.By

choosing a single representative case study the thesis can concentrate on

assessinghow thepublic participationwas conducted aswell as exploring the

experiencesoftheparticipants.Qualitativemethodswerepredominatelyusedas

thethesisadoptedadualanalysisapproachutilisingpracticeevaluationcriteria

andphenomenologicalmethods.

Thecasestudyfindingsshowedthatallofthepracticeevaluationcriteriawere

fulfilled. However; the results also displayed the weaknesses that are still

present inpublicparticipation today, suchaspoor informationprovision,poor

facilitation and the existence of monetary barriers. The phenomenological

analysis, with its focus onmore subjective elements, found that social factors

suchascivicdutyandself-perceptioncanaffecthowmuchparticipantsengage

intheparticipationprocess.Theconclusionsdrawnfromthecasestudyfindings

are, firstly, that the public participation in the case adhered to the primary

principals of the Aarhus Convention. Secondly that deeper insights gathered

fromtheexperiencesofparticipantsareanunderutilisedandcouldbevaluable

assetinthegoalofimprovingpublicparticipationinEIAs.

Page 4: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

4

Dedication

This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my wonderful mother Margaret.

Withouther loveandsteadfast support throughoutmy life Iwouldneverhave

gottentowhereIamtoday.Loveyoualways,restinpeace.

Page 5: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

5

Acknowledgements

Iwould firstly like to thankmy primary supervisor AntoienetteWärnbäck for

herguidance,supportandpatiencethroughouttheresearchandwritingofthis

thesis.InlightofthedifficultiesIfacedontheroadtocompletingthisthesisshe

was invaluable in helpingmenavigatemyway through it. Iwould also like to

showmyappreciationformyKøbenhavnsUniversitetcosupervisorAndreasde

Neergaard for all his help in this process. Secondly, Iwant to also expressmy

gratitudetothecommunityofTempletuohyandMoyne,withouttheiropenness

andwillingtohelpthisthesiswouldn’thavebeenpossible.

FinallyIwouldliketothankmyparents,mytwobrilliantsistersandmyfriends

whohelpedmeget to thispointwithmoral support, guidanceand listening to

myendlessconversationsaboutwindturbinesandhowthethesisisgoing.

Page 6: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

6

TableofcontentAbstract..................................................................................................................................................................3Dedication.............................................................................................................................................................4Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................................5Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................................81. Introduction................................................................................................................................................91.1. ResearchFocus................................................................................................................................151.2. AimandResearchQuestion.......................................................................................................161.3. Delimitation:Time,SubjectandArea....................................................................................16

2. Method.........................................................................................................................................................182.1. ResearchDesign:Casestudyapproach................................................................................182.1.1. Casestudy:ARepresentativecase.................................................................................182.1.2. Sampling....................................................................................................................................19

2.2. DataCollectionTechniques.......................................................................................................202.2.1. Interviews.................................................................................................................................202.2.2. Documentstudy.....................................................................................................................212.2.3. Bracketing.................................................................................................................................21

2.3. ApproachtoDataAnalysis.........................................................................................................212.3.1 Analysis1:PublicParticipationandtheAarhusConvention..............................222.3.2. Analysis2:Phenomenological.........................................................................................23

2.4. Limitations........................................................................................................................................262.4.2. Generalizabilityfromasinglecase................................................................................262.3.2. LimitedPhenomenologicalanalysis..............................................................................27

3. TheoreticalFramework.......................................................................................................................283.1. TheSocialConstructionofReality..........................................................................................283.2. TheLife-World................................................................................................................................30

4. DescriptionofCaseStudy:LisheenWindFarmdevelopment,CountyTipperary,RepublicofIreland..........................................................................................................................................314.1. GeographicalCaseArea:TempletuohyandMoyneParish..........................................324.2. LisheenWindFarmDevelopment2006–2013...............................................................324.3. Phase1:Operationalin2009....................................................................................................334.4. Phase2:Operationalin2013....................................................................................................344.5. Regulatoryaspects.........................................................................................................................354.6. Participantsandothergroups..................................................................................................374.6.1. MrTimBergin.........................................................................................................................374.6.2. MrRichardDaly......................................................................................................................384.6.3. MrPaddyDoyle......................................................................................................................38

Page 7: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

7

4.6.4. Cllr.JohnHogan......................................................................................................................384.7. AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLtdandSWSEnergy...................................................394.7.1. ParishForum...........................................................................................................................394.7.2. MoyneTempletuohyCommunityActionGroup......................................................40

5. CaseStudyFindings:Part1.PublicParticipationandtheAarhusConvention-Description,AnalysisandResults.............................................................................................................415.1. GeneralBracketing........................................................................................................................415.1.1. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrTimBergin..........................................................425.1.2. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrRichardDaly......................................................425.1.3. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrPaddyDoyle.......................................................425.1.4. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrJohnHogan.........................................................42

5.2. TheAarhusprinciplesintheLisheenWindFarm...........................................................425.2.1. AccessibilityandInformationprovision.....................................................................455.2.2. CommunicationandInteraction.....................................................................................475.2.3. Opennessandclarityoflegalprovisions.....................................................................495.2.4. Influence....................................................................................................................................51

5.3. Subconclusion.................................................................................................................................546. CaseStudyFindingsPart2:Phenomenologicalanalysisoftheindepthinterviews55

6.1. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrTimBergin’sParticipation...........................556.2. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrRichardDaly’sParticipation........................566.3. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrPaddyDoyle’sParticipation........................586.4. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofCllr.JohnHogan’sParticipation........................596.5. CompositeTextualDescription:OfParticipationintheLisheenCasestudy.......606.5.1. InformedParticipation........................................................................................................616.5.2. RepresentationandCommunityIdentity....................................................................616.5.3. Self-PerceptionwithintheLocalCommunity............................................................626.5.4. ParticipationasaDuty........................................................................................................62

6.6. SubConclusion................................................................................................................................637. Discussion..................................................................................................................................................647.1. PublicParticipationandweaknessesoftheAarhusConvention..............................647.2. Barrierstoparticipation.............................................................................................................707.3. Theoreticalconsiderationsonthecase................................................................................727.4. Alternativeapproachesandmethodologicalreflection................................................747.5. Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................79

8. Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................819. ListofFigures...........................................................................................................................................9010.Appendix......................................................................................................................................................91

Page 8: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

8

Abbreviations

AALM AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLtd

COP ConferenceofParties

EIA EnvironmentalImpactAssessment

EIS EnvironmentalImpactStatement

EU EuropeanUnion

GAA GaelicAthleticAssociation

MW Megawatts

NIMBY NotInMyBackyard

UNECE TheUnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforEurope

Page 9: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

9

1. Introduction

Forty years of progress has brought about great changewithin environmental

management. A key component in its development was the emergence and

spread of EIAs. EIAs entail a broad set of processes that evaluate proposed

actions, be they development projects or policies, for their likely impacts

throughoutallaspectsoftheenvironment.Theynotonlyassessthebiophysical

aspectsofprojectsbutareresponsible forassessing thesocial impactsaswell.

The United States National Environment Policy Act first initiated the

development of the EIA process and within it inserted the concept of public

participation(Jay2007).Publicparticipation,initsbroadestsense,istheprocess

in which affected individuals, local communities and interested groups are

consultedprior to anydecisionsbeingmade (Glucker2013).Themain goal of

publicparticipationisgivingthepublicavoiceandaroleinthedecisionmaking

process.

TheimportanceoftheroleofpublicparticipationinEIAshasbeenunderscored

intheAarhusConventiononAccesstoInformation,PublicParticipationandAccess

to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set out

minimum requirements for public participation in environmental decision-

making for the European Union (EU)member states and other countrieswho

optionallyfollowthedirectives.CurrentacademicliteraturesuchasHartleyand

Wood (2005), O’ Faircheallaigh (2010), Lostarnau, C. (2011), and Doelle M,

Sinclair J. (2006) echo the importance and centrality of public participation

withintheEIA.Alongwithitsimportancethesearticlesalsoillustratethatthere

isnosingledefinitionofpublicparticipation.Itscharacterisdifficulttoplaceas

it tends to assume an unambiguous decisionmaking structure, that implicitly

involves a bureaucratic management system which controls decisions and

influence (Boon 1999). Its complexity has only spurred onmore academics to

research the area. Retief (2010) identifies theoretical grounding, quality and

effectiveness as the three main themes seen in the literature produced on

environmental assessment. These broad themes explain the direction of the

majorityofliteratureonpublicparticipationwithintheEIAprocess.Thepolitical

Page 10: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

10

realities of decision-making coupled with the shift towards more critical

assessments ofEIA saw thedominanceof the technocraticmodelsbegin tobe

questioned: alternative views on its public participation practices and the

realitiesofdecision-makingbroughtaboutnewconceptssuchasenvironmental

justiceandparticipatoryformsofdemocracy.TheimportanceofEIAsandpublic

participations rolewithin it is not localised to just the specific areas inwhich

theseassessmentsoccur.Theyalsoplayamuchlargerroleinrelationtoouron-

goingeffortstomanagethecurrentenvironmentalpressuretheplanetisunder.

Attheendof2015,195countriesformallyadoptedtheParisAgreement,aglobal

actionplantoavoiddangerousclimatechangebylimitingglobalwarming,atthe

21st Conference of Parties (COP) meeting (UNFCC 2015). As the first binding

global climate accord it marks a definitive shift from the status quo of global

inaction on climate change. By setting agreed upon targets for emissions

reductionaimedatlimitingtheriseinglobalaveragetemperaturestowellbelow

2 °c + pre-industrial levels, there is a rapidneed for nations to push forward

with renewable energy projects (ibid). This transition to a low carbon society

will require considerable effort in shifting communities’ dependent on fossil

fuels towardsrenewableenergyresources.TheEUhasalreadybeen leading in

thisareaasithasstrivedtowardsincreasingtheproductionofrenewableenergy

formanyyears(EEA2016).TheEURenewableEnergyDirectivesetsabinding

targetthat20%finalenergyusebeproducedfromrenewablesourcesby2020

(ibid). In light of these targets many EU member states have increased their

adoptionofwindpowergenerationtohelpincreasetheirrenewableusage(The

Economist2016).

However, the adoption and use of wind power in Europe has met some

resistance that has caused implementation issues. Wolsink (2007) as well as

Devine (2005) and many others stress that the issues with public attitudes

towards wind turbines is dominated by the visual impact they have on the

landscape and to a lesser extent noise concerns. Public opposition to the

development of wind power schemes is regularly attributed to not-in-my-

backyard (NIMBY) -- this point is even made by academics (Wolsink 2007).

Page 11: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

11

However,Wolsink (2007) argues that this view is too simplistic.More critical

issues such as reduced quality of life, property values and other perceived

negative impacts on local communities could be under-represented. Public

participationshouldprovideaforumfordiscussionwiththesecommunitiesand

alleviatesomeoftheseissuesfrombecominglastingissues.Thustheimportance

of how public participation and research is conducted in this area could be

argued tohave adirect bearingon the future growthof the renewable energy

sectorintheEU.

Thismaster thesiswill explorehowpublicparticipationwas conductedwithin

EIAandwhatroletheAarhusConventionplayedbyfocusingonaspecificcase

fromaEuropeancountry.OneEuropeancountrythatiscurrentlyundergoinga

rapid improvement in their growth of renewable energy production is the

Republic of Ireland. Located on the north-western edge of the EU, the Rep. of

Ireland isperfectlypositioned to takeadvantageof thevigorousnorthAtlantic

weathersystems.Troen(1989)notesthatIrelandhassomeofthehighestwind

recourses available in all of the EU. As of 2013 16.4% of Ireland’s renewable

energy has been produced from wind farms spread all over the country.

Electricity produced from renewables in Ireland reached nearly 21% of gross

electricityutilizationin2013,however,theRepublicofIreland’s2020targetfor

renewableelectricitygenerationis40%(Howley,Holland&Dineen2014).Thus

wecanseethattheRepublicofIrelandwerejustoverthehalfwaypointtowards

reachingtheir40%EUrenewabletargets,withwindenergyactingasthebiggest

driver(ibid).Themostuptodateofficial figuresputthepercentageatcloseto

23%andwithaconsiderableriseeachyear(Eurostat2016).Thisisalsoseenin

the Irish national energy grids plans to expand their current energy

infrastructure tomakeway for the influx of renewable energy (Eirgrid Group

2016).TherapidgrowthintheIrishrenewablessectorisillustratedinFig1.

Page 12: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

12

Fig.1.DiagramgeneratedbyEurostatsoftware.(Eurostat2016)

ThefuturegrowthanddevelopmentofrenewableenergiesacrossEuropebrings

withittheincreaseduseofenvironmentalmanagementtoolssuchasEIA,which

actively contain public participation. Having been developed over the last 40

yearsEIAshavebeenformulatedinreactiontotheincreasingawarenessofthe

levels of environmental degradation caused by mismanagement and poor

planning (Jay 2007). The EIA Directive (85/337/EEC) has been in force since

1985; it requiresmember states to carry out assessments on awide range of

publicandprivateprojects(EuropeanCommission2016).Therearestrictrules

governingwhatprojectsrequireanEIA.Theyplayadirectroleinalmostevery

majorinfrastructuraldevelopmentacrosstheEU,asmanywouldbeclassifiedas

requiringamandatoryEIA.Otherprojects fallunder thediscretionofMember

Statesthroughascreeningprocess(ibid).Thedirectivehasbeenamendedthree

timessinceitsinceptionforanumberofreasonsincludingtransbountaryissues

andcaptureand storageof carbondioxide.However,pertinent to this study is

the amendment aligning EIA procedures with the provisions of the Aarhus

Convention(ibid).

Page 13: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

13

TheUnitedNationsEconomicCommission forEurope (UNECE)Conventionon

Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to

JusticeinEnvironmentalMatterswasadoptedonthe25thofJune1998inDanish

the cityAarhus (UNECE1998).Usually shortened to theAarhusConvention, it

establishes a number or rights for the public in specific regards to the

environment. Although adopted in 1998 countries were given an extended

periodoftimeinordertodraftnationallevellegislation(ibid).Forexample,the

RepublicofIrelandonlyofficiallyratifiedtheconventiononthe20thofJune2012

(DepartmentoftheEnvironment2016).

TheAarhusConventionowes its foundationstotheRioDeclaration in1992,as

what followed from the global consultations was the non-binding Agenda 21

voluntary action plan for sustainable development and Principal 10 of theRio

Declaration on Environment and Development (UN 2015). The three primary

pillars of the convention were seen in their infancy as a prerequisite for the

declarationsonsustainabledevelopmentgoals.Chapter8,Section1appealsfor

greaterpublicparticipationinpolicycreationanddecision-makingwhileSection

3 argues for the strengthening of position of principal social groups such as

indigenouspopulations(UN2015).Principle10emphasizesthatenvironmental

issues are best handled with participation of concerned citizens; enshrines

access to information; argues for the opportunity to participate in decision

making processes and access to judicial/administrative processes. Its

significanceisclear,asthesecentralpointsarewhateventuallyformedthethree

pillarsoftheAarhusConvention(UNGeneralAssembly1992).

TomakethecommunicationoftheAarhusConventionsimplertheconventionis

formallybrokenintothefollowingthreefundamentalpillars:

Pillar1–Accesstoinformation

The4tharticleoftheconventionsetsouttherightofeveryonetogainaccessto

environmentalinformation.Thisensuresthatthepublichastheabilitytoknow

what ishappening intheirenvironmentandensurestheirabilitytoparticipate

inaninformedmanner(UNECE1998).

Page 14: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

14

Pillar2–PublicParticipationinEnvironmentalDecision-Making

Article 6 sets out to establish the right of the public to participate in

environmentaldecision-making.Publicparticipation isnotexplicitlydefined in

theConventionbutinitspreambleitrecitesthevalueswhichlieattheheartof

public participation. The right of the public to assert the right to reside in an

environmentthatishealthyandtodoonesdutyinprotectingtheenvironmentis

themostprominentpoint.Earlyinvolvementofthepublicisheavilyencouraged

andlegallyensuresthatsuitableinvolvementmustoccur(Stec2000).

Pillar3–AccesstoJustice

The final pillar is seen in Article 9, which requires authorities to provide an

appropriate mechanism to safeguard the rights of the public under national

environmentallaw.Thisallowsthepublictoaccessreviewprocedures,whichact

as a medium through which written omissions can be made in an adequate

timely manner. It should be noted that without Pillar’s 1 and 3 it would be

impossibleforPillar2tofunctioneffectively(UNECE1998).

FundamentallytheAarhusConventionisaimedatsettingbasicrules forpublic

authorities. When it comes to the Republic of Ireland legislating the

implementationof theConvention therearesome importantaspects thatmust

benoted.Statutoryinstrument‘No.133/2007–EuropeanCommunities(Access

toInformationontheEnvironment)Regulations2007-2011’amongotherthings

expandedthedefinitionofwhatapublicauthoritycanbe.Itexpandedto“include

otherpersonsorbodiesperformingpublicadministrative functions in relation to

the environment under national law, as well as other persons or bodies acting

undertheircontrolandhavingpublicresponsibilitiesorfunctionsinrelationtothe

environment.” (Government of Ireland 2007, p. 1). Thus in this research the

companywhich provided the EIA, Anglo American LisheenMining Ltd (AALM

Ltd),isoneofthesebodiesandthusboundbytheConvention.

Page 15: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

15

1.1. ResearchFocus

TheprimaryfocusofthisstudywillbeonpublicparticipationanditsuseinIrish

EIAs.Through theanalysisofa specific Irishcase theexplorativeresearchwill

attempt to provide a deeper exploration into the experience of public

participation in EIAs and how the principals of the Aarhus Convention were

adheredto.PublicparticipationwithinEIAshasreceivedaconsiderableamount

of academic criticismwith regard to its practice and issues such as failure to

influencedecision-makingandpoorinformationprevision(Petts1999b;Hartley

2005). This thesis will concentrate on the case of the ‘Lisheen Wind Farm’

developmentintheRepublicofIreland.Situatedinarural,populatedareawhose

community has had limited experience with EIAs, the case had a meaningful

bearing on national planning policy. It represents a contemporary example of

howsmallruralcommunitiesreacttothedevelopmentoflargewindfarmsand

howcurrentEIAparticipationisconductedinIreland.

Publicparticipationhasbeenviewedfundamentallyasabeneficialdevelopment

forboththeenvironmentandsociety.TheEuropeanCourtofJusticeessentially

assumesthepositivevaluesthatpublicparticipationbringsandtheyvigorously

enforceitsusethroughEIAs(Ryall2009).TheAarhusConvention, inprinciple,

should provide the public with some of the best legal protection available in

responsetomajordevelopmentsintheirlocalities.

Previous research in this area is typified by Judith Petts (1999) with a

concentrationonassessmentofqualityandhowpublicparticipationwithinEIAs

is practiced.Often theseworkswouldneglect themore subjective elements of

theEIA.However,otherresearcherssuchasWilkins(2003)notetheimportance

of subjectivity inEIAs andargue its role in creatingdiscourseon social values

could fostermoreenvironmentalsustainability.Researchadvocatingsubjective

elements is rare and few studies place participants’ experiences in a central

position.Havingtheabovepictureinminditisarguablethattherecouldbeagap

in the knowledge being produced on public participationwithin EIA research.

The inclusion of more in-depth human centredmethods in the assessment of

Page 16: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

16

public participation within EIAs may help yield more substantial conclusions

aboutthewaypublicparticipationinEIAsisbeingpracticed.

1.2. AimandResearchQuestion

The aim with this master thesis is to explore how public participation was

conducted within Irish EIA and what role the Aarhus Convention played.

Assessment criteriawasutilised to explore thepublicparticipation in the case

throughassessingitsadherencetotheAarhusConvention.Thiswillbecombined

with an exploration into exactly how the participants experienced the

phenomenonofpublicparticipationthatwasofferedtothem.This leadstothe

followingresearchquestion,

Howhave thestakeholdersof theLisheenWindFarmexperienced theirpublic

participationinvolvementinitsIrishenvironmentalimpactassessmentandhow

muchoftheAarhusConvention’srightstoaccesswerefulfilled?

Namelytherightto,

I. Accesstoenvironmentalinformation,

II. Publicparticipationinenvironmentaldecision-making

III. Accesstojustice.

1.3. Delimitation:Time,SubjectandArea

In relation to time, the study has been limited to the events, which occurred

duringthedevelopmentoftheturbinesbetween2006and2013.Thiswasdone

forpractical reasons,as itwas the timeframe inwhich thepublicparticipation

occurred. The LisheenWind Farm case had two distinct development phases,

2006-2009 and 2009-2013. The majority of the public participation occurred

during the first phase of development thus for analysis purposes the research

willprimarilyconcentrateonthefirstphaseofwindturbineconstruction. The

subjectofpublicparticipationwillbe limitedto itsusewithinEIAs,specifically

Page 17: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

17

the EIA in the Republic of Ireland, a EU member state. The geographical

boundaryofthisstudywillbearoundtheareainwhichthecaseoccurred,thatof

thetownlandsofTempletuohyandMoyne,locatedinNorthCo.Tipperaryinthe

RepublicofIreland.

Page 18: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

18

2. Method

Thischapterwillclarifytheresearchapproachandmethodsusedtogatherthe

empiricaldataforthisthesis. Itwillbeginbyoutliningtheresearchdesignand

the reasoning for the case study approach. Following this the sampling, data

collection techniques and data analysis will be elaborated upon. Finally this

chapterwill concludewith acknowledgments of some of the limitations of the

research.

2.1. ResearchDesign:Casestudyapproach

This research will utilise the case study approach for its methodology. It is

described as “an empirical inquiry about a contemporary phenomenon (e.g., a

“case”),setwithin itsreal-worldcontext,especiallywhentheboundariesbetween

phenomenaandcontextarenotclearlyevident”(Yin2009,p.18)Theuseof the

casestudyapproachwasdrivenbytheneedtodeeplyconcentrateonaspecific

phenomenon within a specific community. For this research, an exploratory

methodwill be used as the need to concentrate on a specific phenomena and

howitoccurred.Thisapproachallowsforanin-depthandextensivedescription

ofhowthephenomenonofpublicparticipationwascarriedoutwiththeuseofa

contemporary example. The methodology allows for the research to retain

characteristics of real life context,which arebothholistic andmeaningful (Yin

2009). This is desirable when researching participation, as it requires more

insightfulexplanationsofindividuals’experiences.

2.1.1. Casestudy:ARepresentativecase

TheLisheenWindFarmcasewillbearepresentativecasestudy.Theeventsof

the development began in 2006 when the initial scoping report was

commissionedandduetothetwodifferentphasesofthedevelopmentlastedup

until the final turbineswhere erected in 2013. The case can be considered as

representativeasitdisplaysnumerouscommonfactorsthatarepresentinwind

Page 19: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

19

farmdevelopmentintheRepublicofIreland.Firstlythewindfarmislocatedina

sparselypopulatedruralarea,likethemajorityofonshorewindfarmsdeveloped

in theRepublic of Ireland. The case is culturally and socially representative of

rural Ireland and can represent how communitieswith no prior experience of

windturbinescanreacttotheirdevelopment.Theproject’slocation,population

andtheabsenceofhistoricalwindfarmsintheareaarerepresentativeofother

windfarmsindevelopmentacrosstheRepublicofIreland.Thusthiscasehasthe

potential to show issues, which are similar for other EIA processes currently

beingundertaken.

2.1.2. Sampling

Thisresearchbeganwithpurposivesampling,whichallowedfortheselectionof

individuals who have had first hand experience of participation within the

LisheenWindFarmcase study.However thiswas thensupplementedwith the

useofthesnowballsamplingtechnique.Asthewindfarmisbasedinaveryrural

setting and occurred a few years ago, getting in contact with the affected

communitieswasquiteaneffort.

Thesnowballprocessallowedagreaterdegreeofacceptancewhenconducting

research in a tightly knit community such as Templetuohy and Moyne. Other

participantswereonlyfoundoncethefirstcontactdiscoveredaconnectiontoan

actual participant. Using this non-probability sampling approach would be

construedbymanyaslessscientific;however,inlightofthecontextofthestudy

and thedifficultlyreaching theparticipants, itwas themostpractical sampling

approachtotake.

Page 20: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

20

2.2. DataCollectionTechniques

2.2.1. Interviews

Decidingontheinterviewstructuretobeusedintheresearchwaschallenging.

Asthisstudyanalysedthesamesetofin-depthinterviewsintwodifferentways,

aninterviewingstructurethatwouldbestaccommodatebothanalysismethods

was required. Phenomenological methods suggest a non-structured interview

procedure, however, traditional qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews can

workbetterwithastructure,ifonlytopreventinterviewsubjectswanderingtoo

farofftopic.Qualitativeinterviewing,usingsemi-structuredquestions,isbuilton

using open-ended questions that aim at encouraging meaningful responses

(Patton1990).Theresearcher, therefore, isallowedtoexplorenewavenuesof

questioning when they arise, preventing the possibility of shutting down any

illuminatinglineofquestioning.Theinterviewsthushadaroughlimitednumber

ofpre-arrangedquestionswhoseorderanduseweredecidedupondepending

on theebband flowof thediscussion.The interviewguide for thesequestions

canbefoundinAppendix1.Differentfollow-upquestionswerealsoaskedbutdo

notappearontheguide.

The pre-arranged questions were guided, firstly, by the need for experienced

basedquestioningofthesubjects’participationintheEIA.Theresearchquestion

ontheAarhusConventionalsohelpedtostructuretheinterviewsastopics,such

as access to information, access to justice and access to decision making

processes. The four in-depth interviews were conducted on-site in the

participants’ own homes which helped to maintain an informal feeling to the

interviewingprocess.Thisgreatlyhelpedinuncoveringdataonpersonalviews

andcontentionstopics,suchaswindturbinedevelopments.

Page 21: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

21

2.2.2. Documentstudy

The documents used in this research complement the primary qualitative

methodsused.Thedatacollection/selectionwastakenfromonlinegovernment

sourcesandthroughprimarydocumentsreceivedfromoneoftheinterviewees.

As the documents’ primary role is to help in the triangulation of the data, the

numberofrelevantdocumentscollectedandanalysedwaslimited.Awiderange

ofdifferentdocumentswereutilisedforthisthesis,including:

• planningapplications,

• EnvironmentalImpactStatements(EIS),

• ScopingReport,and

• submissions/objectionletters.

2.2.3. Bracketing

Bracketingisaqualitativemethodwithphenomenologicalorigins.Itisusedfor

mitigatingthepotentiallyadverseeffectsofpreconceptions,whichmightweaken

theresearchprocess.Bybeingexplicitabouthowtheresearcherviewstheworld

and bracketing these preconceptions, the researcher is better equipped to

describeinterviewees’experiences.Theentireresearchprocessisthenrootedin

the topicathand. (Tufford2010).Thismethodwill alsobeapplied in thedata

analysisprocess.

2.3. ApproachtoDataAnalysis

For this thesis, two analyses have been undertaken with the use of in depth

interviewmaterialandrelevantdocuments.Thefirstanalysiswillfocusonhow

thepublicparticipationwithintheEIAprocesswasconductedbyexploringthe

roleof theAarhusConvention.Byassessing theAarhusConvention itnotonly

reveals the setting and circumstances of the public participation, but also

facilitatesacritiqueofpublicparticipationinIrishEIAs.Thesecondpartofthe

analysiswillhaveadeeperfocusonhowthesubjectswereinvolvedinthepublic

Page 22: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

22

participationbyconcentratingonhowtheyactuallyexperiencethephenomenon

ofparticipation.Byutilisingphenomenologicalanalysis,thesecondanalysiswill

bemoredescriptiveinnatureasitaimstodevelopameaningfulrepresentation

ofthelivedexperienceofpublicparticipation.Thefindingsofthetwodifferent

analyseswerethencombinedandasynthesisoftheresultswillbecreatedwith

the intention of the findings being used to strengthen the practice of public

participationinEIA.

2.3.1 Analysis1:PublicParticipationandtheAarhusConvention

The analysis of the empirical data began by exploring how the public

participation within the EIA was conducted. This will be achieved through

analysingtheextenttowhichtheAarhusConventionsthreepillarswereevident

in the public participation. Following the full transcription of the in-depth

interviews,abroadcodingoftheinterviewswasconductedwhichservedtogive

theresearcherastructuredoverviewofthedata.

The four interviews were then tested by four different practice criteria that

aimed to assess how thepublic participationwas conducted and the extent to

whichtheAarhusConvention’smainprincipleswereadheredto.Theinterview

datawasalsocomplementedbyrelevantdocumentaryevidence,whichwillalso

provideaformoftriangulationofthedata.

Thesepracticecriteriawerederivedfromacombinationofdifferentcriteriafor

evaluating EIA systems by Petts (1999) and Hartley & Woods (2005). The

practicecriteriawhichdidnotfitwiththescopeofthisstudywerenotincluded

in the analysis. The criteria thatwere chosen are intended to assess the three

pillars of the Aarhus Convention within the case namely; access to

environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-

makingandaccesstojustice.Theformulationofthepracticeevaluationcriteria

andtherelatedAarhusConventionprincipalswillbe furtherelaborateupon in

thechapter5.Alsothequalityofthethreepillarsandtheimpactontheresults

stemmingfromthechosenpracticecriteriawillbediscussedinchapter7.

Page 23: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

23

Thecriteriachosen:

• Accessibility and information provision – that the public can obtain

informative materials and are informed as to the nature of the

developmentanddecisionmakingprocess.

• Communication and interaction – Have practical steps (locating

concerned public, planning (including timing of meetings, public

transportation availability and approachability of information) been

taken to allow thepublic to participate?Did the techniques used allow

stakeholderstocontributetothediscussiononthedevelopment?

• Opennessandclarityoflegalprovisions-Werethereopportunitiesfor

public participation, including access to submitting inquires/objections

inwritingorapublichearingreview?Weredecisionsarticulatedtothe

community?Didtheydemonstrateanunderstandingoftheirlegalrights

andhaveaccesstothem.

• Influence – Did the concerns brought forward during the participation

process influence the final decision on the granting of planning

permission?

2.3.2. Analysis2:Phenomenological

Moustakas’s (1994) writing on phenomenological research methods provides

theguidelinesforconductingthisanalysis.Itwillbeemployedtodescribehow

the participants conceptualise their lived experience of participating in the

LisheenWind Farm developments EIA process. Upon reviewing the literature

associated with participation in EIAs, it can be argued phenomenological

methodsareunderutilised.Phenomenologycanbroadlybedefinedasamethod

that “aims to describe, understand and interpret themeanings of experiences of

human life” (Bloor & Wood 2006, p. 3). It should be noted that there is a

distinction between phenomenology as a school of philosophical thought, and

Page 24: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

24

phenomenological methods, which is an approach to research. The use of

phenomenologicalmethodscanhelptoshedlightonhowindividualsexperience

participation and thusmay lead to new andmore substantive approaches for

environmentalplannersandpolicymakers.Itcouldevenaidindevelopingmore

judiciousdecision-makingprocesses:“Thereisarecognitionthatphenomenology

ishumanist.Thus, objects external to thehumanbodyarenotdivorced from the

cognitionofthosepeoplewhoinvesttheseobjectswithmeaning”(Wilson&Slack

1989).

With this in mind this research perspective is useful in identifying how

individuals conceptualise their lived environment. This could be useful with

regard to thewind turbine debate, which has predominately revolved around

negativeaspectssuchasaestheticissuesandimpactonqualityoflifefromnoise

ontheenvironmentinwhichpeoplelive(Devine2005).Byconcentratingonthe

participants’ intersubjectivity phenomenological methods can establish new

outlooksonpublicparticipationthatotherstudiesmaynot.Thesubjectmatter

ofthisstudywillbecentredontheexperienceofparticipatingwithinacaseofan

Irish EIA. The in-depth interviews that were conducted are fundamental in

creatingadescriptionoftheexperiencesthatwerelivedthrough.

In utilising Moustakas’s methods (1994:122) this analysis has a step-by-step

approach fororganising andanalysingdata.Moustakas’s approach isbasedon

Husserl’s transcendental phenomenology and is a modification of the Stevick

(1971), Colaizzi (1973) and Keen (1975) approach. The analysis will use a

slightlyalteredversionofthisapproach,limitingitsscopeandchanginghowthe

compositedescriptionofthephenomenaofparticipationwillbedisplayed.

ThefollowingstepshavebeentakingfromMoustakas(1994),fromtheverbatim

transcriptoftheparticipants:

• Every statement by the participants is considered as possessing equal

value(Horizonalization)andbracketingoccurs.

Page 25: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

25

• Eachstatementisconsideredinrespecttoitssignificancefordescription

oftheexperience.

• Allrelevantstatementshavebeenrecordedandthenon-repetitive,non-

overlappingstatementshavebeentakenout.

• Thisleaveswhatiscalledtheinvarianthorizonsoftheexperience.

• Theseinvarianthorizonalstatementswillthenbealteredandreducedby

cutting the word count through replacing the vocabulary with

comparableterms(SeeAppendix,11.2).Eachofthesealteredstatements

will then be organised into a descriptive account of each of the

participants’experience.

• Finally the invariant horizons from each of the interviewees will be

clusteredtogetherintothemesandusedtoformacompositedescription

ofthephenomenaofparticipationinthecase.

Horizonalization is the process of taking every statement made by the

participantandtreatingitwithequalvalue.Thisaidsincreatingwhatiscalleda

‘horizon’ –byutilising themetaphorof ahorizon it describes aperspectiveor

way of viewing the world. These horizons are limitless, as one can never

completely exhaust their experience of a phenomenon. It alters as one

reconsiders them or views them. “Each horizon, as it comes into our conscious

experience, is groundingor conditionof thephenomenon that gives it distinctive

character” (Moustakas 1994, p. 95) Thus horizonalization provides the

foundations of understanding phenomena through a person’s conscious

experiencesoftheir‘horizon’.Thismethodalsoinvolvesreducingthenumberof

words and replacing vocabulary with similar expressions. This process is

continueduntilamoresuccinctandbeneficialunderstandingoftheexperienceis

formedforeachoftheparticipants.Afterthisprocessiscompletethesearenow

known as invariant horizonal statements which will be reorganised to give a

descriptiveaccountofeachperson’sexperienceofparticipation.

Page 26: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

26

What follows will be an amalgamation, descriptively and thematically, of the

invarianthorizonalstatementsofeachofthedescriptionsoftheparticipants.It

will begin with the clustering the invariant horizonal statements from the

individual descriptions and placing them into more manageable common

themes. These themes will help elucidate and distil the individual horizonal

statements down into a more universal description of the experience of

participation in thecase (Moustakas1994).Thisnewthematicdescriptionwill

intendtogenerateadeeperunderstandingofthephenomenonofparticipation.

2.4. LimitationsThefollowingsectiondescribessomeofthelimitationsresultingfromthechoice

ofusingthisspecificresearchdesignandresearchmethods.Theeffectsofusing

a single case study will be discussed along with a note on the use of

phenomenologicalmethodsintheanalysis.

2.4.2. Generalizabilityfromasinglecase

The choice of using a single case design over amultiple-case design could be

perceived by some as a limitation to the generalizability of this research. One

couldarguethatitcouldbenefitfromhavingmultipledifferentcasestocompare

andcontrastthefindingstoenhancethegeneralizability.However,asthissingle

case study is a representative case, the objective is to capture a commonplace

situationtorepresentwhatthetypicalEIAparticipationanddevelopmentofan

onshorewind farmwould be in Ireland. Thiswill then be used to display the

experiencesoftheaverageindividualinthisspecificcontext(Yin2009).Thusthe

needformultipledifferentcasesisdiminished,astheaimwillbeachievedfrom

the use of the single case design. Thus hopefully, the case will illuminate

somethinggenerallyfoundwithinIrishEIAsuseofpublicparticipationandadd

tothecurrentdiscourseonitsuse.

Page 27: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

27

2.3.2. LimitedPhenomenologicalanalysis

Thisstudywillnotbeconductingacompletephenomenologicalanalysis.There

are two reasons for this. Firstly, the aim of the research is broader than just

describingthephenomenaofpublicparticipationinIrishEIAs.Inotherresearch

theuseofphenomenologicalanalysisisonlytoproducethisdescriptiveaccount

ofthephenomena.Asthescopeofthisthesisisbroaderthanthis,thereislessof

a need for a textual composite description. Instead, themeswill be utilised to

presentthecombinedexperienceofthephenomena.Secondly,conductingafull

phenomenological inquiry would require more time and resources than was

neededtoincorporatetheentirescopeofthestudy.

Page 28: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

28

3. TheoreticalFramework

This chapterwill elaborateon the theoretical framework thatwillbuttress the

analysis and will predominately be utilised in the discussion section of the

findingsofthecasestudy.Beingconcernedwiththeexperienceandpracticeof

participationwithinIrishEIAs,andhavingtheorywhichexplainstheprocessin

which humans create meaning is advantageous to answering this study’s

research question. Startingwith a description of some of the central points of

Berger and Luckmann’s ‘The Social Construction of Reality’, first published in

1966,thisworkisseenasaseminalpieceinthesociologicaldisciplineandwas

influenced by the work of Alfred Schütz. Berger and Luckmann’s (1966)

succeededincreatinganewdefinitionofthesociologyofknowledge.Theirwork

wasthefirsttocointheterm‘socialconstruction’withinthesocialsciences. A

sectionwillfollowexaminingtheroleofconceptoftheLife-world;thetakenfor

granted, pre-scientific, experientially given world. This concept anchors

Luckmann’stheoryandwillhopefullyinsulateit fromthecommonweaknesses

ofinterpretivism.

3.1. TheSocialConstructionofReality

BergerandLuckmann’sworkonthesociologyofknowledgeisoneofthemost

cited social works used today. It provided a new, more approachable way of

viewinghow,associalactors,weperceivereality.Itcanbedescribedasbeinga

process inwhichindividualscontinuouslydevelopasharedrealitywithintheir

sharedactionsandinteractionsthatisqualifiedasbeingobjectivelyaccurateand

subjectivelyimportant(Berger1991).Thetheoryarguesthatthesocialworldis

not simply given to us; it is not a natural occurrence. It is not even fully

determined.Individualscreateitandtransmitit.Whatwehavenotlearnedfrom

ourselvesthroughourownsenseswehavelearneddirectlyfromothers.95%of

whatweknowwejustacceptfromwhatothershavetoldus.Evenwhatourown

intuition tells us is highly shaped by others. Therefore, the social world is an

alterableworld,unlikesaythenaturalworld.

Page 29: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

29

Externalisationistheprocesswherebyindividuals,bytheirownhumanactivity

createtheirsocialworlds.Takethephysicalenvironment forexample;humans

did not create it, it is naturally occurring. However, the social environment in

whichweoperate,thecultureinwhichweliveisproducedbyhumanbeings.We

imposeorderonthingsthroughaprocessofhabitualization,“Allhumanactivity

is subject to habitualization” (Berger 1991, p. 70). The day-to-day habits that

become useful in handling recurring circumstances are soon repeated

automatically.Thesehabitsareespeciallyusefulinintersubjectivityofsociallife

as the habits become predictable and eventually dependable upon. Thus

membersofthesamecommunityadoptthesehabitualbehavioursandovertime

theybecomepartofaninstitutioninsteadofahabitofauniqueindividual.

Berger andLuckmannname themanner inwhichhabitualbehavioursbecome

institutionsas institutionalization. “Thetypificationsofhabitualizedactionsthat

constituteinstitutionsarealwayssharedones.Theyareavailabletoallmembersof

theparticularsocialgroupinquestionandtheinstitutionitselftypifiesindividual

actorsaswellas individualactions” (Berger1991, p. 72). Law is an exampleof

institution;individualsinlegalinstitutionshavespecificrolesandfollowspecific

set of habitual rules. Legal institutions postulate if an action is right orwrong

and the circumstances inwhichpunishment is dealt.With thepassingof time,

tradition and history these institutions passed down from generation to

generation cause the institution to become reified. They harden as it becomes

more and more legitimised by its own continued presence to the point that

societyforgetsthatitwastheinstitutionwasasocialconstruction.

Berger andLuckmann’swork is an appealing takeon the structureof howwe

perceive the social world it does however, suffer from some criticism as all

theories do. Berger and Luckmann (1991) are focused on the nature and

constructionofknowledgeandthisiswherethemaincriticismislevelledagainst

them,inthatthetheorycanbeconceptualisedasproposingrelativismandbeing

anti-realist (Endreß 2016). Searle critique (1995) follows along with the

majority of the social construction thesis however; he argues that there is an

external realism that exists outside of our representations of it. By giving an

Page 30: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

30

alternative view to the notion that knowledge is a direct perception of reality,

this idea that thesocialworld isactuallyeachpersonpossessingsome formof

individualrealitydrawsacademiccriticismasitclaimsthatthereisnoabsolute

objectivereality.

3.2. TheLife-World

Attaching the concept of the Life-world to Berger and Luckmann’s Social

ConstructionofRealitycanaugmentthetheorytomakeitmoreeffectualforthis

study.EdmundHusserlintroducedtheconceptofthelife-world(Lebenswelt)in

his ‘The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology’

(1936).Husserl’s thoughts can be said to have profoundly impacted twentieth

century philosophy. One of Husserl’s claims, which is also a central claim in

phenomenology, isthat“theindividualsubjectqua(asbeing)world-experiencing

isdependentonotherworld-experiencingsubjects”(Zahavi2009,p.4).Thusthis

is exactly what the life-world suggests; you cannot be a world-experiencing

individualonyourownbutmustbepartofacommunityofworldexperiencing

people.

Therefore the life-world is the conventionalworldwe take for granted. It is a

form of “pre scientific, experientially givenworld thatwe are familiarwith and

nevercallintoquestion”(Zahavi2009,p.4).Itisthesystematicsense-foundation

forscience,asineventhemostexactscientifictheoriesrelyonthepre-scientific

evidencethat the life-worldproposes. It isapermanent foundationofmeaning

throughwhich the pursuit of knowledgemust be derived. Science utilised the

practical bodily and sensory formsof experience andhasoverlookedhow this

transcendencehasallowedfortheexperienceswhichcreateknowledge.Asone

designsanexperimentandwhenresultsareinterpretedanddiscussed,scientists

rely on their common life-world that they derive their common sense and

commonkindsofevidencefrom(Zahavi2009).

Page 31: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

31

4. DescriptionofCaseStudy:LisheenWindFarmdevelopment,CountyTipperary,RepublicofIreland

Thefollowingchapterwillbeconcernedwiththedetaileddescriptionofthecase

studythatprovidesthefoundationoftheresearch.Thecasepresentationbegins

with a description of the geographical area, a brief breakdown of the current

windenergyproductioninthecaseareaandtheregulatoryaspectsaffectingthe

case. Following this a detailed explanation of the Lisheen Wind Farm

Development will be given including a description of the specific participants

and groups involved in the case. Figure 2 shows in dark green the location of

NorthCo.TipperaryonamapofIreland.

(Fig.2.MapoftheRepublicofIrelandandNorthCo.Tipperary,(CCBY-SA3.0)

Wikipedia,2016)

Page 32: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

32

4.1. GeographicalCaseArea:TempletuohyandMoyneParish

LocatedinNorthCo.Tipperary,TempletuohyandMoyneisaveryrural,sparsely

populatedarea.ThelastcensushadthepopulationofNorthTipperaryat70,322,

howeverthevillageofTempletuohywasonlyrepresentativeof323andMoyne

accountedfor533outofthetotalpopulationforthecounty(CSO2011).Ontop

of this planning and political distinctions there are another territorial

distinctions in the case. The local community has a strong connection to the

churchandusethetraditionalRomanCatholicChurch’sparishborderstodefine

their community. This is represented in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of

Cashel and Emly, which has its own geographical remit, encompassing both

Templemore and Moyne. It has a predominately low-lying topography with

fertile lands that are used for agricultural purposes. The site is spread across

varied land including a former zinc mine, peatlands and agricultural lands.

Specific wind farm development area is spread across a total area of 300

hectares(SWSNaturalResources2009).

Therewere otherwind farms operating inNorth Tipperarywhen the Lisheen

WindFarmwasdeveloped,however; theLisheenWindFarm turbines,withat

totalheightof150meters,madethemthelargestoftheirkindintheRepublicof

Ireland(AngloAmerican2006).

4.2. LisheenWindFarmDevelopment2006–2013

The wind farmwas established over a number of years and had two distinct

phases. There were a number of different energy companies involved in this

wind farm. For the purpose of this thesis only AALM Ltd will be used when

discussingthecompanieswhodevelopedandweretheprimaryinstigatorsofthe

public participation. The Lisheen Wind Farm had two distinct stages

development which came together resulting in 30 2-3 Megawatts (MW) wind

turbines on the site with a combined power of 60,000 kW (Anglo American

LisheenMiningLTD2007).InitiallyAALMLtdappliedforplanningpermissionto

erect22windturbines inandaroundthe locationof theLisheenMine in2006

Page 33: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

33

(AngloAmerican2006).Itwasclassifiedasalarge-scalewindprojectunderIrish

standardsand thusrequiredEIAs tobeconductedprior to itsdevelopment.At

the time itwas the first large-scalewind turbine project in the area. Over the

course of the public participation a wealth of opinion was heard with some

positivevoicesandsomenegativevoices.Anoppositiongroupwasformedand

theplanningprocesstookitstimetodeliberateonthematter.Tobetterdescribe

theevents,thefollowingsectionswilldescribethetwodifferentphasesofwind

turbinedevelopment.

4.3. Phase1:Operationalin2009

Phase one resulted in the development of 18 turbineswith the capacity of 36

MW.TheinitialEIAscopingreportwascompiledandpublishedinMarch2006

(AngloAmerican2006).Itwasaroundthistimethatfirstcontactwasmadewith

thelocalresidenceinTempletuohyandMoyne.Thiswaswherethemajorityof

thepublicparticipationtookplaceastheturbineswerebuiltonboththeLisheen

Mine and State owned lands that encroached on housing. North Tipperary

CountyCouncil receivedplanningapplicationon the14/06/2006and the final

conditionaldecisionwasgivenin31/01/2007(AngloAmericanLisheenMining

LTD2007).Agroupthataimedtopreventthedevelopmentofthewindturbines

began a campaigning following its announcement. The planning process was

delayed but eventually the initial 18 wind turbines were given planning

permission. Soon after the granting of planning permission AALM Ltd began

anotherapplicationforanextensionofthewindfarm(TipperaryCountyCouncil

2009).

Page 34: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

34

(Fig.3.“LisheenWindFarm”,Devane,D2015)

4.4. Phase2:Operationalin2013

Phase twowas an extensionof initial LisheenWindFarmdevelopmentwith a

further12turbineswithacapacityofafurther24MW.Unlikethefirstphaseit

was developed on predominantly private lands, which did not have road

frontage (Tipperary County Council 2009). Therewas less public participation

involved inthisphaseofdevelopmentasmostof themeetingsanddiscussions

occurred in private. With a successful EIA having already been carried out

previouslytheplanningprocessforthesecondphasehadmuchlessdelaysand

went through the planning process without any major objections (ibid).

TipperaryCountyCouncilreceivedplanningapplicationfortheextensiononthe

27/02/2009andthefinalconditionaldecisionwasgivenin26/08/2009(ibid).

Following the development of the Lisheen Wind Farm, local governments

adoptednewplanningproceduresinlightofthiscase(Hogan2015).Beingthe

first major wind farm development in North Tipperary the public authorities

were very interested in how it progressed. The public authorities were

Page 35: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

35

impressedwith themonetaryconcessions that thepublicwereabout toderive

fromAALMLtd(ibid).

(Fig.4.OperationalLisheenwindturbines,Devane,D.2015)

4.5. Regulatoryaspects

Numerous different national and supranational regulations impacted the case,

howeveronlyafewareofcentralimportancetothisresearch.IntheRepublicof

IrelandanEIAisonlyamandatoryprocedurewhenawindfarmhasinexcessof

5 turbines, has a max output greater then 5 MW (Department of the

Enviornment2006)orwhenaprojectisconsideredashavingsignificanteffects

ontheenvironmentasnotedintheEUEIADirective85/337/EEC(Councilofthe

Page 36: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

36

EuropeanUnion1985).Asthefirstphaseofthedevelopmentwouldinvolvethe

developmentof18windturbinesaEIAwasautomaticallyrequiredaspartofthe

planningapplication.

Inregardstothepublicauthoritiesinvolvedinthecase,NorthTipperaryCounty

Council andAnBord Pleanála (Irish PlanningBoard)were responsible for the

planning and appeals processes. AALM Ltd had to abide by other regulations

suchasthesitenoticemustremaininplaceforatleast5weeksfromthedateof

receipt of the planning application. The public is also bound by the rules in

regardstosubmissionsandobservationsthatmustbesubmittedwithin5weeks

ofthedateoftheplanningapplication(PublicServiceInformation2015).

The Lisheen Wind Farm also had to follow the ‘Wind Energy Development

Guidelines’ set out by the Department of the Environment. Out of these

guidelines the most important and contentions stipulations are the minimum

setback distances for the turbines. This is the distance the turbines should be

placed in relation tooccupied residentialdwellingswith theaim to reduce the

effectsofshadowflicker,noiseetc.Thecurrentsetbackdistanceintheguidelines

from 2006 is 500meters, although, these have been under review since 2013

withconsecutivedelaysinthepublicationofthenewguidelines(Departmentof

theEnviornment2006).

FinallyaspreviouslynotedtheapplicationoftheAarhusConventioninthiscase

isnotstraightforward.Thiscaseoccurredduringtheperiodoftimeinwhichthe

conventionwasbeingtransposedintoIrishLaw,duringthelongperiodbetween

its signing and its ratification into Irish Law.Officially it has only entered into

force completely in June2012 following, the implementationanumberofnew

legislativeprovisionsincluding;

• European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment)

Regulations 2007-2011 – adding further access to environmental

Page 37: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

37

information including a request system to the Irish Government’s

DepartmentofEnvironment(GovernmentofIreland2007).

• Numerous pieces of legislation were used to transpose the Directive

2003/35/EC on Public Participation to bring Irish law governing

environmental consent and planning into line (Department of the

Environment2016).

• Environment (MiscellaneousProvisions)Act2011,which added judicial

notice to be taken for the convention (Department of the Environment

2011).

However, itmustbenoted thatmanyof theprincipalsof the conventionwere

already adopted or were in the process of being adopting by the Irish public

authoritiesthroughoutthetimelineofthecase.

4.6. Participantsandothergroups

Thissectionwillreviewthefourdifferentparticipantsthatwereinterviewedas

partoftheresearchofthecase. Itwillalsoconcentrateonthedifferentgroups

thatwerepresentinthecaseandrequiresomeelaborationinordertofacilitate

thedata analysis. It shouldbenoted that finding the appropriate interviewees

was initiallydifficultasmanymembersof the localityhadbeenaroundduring

thedevelopment,butneveractuallyactivelyparticipated.

4.6.1. MrTimBergin

Mr Tim Bergin was the first participant whowas interviewed for thismaster

thesis.Firstcontactwasmadethroughtheinitialresearchintowhoparticipated

intheLisheenWindFarmcase.MrBergin isa localresident inhismidthirties

fromTempletuohyCo.Tipperary,currentChairmanoftheParishForumandwas

aformeremployeeofAALMLtd.Hedoesnothaveafamilyanddefineshimselfas

havingworked in theenergysector formanyyears.Beforeworking inLisheen

Page 38: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

38

MineheworkedinBordNaMóna(naturalresourceenergycompany).Heisalso

activewithinotherlocalcommunitygroups.

4.6.2. MrRichardDaly

The first intervieweesourced thecontactdetails forMrRichardDalywhowas

knowntoalsohaveparticipatedinthepublicparticipation.Inhislatethirtieshe

isa local farmerand landowner inMoyne,Co.Tipperary. In the firstphasehe

was one of the leaders of the Moyne Templetuohy Community Action Group,

acting as their treasurer during the planning phases of the development

(Submissions/Objections 2006). However, later he ended up renting land in

closeproximitytothefamilyhousefortheconstructionof5windturbinesinthe

secondphaseof thedevelopment.Hewasalsoandstill isanactivememberof

the Parish Forum. He lives and works on the farm with his wife and two

children.

4.6.3. MrPaddyDoyle

MrDalypassedonthecontactdetailsthenextparticipantandlocalresidentMr

Paddy Doyle. Mr Doyle is his 50s and works as a local teacher in the

Templetuohy Moyne area in Co. Tipperary. His profession is that of a public

teacher of a secondary (high) school. He is also the Chairperson of Moyne

Athletics Club,member of a local historical society andmember of the ‘Parish

Forum’.Mr Doylewas active in the initial public participation during the first

phaseofthedevelopmentandwitnessedhowthecommunityfundwasutilised

intheclubshewasinvolvedwith.

4.6.4. Cllr.JohnHogan

The finalparticipant thatwas interviewedwasCllr. JohnHoganaCahaoirleach

(Councillor) from the Irish political party Fianna Fáil. He is the only elected

political representative for the Templetuohy/Moyne area. He lives with his

Page 39: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

39

familyjustoutsideofTempletuohy.Heplayedaninstrumentalroleinhelpingto

organise parts of the public participation with AALM Ltd and the public

authorities. As an acting public representative he had many important

interactions with different stakeholders while also engaging in all the regular

publicparticipationevents.HewasamemberoftheParishForumandhisfamily

livesoutsideoftheTempletuohyandMoynearea.

4.7. AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLtdandSWSEnergy

AALMLtdwastheoriginalownersofaZincminewhoseproductionlevelswere

dropping.AALMLtdsoondevelopedthe ideaofusingtheadjacent landowned

by themine to develop awind farm. Themine began operations in 1999 and

employedupto400peopleinthelocality.AALMbegantheplanningprocessin

2006 and a larger company specialising in harnessing renewables called SWS

EnergyfromCo.Cork,Irelandtookoverthebusiness.SWSfinishedofftheendof

the planning process, which included the final EIS. However, it is also worth

noting that after the first phase of the development was complete another

companycalledBordGáisEnergyboughtSWSEnergyLtd.CurrentlytheLisheen

WindFarmisbeingoperatedbyBordGáisEnergy(O'Mahony2009).

4.7.1. ParishForum

The Parish Forum was initially instigated by AALM Ltd as part of the public

participationthattookplacepriortotheconstructionoftheLisheenWindFarm.

ItoriginallydidnotgobytheParishForumnameasitwascomprisedofonlya

fewworkersfromtheminewhowereinformedthattheminewasintendingon

developingawindfarmonthesiteofthemineandadjacentlands.Whenplans

movedforwardthegroupwasexpandedtorepresenttherestofthecommunity.

Thisinvolvednominatinguptosixteenmembersofthecommunitytorepresent

thewholeinfutureparticipatorydiscussionsandmeetings.

Page 40: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

40

4.7.2. MoyneTempletuohyCommunityActionGroup

Followingtheannouncementof theproposed22windturbinesfortheLisheen

Wind Farm development, an action group began to develop with concerned

membersofthecommunitythatdidnotwantthewindfarmtobedevelopedin

theTempletuohy/Moynelocality.Theirmissionstatementstated,“Topreventthe

proposed Development of a wind farm in Barna, Lisheen, Cooleeney, Derryfadda

andKilloran” (Moyne Templetuohy Community Action Group 2006, p. 1). This

groupalsostatedthatactionstakeninvolvedthesubmissionof65objectionsto

windfarmandthattheyorganisedtheirownpublicmeetingforthepublicwho

wereopposedto thewind farmon2/8/06.Theyalsoclaimitwasattendedby

120 people and nine local political representatives (Moyne Templetuohy

CommunityActionGroup2006).

Page 41: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

41

5. CaseStudyFindings:Part1.PublicParticipationandtheAarhusConvention-Description,AnalysisandResults

ThischapterisconcernedwiththefirstanalysisoftheLisheenWindFarmcase

studyasdescribedinthemethodssection.Beforethephenomenologicalanalysis

concentrateson theexperienceofparticipation inEIA it isessential toprovide

anunderstandingofpracticalitiesofhowthepublicparticipationwasconducted.

The analysiswill achieve this by exploring the public participation in the case

through assessing its adherence to the Aarhus Convention. In order to begin,

Table1,will illustrate themost relevantAarhusConventionprinciplesand the

correspondingpracticeevaluationcriteriathatwillbeusedtoanalysethem.The

practice criteria were derived from an amalgamation of different criteria for

evaluating EIA systems from theworks of Petts (1999) and Hartley &Woods

(2005)asmentionedinchaptertwo.

5.1. GeneralBracketing

Throughouttheinterviewingandanalysisprocessthepracticeofbracketingwas

utilised.ThefirstbracketedissuewasthefactthatasaresearcherIhavespent

themajorityofmylifelivinginurbanpopulations.Theintervieweescomefrom

rural areas with different cultural and social understandings. This bracketing

issue is somewhatmitigated by the fact that I have relations living in an area

closeby.Howeverthisexperiencemustalsobebracketedasitmayalsoimpinge

on the research. Also as a researcher I must be aware of the possible

presumptions having come from academic pursuits in environmental sciences.

The interviewees come from a culture that still exploits one of the most CO2

intensivefuelsontheplanet,theburningofpeatlands(turf).Anypresumptions

as to the interviewee’s environmental credentials must also be bracketed. By

bracketing off these presumptions the researcher is allowed to concentrate of

thephenomenoninamoreunbiasedform.

Page 42: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

42

5.1.1. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrTimBergin

Upon researching for suitable case studies it became clear thatMrBergin had

appeared in a promotional video in favour of the Lisheen Wind Farm. The

presumptionwasthathehadpro–windturbineleanings.

5.1.2. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrRichardDaly

Astheresearchprogressednewinformationcomestolight,whichcreatednew

presumptions that had not existed before. In the case of Mr Richard Daly, it

became known that he was part of an anti-wind farm group which initially

challenged thedevelopmentof theLisheenWindFarm.Thisknowledgehad to

be bracketed out in order to prevent it affecting the outcomeof the interview

andphenomenologicalanalysis.

5.1.3. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrPaddyDoyle

InMrPaddyDoyle’scasetherewasnospecificbracketingusedfortheinterview

ortheanalysisapartfortheonesmentionedinthegeneralbracketingsection.

5.1.4. InterviewSpecificBracketing:MrJohnHogan

JohnHogan isanelectedcountycouncilofficialandmemberof theFiannaFáil

political party. The political ideological presumptions that relate to his

connectiontothatpoliticalpartymustbebracketedout.

5.2. TheAarhusprinciplesintheLisheenWindFarm

Thissectionanalysestheextenttowhicheachofthepracticeevaluationcriteria

can be viewed as having been fulfilled in the case study of the LisheenWind

Farm. The procedure of public participation will be discussed by utilising the

opinionsoftheintervieweestodeterminetowhatextentthethreepillarsofthe

Aarhus Conventions were evident. The in-depth interviews will provide the

foundation for the analysis however; thiswill be complemented by additional

informationfromrelevantdocumentationonthecase.

Page 43: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

43

Table 1: Formulation of the Aarhus Convention and the corresponding Practice

EvaluationCriteria

AarhusConventionPrinciples:

(UNECE1998)

(EuropeanCommission2003)

PracticeEvaluationCriteria

• Thepublicconcernedshallbe

informed,bypublicnoticesorother

appropriatemeans,ofenvironmental

decision-makingproceduresassoon

astheinformationcanreasonablybe

provided…(Article6(2))

• Informationonwhichauthoritiesand

whenandwheresuchinformationwill

beavailable(Article6(2))

• Public participation procedures will

ensure that reasonable time frames

are set to allow for sufficient time for

informingthepublic…(Article6(3))

• Accessibility and information

provision – the public can obtain

informative materials and are

informed as to the nature of the

development and decision making

process.

• “The public concerned shall be given

early and effective opportunities to

participate in the environmental

decision-making procedures referred

to in Article 2(2) and shall, for that

purpose, be entitled to express

comments and opinions when all

options are open to the competent

authority or authorities before the

decision on the request for

development consent is taken.”

(EuropeanCommission2003,p.1)

• Each party shall ensure that identify

thepublicconcernedandestablishing

and maintaining practical

• Communication and interaction –

Have practical steps (locating

concernedpublic,planning(including

timing of meetings, public

transportation availability and

approachability of information) been

taken to allow the public to

participate? Did the techniques used

allow stakeholders to contribute to

thediscussiononthedevelopment?

Page 44: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

44

arrangements with them in order to

enter into discussions and provide

information on the impacts and

objectivesoftheproject.(Article6(5))

• Each party shall strive to develop

effective public participation in an

appropriate way without prejudice

andtoallowforthepublictobegiven

the opportunity to comment. (Article

6(6))

• With the description of the

development site, technical

characteristics, expected emissions,

significant effects of the proposed

activityof theenvironment….(Article

6(6))

• Parties within the convention shall

ensure that persons who consider to

beignoredorwrongfullytreatedwith

will have access to a review

procedure before a court of law or

anotherindependentbody.(Article9)

• Openness and clarity of legal

provisions

Were there opportunities for public

participation that including access to

submitting inquires/objections in

writing or public hearing review?

Were decisions articulated to the

community?

Did the public demonstrate an

understanding of their legal rights

andhaveaccesstothem?

• Thepublicshallhavetheresultsofthe

public participation are taken into

account upon the final executive

decision.(Article6(8))

• Influence–Didtheconcernsbrought

forward during the participation

processinfluenceinthefinaldecision

on the granting of planning

permission?

Page 45: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

45

5.2.1. AccessibilityandInformationprovision

Broadlyspeaking,stakeholdersfeltthatAALMLtdmadeaconsiderateeffortto

informthepublicastothenatureof thedevelopmentandthedecisionmaking

process.Thoughitwasalsodefinedasbeing“minimal.Itwasgoodbutitwasstill

minimal” (Appendix, p. 245). Predominantly the information provision was

presented during two informative open days were held in town halls of both

TempletuohyandMoyneonthe24/04/2006and25/04/2006(AngloAmerican

Lisheen Minning LTD 2006, p. 20). These were supplemented with the

establishment of a community groupknownas ‘ParishForum’, comprisedof a

representativemixofindividualsfromthelocalcommunity.Theopendaysand

establishment of the community groupwere noted by the interviewees as the

main sources of information provision. Following the completion of the EIS it

wasmadeavailableforviewinginLisheenMineLtdofficeswithcopiesavailable

for purchase at €45. No information was made available through placing

informativepostersorsignsinthelocalityanditwasnotpublicisedextensively

on any electronic sources. Despite these detractors the accessibility and

information provision practice criteria has been primarily fulfilled. Though in

regardstotheeffectivenessoftheinformationprovisionotherdeficiencieswere

evident.

ThepresenceoffinancialbarrierstoattainingacopyoftheEISclearlyreduced

theavailabilityofthisvitalinformation,asanymembersofthecommunityintent

onfilingsubmissionsandobjectionswouldneedtopayforitinordertomakea

stronger case to the local authorities.Anumberofobjections submitted to the

local planning authorities following the planning application in June 2006

brought up this very issue. Filing this written objection also required a

mandatory feeof€20 tobepaid toNorthTipperaryCountyCouncil.Added to

this, there were also a limited number of EIS copies available. This quickly

resultedinthecopiesbeingsoldout,leavingmembersofthecommunityunable

toreviewtheEIS.Uponrequeststoordermorecopiesthecommunitymembers

were told that they would not arrive until after the closing date for the

submissionofobjectionsonthe18/07/06(Submissions/Objections2006).This

Page 46: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

46

brings the question as to what can be defined as a reasonable timeframe for

informing the public. Having the relevant information available prior to the

submissionsprocessisofkeyimportancetothepublic’sparticipationasawhole,

as the submissions mark a shift in public engagement from a more passive

positionofreceivinginformationtohavingtheiropinionsheardontheEISand

plans through the legally bound planning process. This was also not the only

barriertoinformationprovision.Elderlymembersofthecommunityfacedissues

whichthelocalCouncillorarticulatedclearly,

“someoftheresidentsthatwherearoundthosewindfarmsah:wouldbeinthere

80s.Wouldn’tbeable to travel togo tomeetings. So theymight see the signbut

theretotallyisolatedfromthattypeofthing.”(Appendix,p252)

Accordingtotheintervieweesnoattemptsweremadetoresolvetheissuewith

anyformofalternativeinformationprovision. ThelocalCountyCouncillorhad

spentaconsiderableamountoftimeworkingwithinthecommunityduringthe

publicparticipation.Asapossiblesolutiontotheseinformationprovisionissues,

headvocated for a copyof theplanningapplicationwithall theaccompanying

documents such as the EIS to be made available for viewing in the local

community centre.He said that hiswould result in “fullaccess”and “ifyoudid

thateverybodywouldcomedown.Everybody”(Appendix,p253).

There were also some discrepancies between the EIS documentation and

information coming from the interviewees. Within the studied EIS document,

whichisrequiredfortheapplication,itisclaimedthattheprojectconsultedthe

communityverywidelyintherunuptotheapplicationprocess.Itstipulatedthat

everyhouseintheimmediateareaoftheproposeddevelopmentreceivedcopies

ofthescopingreport(AngloAmericanLisheenMinningLTD2006).Basedonthe

intervieweeswholivedadjacenttothedevelopmenttheyhadnorecollectionof

havingreceivedanythingasdetailedasascopingreport.Thescopingreportwas

compiledinMarch2006andcontainedvitalinformationontheimpactssuchas

noiseemissions,visual impacts, impactonwildfowlandshadowflicker(Anglo

American 2006, p. 12). The scoping report was not available for the public

Page 47: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

47

consumption.ItisatitisatthediscretionofAALMLtdtodecidewhentodisclose

thisinformationtothepublic.Inthiscasethescopingreportwasneverdisclosed

to thepublic. Theonly intervieweewhohadknowledgeof the scoping report

wasthelocalCountyCouncillorJohnHogan,whohadreceivedthereportprior

toanyoneduetohispoliticalpositionwithinthecommunity.Theavailabilityof

other forms of information such as negative media reports in relation to the

wind turbines and anti wind farm propaganda were noted by two of the

intervieweesasimpactingtheirviewsonthedevelopmenttoalargedegree.This

diluted themore relevant technical and development specific information that

wasbeingmadeavailabletothecommunity.

5.2.2. CommunicationandInteraction

“Istheinformationevenenoughtosayyouengagedwiththecommunityordothey

havetosetupacommittee?Idon’tknow”(Appendix,p201).

The quote above highlights some of the complexities and practical aspects of

publicparticipation,whichtheAarhusConventionattemptstogovern.AALMLtd

didmanagetolocateandcommunicatewiththepublicinaneffectivemanneras

theyutiliseditsgoodcommunicationlinkswiththelocalcommunity.Asof2006

thecompanywasstillrunningazincminingoperationthatemployedmembers

of the local community. TheAALMLtd initiated the Parish Forum they left its

structureandformationtobedesignedbythecommunityandthelocalCounty

CouncillorJohnHogan.

“we set up a Parish Forum to discuss thewhole thing and have a formal

parish structure for something like this coming in because it could have a

detrimentaleffectwedidn’tknowyou…Theproblemisignorance(.)anawfullotof

peoplehaven’taclue.Theythinkit’sgoingtodothemharm,buttheydon’treally

know”(Appendix,p240).

ThemembersoftheParishForumwereelectedataGeneralMeetingwithquitea

participatorydemocraticapproach.Allmembersofthecommunitywereableto

Page 48: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

48

come together and nominate someone for a place on the forum.Up to sixteen

people who were put forward were chosen to represent the localities of

TempletuohyandMoyne.Attheinitialmeetingtheforumwasdescribedbyone

oftheintervieweesas,

“kind of just gradually grew the format of how it operates was kind of organic

reallyit(.)emergedasneedsbekindof”(Appendix,p232).

Throughthemediumoftheforumdecision-makingprocesseswereoutlinedand

issuesdiscussedsuchashealthconcerns,propertypricesandnoise/sunflicker

issues.Itscreationwasfollowedbyafieldtriporganisedbytheforumtoviewa

functioningwind farmCo.Cork and to engagewith residents that livedbeside

them(AngloAmericanLisheenMinningLTD2006).TheEISalsostipulatedthat

AALMLtdcarriedoutasimilarfieldtripwere26peoplevisitedawindfarmnear

Kilmuckeridge in Co. Wexford in 2006, however those interviewed had no

recollection of that trip (Anglo American LisheenMinning LTD 2006). Though

thecompanyinstigatedandfacilitatedtheseactionstheykepttheirdistanceand

took a hands off approach that reduced their interactionwith the community.

Thiswascriticisedbysomeoftheintervieweesasonestatedthat

“itbecameathemandusratherthen,well let’s justdothis foreverybody,you’re

goingtogainoutofitandwe'regoingtogainoutofit”(Appendix,p245).

IntheirperspectiveAALMLtdwasunambitiousinregardstotheParishForum,

astheydidnottaketheinitiativetomeetwithindividualobjectorsanddiscuss

theirconcerns,orasthelocalCountyCouncillorphrasedit“Talktothepeople,be

partofus”(Appendix,p245).

In regards to the approachability of the information provided for the lay

community,theopendayswerecomposedinsuchawaythatnoexpertisewas

needed in order to understand what was planned. The information meetings

weredescribedasshowingprojectwith,

Page 49: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

49

“picturesandmontagesofit,aviewthatway(pointstotheleft)andshowingwhat

they’rephysicallygoingtosee.There’sgoingtobe”(Appendix,p195).

This interactive approach, coupled with the availability of non-technical

summaries of the EIS indicates that AALM Ltd attempted to make the

informationpresentedasunderstandableaspossible.Mostof the interviewees

feltthatAALMLtd’sengagementwiththecommunityhadbeen,

“quite open with..with…with the people at all stages of its own development, of

whatitwasdoingandwhatitintendedtodo”(Appendix,p233).

When it comes to gauging whether the criteria of communication and

interactionweremetinthecaseofLisheenWindFarm,thisanalysisdeemsthat

ithasbeenmet.ThepracticalarrangementsorganisedbyAALMLtddidfacilitate

publicparticipation,whichenabledmembersofthepublictoenterintoanopen

discussion on the topic. However, as shown it had its limitations by being

inflexibleandmissingopportunitiestofacilitatebettercommunicateduringthe

initialconsultationandthroughouttheplanningphase.

5.2.3. Opennessandclarityoflegalprovisions

The preceding practice criteria focused on the first and second pillars of the

Aarhus Convention; namely, access to information and public participation in

decisionmaking.Thiscriterionwillcontinueitsfocusonthesecondpillaraswell

as exploring the third and final pillar, that of access to justice. The openness

criteria cover what kind of transparency was apparent during the public

participation.WhatweretheopportunitiesgiventotheTempletuohyandMoyne

communitiestogainaccesstotheappropriatesubmissionsprocessforinquiries

andobjections?

It is clear from the interviews and relevant documentation that the public

participationdidgiveampleaccesstosubmittinginquires/objectionsinwriting.

This,however,hadlesstodowiththeactionsofAALMLtdandmoretodowith

Page 50: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

50

the Irish planning permission process. The communitywas very active during

theplanningprocessasoneintervieweeputit

“therewascertainlyanawfullotofah::(.)questionsaskedthatneededtobeasked

andwhichwhereanswered”(Appendix,p213).

Following the application for planning permission for the first phases ofwind

turbines,members of public are given fiveweeks to submit an observation or

objectiontotheproposedplans.Withthepaymentofafeetheywouldalsohave

arighttomakeawrittenobservationorsubmissioninregardstotheapplication

(PublicServiceInformation2015).Atotalof66differentsubmissionswerefiled

duringthisperiod.Anamalgamationofobjectorscallingthemselvesthe‘Moyne

Templetuohy Community Action Group’ were behind the majority of these. A

documentproducedbythegroupstatedthatthey’reactionstodateinvolved65

submissionsofobjectiontothedevelopmentoftheLisheenWindFarm.(Moyne

TempletuohyCommunityActionGroup2006). Thisgroupplayedaprominent

role in the debate through out the public participation. They had a notable

presenceat themeetingsof theParishForumandtheirobjections/appealsdid

contributetothefinaloutcomeofthedevelopment.

Asahighlevelofengagementwasevidentintheobjectionsandappealsprocess

itisclearthatthepublicwereawareoftheirlegalrightsandmoreimportantly

had access to them under ‘S.I. No. 600/2001 Planning and Development

Regulations2001’.Thepublicsobjections/appealswerereceivedandreviewed

by the planning authorities and the local County Council. The online

documentationoftheLisheenWindFarmplanningapplicationshowsthisclearly

in the content of the Further information request as its contents reflect the

concernsbroughtupbythepublic(AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2006c).

FollowingthistheCountyCouncilarticulatetheirdecisionstothecommunityin

an open and transparent manner through the publishing of the final decision

(AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2007).Withallthedetractorsinmind,the

public participation saw ample opportunities for participants to make

submissions, articulated decisions to the community and the case displays

Page 51: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

51

clearlythepublic’sunderstandingaswellasuseoftheirlegalrights.Thereforeit

isdeemedthattheOpennessandclarityoflegalprovisionspracticecriteriawas

fulfilled.

5.2.4. Influence

The second pillar of the Aarhus Convention concentrates on the right to

participateinenvironmentaldecision-making.Theparticipantshavetherightto

havetheircommentstakenintodueaccountinthedecision-makingprocess.As

revealed in the previous criteria, the LisheenWind Farm development caused

quiteareactionamongtheMoyneandTempletuohycommunities.Theyreadily

engaged in the public participation both during the initial EIA interaction and

followingalongtheplanning/objection/appealprocess.

All of the interviewees felt that the participation had been influenced the

decision-makingprocess insomewayanddocumentaryevidencesuggests that

the concerns of the public were carefully considered in the decision making

process.Specifically the influenceof thepublicparticipationwithin thiscase is

most noticeably seen in the amendments that altered the initial development

plansand throughrequests for further informationby theplanningauthorities

(AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2007).

ThegreatestalterationtotheplanswastheamendmentthatforcedAALMLtdto

contributeanannualmonetarystipendforeachwindturbineconstructedforthe

betterment of the affected communities. The interviews and documentary

evidencepointstowardthelocalCountyCouncillorJohnHoganrole increating

thepossibility ofmonetarybenefits for the community through thewind farm

development. TheCouncillornotedthatthegeneralmanagerofAALMLtdwas

“a great man for corporate social responsibility” (Appendix, p241). His

discussionswiththeAALMLtd’smanagerwhohelpedmovedthemonetaryidea

forward.Butthisnotionwasunpopularduringtheplanningapplicationstageas

thelocalsvieweditasthe“localcouncillorputtingupthewhiteflag”(Appendix,

p241)andaccepting the turbines.The ‘MoyneTempletuohyCommunityAction

Page 52: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

52

Group’ voiced the loudest opposition to this idea as theywere still organising

their opposition to thedevelopment.However this position gradually softened

and subsequentmeetings of the forum agreed to include a submissionwith a

request made for €50,000 per year for community projects

(Submissions/Objections2006).

Whentheplanningauthoritiesmadeafinaldecisionontheplanningapplication

itgrantedconditionalapproval.Theplanners“putitintotheconditionthatthey

give 30,000 per year indexed linked to the local community” (Appendix, p254).

Interestinglythedocumentationnotesthatthismoneywouldbeorganisedintoa

trustwhichwould be publicly accountable and last for 20 years following the

constructions of the turbines. Its structure was organised by local County

Councillors, AALMLtd and the Parish Forum.Amechanismwas decided upon

whereby the €30,000 invested in local capital projects of max 50% ratio of

stipend funding for any given project. The decisions as to what would be

acceptedwouldbemadeinadeliberativemannerthroughtheuseofthe‘Parish

Forum’ (North Tipperary County Council 2007). The importance of this

monetarycontributioninthelocalcommunitycannotbeunderstated.

“Ifwe didn’t get the contribution, you can talk about green energy but like, you

know,whocareswheretheyareproducinggreenenergy.Theydon’thavetobein

yourbackyard.Unlessthereisafinancialgainforacommunitythereisnobenefit

forthembeingthere.”(Appendix,p206)

The benefits accruing from the community stipend have resulted in a new

running track, redevelopment of the local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA)

sports pitch, and support for local community groups, among other

developments. All the interviewees acknowledged how beneficial the

development of the wind turbines in their communities had been, and some

mentionedhow theywill benefit generations to come. These financial benefits

coupledwith thesuccessof the firstdevelopmentmayhavecontributed to the

lackofoppositiontotheextensionoftheLisheenWindFarmin2013whichalso

broughtwithitanextra€20,000bringingthetotalstipendto€50,000.Asoneof

Page 53: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

53

the intervieweeselaborated“Isupposeyoucansay,theyrealisedthebenefitand

theywerebenefitingfromit”(Appendix,p200).

Interviewees who had reservations about the development highlighted issues

suchasnoise,shadowflicker,propertydevaluation,healthconcernsandvisual

impacts. Upon reviewing the submissions/objections, other issues occurred,

such as telecommunication interruption and the protection of archaeological

siteswerehighlighted(Submissions/Objections2006).Theplanningauthorities

delayed granting AALM Ltd planning permission so that they could make a

request for further information. The request included 21 unsettled queries

raisedbytheplanningauthoritiesthatcontainednumerousissuesraisedduring

thepublicparticipation(AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2006c).Requests

included proposals to ensure fixed noise levels around residential areas,

clarifications on issues of electromagnetic interference, further information on

possible shadow flicker issuesandanarchaeologicalassessment. In total there

were 23 scheduled conditions that the planners attached to the final planning

permissiondecision(NorthTipperaryCountyCouncil2006b).Theseconditions

show how the public participation was taken into account prior to the final

planningdecision(NorthTipperaryCountyCouncil2006b).

InDecember2006theyreturnedwithacomprehensiveresponsebyabidingby

the requests and allaying some of the fears raised through the public

participationprocess.AALMLtd alsoheld another informationmeetingon the

31stofAugust2006inwhich85localsattended,andmoreinformationsupplied

(AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2006b).Asdescribedtheconcernsraised

duringthepublicparticipationweretakenintoaccountpriortothefinaldecision

thustheInfluencepracticecriteriawasfulfilled.

Page 54: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

54

5.3. Subconclusion

To briefly sum up the first analysis of the case study findings some sub

conclusionscanalreadybemade.Partoftheresearchquestionwastoassess,to

what extent the participants had availed of the principals of the Aarhus

Convention. Through the use of the four practice criteria (Accessibility and

Informationprovision,CommunicationandInteraction,Opennessandclarityof

legalprovisions,Influence)ithasbeenshownthattheprimaryprincipalsofthe

AarhusConventionwerefulfilledintheLisheenWindFarmcase.Thehighlevel

of flexibility that the Aarhus Convention affords to it adherents allowed for

inadequaciestooccur inthecase,yetstillmanagesto fulfil itsprinciplesof the

practice criteria. The analysis of information provisions with its monetary

barriersandshortsupplyofcopiesoftheEISclearlydisplayedtheinadequacies

that can occur. However, the supply issues with the EIS copies may not only

showweaknessesintheAarhusConventionitcouldalsohavebeenadeliberate

choiceonthepartofAALMLtdtolimitthesupplyofinformation.Thesomewhat

limited interactionwith the participants also showed amissed opportunity to

develop a more collaborative relationship between AALM Ltd and the local

community.

Inregardstotheoverallinfluencethattheparticipationhadonthedevelopment

this analysis showed that it led directly to the community fund that is now

providing considerable monetary support to local infrastructure. This had a

significant effect on the community’s eventual acceptance of the development.

The analysis also proved that the participants did exert an influence on the

decision-making process as the issues that they raised were taken into due

account when the planning authorities deliberated on the case. The amended

conditionsthattheplannersattachedtotheplanningpermissionfortheLisheen

WindFarmshowhowtheinfluenceofthepublicparticipationmanifestedinthe

finaldevelopment.Thiscasealsoshowcasedtherobustaccessto justice,which

was demonstrated many objections, and appeals were processed through the

Irishplanningauthorities.

Page 55: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

55

6. CaseStudyFindingsPart2:Phenomenologicalanalysisoftheindepthinterviews

Unlikethepreviousanalysisthismethodtakesquiteadifferentapproachtodata

analysis.Whatfollowsisamorehumancenteredapproachinwhichwetakethe

positionasamediatorbetweentheexperiencesandvoicesofthoseinterviewed.

The individual descriptions of experience are presented in a first person

perspective format. The same bracketing approach that was taken in the first

analysiswillbeutilisedagainasitisintrinsictophenomenologicalanalysis.This

approach iscalledgeneralbracketing.As the firststepof theanalysiseachand

everyhorizonalstatementisrecognisedashavingequalvalue,thisapproached

is calledhorizonalization.The horizonal statements are excerpted from the full

transcriptions of each of the in-depth interviews. Following this they went

throughtheprocessofphenomenologicalreduction.Indoingso,eachhorizonof

the research begins to develop a richer description of the experience of

participating in the EIA from the perspective of the participants. The

horizonalization and reduction of each of the participant’s statements can be

found in Appendix 10.3. What will be displayed in this section is the

amalgamationofeachoftheparticipant’sreducedhorizonalstatementsintoan

individualdescriptionoftheirexperienceofparticipation.

6.1. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrTimBergin’sParticipationLegallyAALMLtdhadtoengagewiththecommunity.Theyformedacommunity

group to discuss the development of the turbines, initially to satisfy this legal

requirement,butexpandedittotackleotherissues.Iwasamemberatthatpoint

in2008andnowchairmanof thestill activeParishForum.The forum initially

comprisedofmineworkerswholaterwroteletterstolocalorganisationsasking

toattendtocreateacommunityforum.Theforumhasexistedeversince.Ona

personal level there was a keen interest in participating and maintain that

participation.Partly for thepossibilityofemploymentopportunitiesbut this is

doubtfulasthelocationissaturatedwithturbines.

Page 56: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

56

They did host information evenings showing the development. They displayed

representativeimagesanddifferentperspectivesoftheproposedturbines.Inthe

earlystagesparticipationthefundingwasnotexplainedmuch.AALMLtdhasto

provideastipendfortheparish.Theengagementwasbeneficialbuthavingbeen

tothreedifferenttheinformationmeetings,theyareallquitesimilar.Yougoin

andseewheretheyaregoingandwhataffecttheyaregoingtohave.“There’snot

muchmore they can tell you really” (Appendix, p. 199). It was a condition of

planningthattheyhadtoengagebutitevolveddifferentlyindifferentareas.“Is

engaging with the community having an open evening and letting them know

aboutitandcanyousay,“rightwedidthisandsignedover”(Appendix,p.198).I

foundoutearlyastheminesapproachedmetojoin.

BeingveryactiveinthelocalityfromchurchtoGAAtheyallseethebenefitfrom

theturbines.Greenenergyasideifitwasnotforthefinancialgainfortheparish

thereisnobenefitfortheturbinesbeinghere.Theturbinescouldhavebeenseen

as the possibility of a job “eitherway they never botheredme like. You know I

think they’re elegant looking as opposed to intrusive. Tis down to everyone’s

opinionisn’tit.”(Appendix,p.209)

6.2. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrRichardDaly’sParticipationTherewereoneortwopublicmeetingsthatfacilitateddiscussionofeveryone’s

views. As the community had limited previous experiencewithwind turbines,

therewerealotofquestions.“Sotherewasabitofah::Iwouldn’tsaynegativity

but therewascertainlyanawful lotofah:: (.)questionsasked thatneeded tobe

asked and which were answered” (Appendix, p. 213). Planning stipulated

engagementwithlocalswasdirectlyaffected.“Soitwassittingdownlikethisina

kitchenandweaskedthemthequestionlikeifyougetplanningpermissionforthe

18or22atthetimewilltherebeacapacitytoputupmore?”(Appendix,p.213).

The expansion was always going to happen. The locality was worried yeah.

Informationissoaccessibleandeasytoreadbadnewsstoriesof“windturbines

breakingorgoingonfireorwhatever likeyouknowwhatImean” (Appendix, p.

214).“Wewereherebeforetheturbinesandwewereherefortheconstructionof

Page 57: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

57

turbinesandwe’rehereobviouslywhentheturbinesaregoing.“I’vethreechildren

anddoyouknowwhatImean” (Appendix,p.214). I’mnotgoingdoanythingto

puttheirhealthatrisk.

Therewas a change in acceptance for the secondphase after five years of the

first phase running. “Therewasmoreconcernsbecauseof theuncertaintyof the

unknown” (Appendix, p. 216). Only after seeing them in place and active you

realised that it was probably the unknown that was causing the hesitation.

“We’re living in a community andasbestwill in theworldwe’d like to get on

witheverybodyaswellaswecould,wedon’tliketoupsetpeople”(Appendix,p.

216).Wehadanotherfarmbutinfairnesswedeclinedtoputaturbineonthat

farmas itmighthave impactedtheneighbours. “Soweputupfiveturbineshere

and both neighbouring farmers put up one as well” (Appendix, p. 216). We

definitelyhadaroleindecisionsmadeontheground.Butanimpactstatement

onabadgersettcausedtheroadtobemovedfromwhereIwouldhavelikeditto

be. “but look it there’sbadgers thereweworkedaround itandthat’s it likeyeah

know.Soyeahlittlethinglikethattheywereverygoodlike”(Appendix,p.216).As

a farmer, thebuilding contractor “outofrespectyoucan’t justcomeinandroar

overandtellmewhattodo.”Therewasproperconsultationandinfairnessthey

worked with me. “Because of the 5 thatwere on this farmwewere able to jig

aroundthelayoutofthefields”(Appendix,p.215).

Therehavealwaysbeencommitteesherebutin“regardstomanagingthemoney

it obviously was set up because of the wind turbines” (Appendix, p. 220). I'm

actually on that committee it’s called the Parish Forum. I see how themoney

benefitstheathleticsclubinMoynethatI’malsoinvolvedwith.“AsfarasIknow

thecouncilinNorthTipperarywouldbeuniqueas(.)whentheturbinesstartedoff

initially,IthinkjeezthisoneherecertainlycouldhavebeenoneofthefirstinNorth

Tipperary.So thecouncilwere lookingatus to seehowwewerereacting.” They

assessed the process and “when they sawhowwell this, the communityworked

quitewell together ingetting these sumsofmoney.” (Appendix, p. 221)Hasmy

experiencehelpedthecommunitywellmaybeithasormaybeithasn’t.ButI’m

from the area “being part of the ‘Parish Forum’, allocatingmoney every year is

Page 58: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

58

certainlyyouknowit’snice toknowthere’sgood jobsdoneandthemoneysbeen

spentcorrectlylike,youknowwhatImean”….“I’mnotlookingforanycreditbutI’d

liketoseeifitwasdoneahappreciatedlikeyouknow”(Appendix,p.222).

6.3. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofMrPaddyDoyle’sParticipation

“Theinitialwordwasthroughwordofmouthnotthoughameetingoraletteror

anything” (Appendix,p.230).Peopleresearchedand look into it tosee if there

wereanynegativeeffectsfromthemasithasbeenshowninthemedia.“Ikindof

vaguelyremembermeetingwiththepeoplebeforetheLisheenturbineswhereset

up”(Appendix,p.233).“Atthetimewhentheturbineswherebeingmootedthere

wasanactiongroupwhereformedtokindofreallytoinquire(.)theyweren’tan

antiturbinegroup.”But theyaimed to findmore information. “IsupposeIwent

downouteh:ofcuriosityIsupposeasmuchasanythingelse”Theyturnedupvery

little negative findings and sure the planningwent ahead. At the initial parish

forum meeting a committee was elected, “it was set up and then an annual

general meetingwas formed was called after that and it kind of just gradually

grewtheformatofhowithowitoperateswaskindoforganicreallyit(.)emerged

asneedsbekindof”(Appendix,p.232).

SincethetimeitwassetuptheLisheenMineswerequiteopenwiththepeople

atallstagesofthedevelopment.Stating,“whatitwasdoingandwhatitintended

to do” (Appendix, p. 233). This worked very well. Compared with other local

mines,LisheenMinescooperationhas“operatedonamuchmoreopenbasiswith

thecommunityanditseemstohaveworkedanawfullotbetter.” “Andsowhenit

cametotheturbinestheyadoptedthesamekindofsystemreally.Theydidinform

usandtherewasmeeting”(Appendix,p.234).“Yeahlikeopennessdefinitelyseems

tohaveworked” it’s easier to allay fearsbefore things a constructed thenafter

thefact.“TheLisheenMinekindofseemedtohave(.)kindofgivenusthechanceto

askquestionsandthingslikethat”(Appendix,p.234).“Isupposeeh::theywereas

keenaskeepingthethingrightaswewere”(Appendix,p.235).

Page 59: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

59

TheLisheenMinewereverygoodatengagingwiththepublic.Infairnessmore

thenhalfofthepeopleontheforumhadavestedinterestinsomeorganisation.

Buttherewasageneralfairnessand“akindofahresponsibilitytothecommunity

asmuch as anything.” (Appendix, p. 236). AALM Ltd engaged in all phases of

development“theywerecomprehensiveandtheyhadafollowupontheworkthat,

youknowIthinkeveryoneishappyastheycouldbewithit.Youknow”(Appendix

3, p. 147). I was happy to do it “I’m just (.) I’m always involved in community

projectsaroundhere”…“I’mjusthappytobeinvolved”(Appendix,p.238).

6.4. ReducedHorizonalDescriptionofCllr.JohnHogan’sParticipation

As a public rep I was contacted when then wind farm was suggested. They

wanted to know how I felt. “I felt there would be plenty of objections to it”

(Appendix, p. 239). AALM Ltd felt that they should set up this Parish Forum,

whichwas an excellent idea. “SowesetupaParishForumtodiscuss thewhole

thingandhaveaformalparishstructureforsomethinglikethiscominginbecause

itcouldhaveadetrimentaleffectwedidn’tknowyousee.Theproblemisignorance

(.)anawfullotofpeoplehaven’taclue.Theythinkit’sgoingtodothemharm,but

theydon’treallyknow”(Appendix,p.240).

So we set up the parish forum and elected members. “Everyone came to the

meetingeveryonewasallowedtosuggestsomebodyandthehighest16cametothe

voteandgotelected” (Appendix,p.240). “What’s in it forthelocalcommunity?”

Themanageroftheminesbeingawareofcorporatesocialresponsibilitypointed

us towards using the planning process to get some financial compensation for

community.Only a public submission could ask for this. “SoIwenttothe local

meetingsanywayandIsuggested(.)Ishouldhavewaitedawhile(.)thatweshould

put inasubmission looking forsomething for these turbines.So Iwasbooedand

hissedasthelocalcouncillorputtingupthewhiteflag”(Appendix,p.241).Inthe

next publicmeeting they said, “againyoucannotsend inanapplication(.) they

saidyoudon’trepresentus”.EventhoughI’mtheonlycouncillorinthearea,there’s

Page 60: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

60

nooneelse.SoIsaidwhorepresentsyou.Sowhorepresentstheparish?Theysaid

theparishpriestrepresentsus”(Appendix,p.241).FrMurphytheParishpriestis

averyquiteman,“soeventuallyIhadtosendinasubmission,andIdidit.Looking

for40,000peryearfromtheturbines”(Appendix,p.242).

I feeltheengagementwiththecommunitywasminimal.“Itwasgoodbutitwas

stillminimal. Itwasbetter thanwehad ina lot of thingsbeforehand. Youknow

there’sallotofplanningpermissionsforvariousprojectswehearnothing.Atleast

theheldopenmeetingsinlocalcommunitycentresandinvitedpeopleintohavea

lookat it” (Appendix, p. 245).On thenight of themeetings theydiddistribute

leaflets but “I feltmaybe they shouldhavemaybe contacted individual objectors

andtalkedtothemabouttheirconcerns.Maybegoonatripwiththe(.)whenwe

went off we hired a bus and we went to lookmaybe come with us. Talk to the

people,bepartofus” (Appendix, p. 245). “Itbecameathemandusratherthen,

welllet’sjustdothisforeverybodyyou’regoingtogainoutofit,andwe'regoingto

gain out of it. Everybody gains in the finish that’s the reality and we gain as a

nationwiththeuseofgreenenergy”(Appendix,p.245).

“I’d say if the LisheenMinewas back again theywould have learned from their

experience. You knowprobably,more engagement. Theymade a good stab at it.

Maybesetuptheforumfirstandinvitetheminandsaywherethinkingofdoinga

windfarm.Tellthemwhatthebenefitsofit”(Appendix,p.248).

6.5. CompositeTextualDescription:OfParticipationintheLisheenCasestudy.

Finally taking the four reduced individual horizonal descriptions that are

comprised of a mix of reductions and direct quotes; the phenomenological

analysiswillbecompletedwiththecreationofacompositethematicdescription

of the experience of participation. The results belowhavebeenorganised into

fourdifferentthemesthatemergedfromthedata.

Page 61: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

61

6.5.1. InformedParticipation

The first theme focuses on the initial experience of the open meetings and

formation of the Parish Forum. The individual descriptions reveal the open

evening meetings as providing a comprehensive visual experience of the

proposedwindturbinedevelopment.Therewasanawarenessoftheimportance

of this interaction but felt its impact to beminimal. However informative, the

interviewees’experienceswiththeopeninformationeventswereunremarkable.

TheinitialparticipatorycontactwithAALMLtdwasperceivedasbeneficialyet

therewasa lingering feeling that thedevelopersweresomewhat indifferent in

their approach to informing the community. Other actions taken by theAALM

Ltd such as the initiationof theParishForumwere viewed in amorepositive

manner. The common experiences attached to it show how deliberation and

consensus within the community’s response to the development was

appreciated. The Parish Forums development was perceived as an organic

processwhichemergingastheneedsbeanddevelopedasdemocraticconsensus

buildingentity.TheexperienceofengagementwithAALMLtdthroughtheParish

Forumwasinanopenandrespectfulmanner.

6.5.2. RepresentationandCommunityIdentity

Thepublicparticipationbroughtupunderliningcommunitypolitics.Duringthe

‘ParishForum’meetingsthepresenceofconflictingopinionsofwhorepresents

thecommunitywerenotable.Doubtsandfearsoftenaccompaniedacleardesire

for theparticipants tohave their concernsabated.Thepersonorpersonswho

carried themost influence in directing the process created some tension. This

tensionappearedtoimpacttherunning,discussionsanddecisionsmadebythe

‘ParishForum’,whichwasrepresentingthewillofthecommunity.Thistension

was visible when participants challenged the position of themain community

leaderelected localCountyCouncillor JohnHogan.Theattempt to replacehim

with a more traditional community representative the parish priest Fr. Pat

Murphyshowsthistension.Theexperiencesoftheparticipantsthroughoutthis

Page 62: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

62

processrevealthelayersofsocialconstructs,whichhelpformthecommunity’s

identity.

6.5.3. Self-PerceptionwithintheLocalCommunity

The participant’s experiences of the phenomena did not only bring forward

identity issues for the community as a whole but it also affected how the

individualssawthemselvesinthatcommunity.Byplayinganactiverolethrough

thepublicparticipation individualparticipants reinforced theirpositionwithin

theircommunity.Thistiestothestrongreferencesinregardstorespectandthe

role it plays during the public participation. Those taking an active role in the

public participationheld apositionof respect.Respect shownbyAALMLtd to

participants and the community as a whole also featured notably in their

experiences.Theexperiencealsobroughtwithitfeelingsofgenuinehappinessat

being directly involved in processes which they perceived as benefiting their

community.

6.5.4. ParticipationasaDuty

ThefinaldistinctivethemeexperiencedbytheparticipantsintheLisheenWind

Farmcaseisthenotionthattheparticipationwasaduty.Aconsiderablenumber

of horizons indicated a drive to safeguard family and community. This

requirement to defend against external forces of the unknownwas a common

experience.Thisexperiencewasshapedbyaprotectivestance,whichwasboth

motivated by protecting their current quality of lifemaintaining that standard

for futuregenerations. Itwastheirdutytoprotect theircommunityand insure

its development for the future. The conscious influence of the fearful media

narrative on wind turbines is also acknowledged as influencing their initial

actions within the participation and planning stages. This defensiveness and

experienceofparticipationwasdrivenbythewilltoactasadutifulcitizen.The

collaborativeeffortsseeninthe“ParishForum’benefitedfromthisdriveasmore

engagementinthenegotiationsledtomutualgainandapositiveoutcometothe

development.

Page 63: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

63

6.6. SubConclusionThe second analysis set out to deeply explore exactly how the participants

experienced the phenomena of public participation in the LisheenWind Farm

case. Utilising phenomenological methods brought a more human centred

approach to the case study. Through its development of a rich composite

description revealed new insight with the same empirical data utilised in the

firstanalysis.Anumberofprominentthemesemergedfromthisapproachwhich

otherwisewouldhavebeenmissed.Identityissuesplayaroleinhowindividuals

experienced the participation. For example the importance of how self-

perception was shown to be positive reinforcing factor to the continued

engagement in participation. While animosity revolving around community

representationandtraditionalpowerstructureswasalsohighlighted.

Theanalysisalsofoundthattherearemotivatingfactors,whichmayhavebeen

overlookedbyotherresearch,suchasdutytoone’slocalcommunity.Thisplayed

a role in motivating all of the interviewees to actively engage in the public

participationprocess.Alsoitwasfoundthatfeelingsofhappinesswereachieved

through this engagement with the participation process. As the participants

believed they were doing right by family and their community. Other factors

suchasfearoftheunknownandeffectofnegativeexternalinformationsources

also impacted their experiences and acted as a driving factor in their early

experiences of participation. The phenomenological analysis also found that

respectwasimportanttotheparticipants.

Page 64: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

64

7. DiscussionThis discussion chapter elaborates on the case study findings, which were

derived from the dual analysis of the Lisheen Wind Farm case study. This

approachutilisedtwodifferentanalysismethods:theuseofcriteriatoassessthe

Aarhus convention and the use of themore human centred phenomenological

analysis.Thesubsequent findingswillbediscussedalongwiththeirrelationto

thetheoreticalframeworkandaimtoplacethefindingsofthecasestudyinthe

broaderdialogueofEIAandpublicparticipationcomplementedwithacademic

literature.

7.1. PublicParticipationandweaknessesoftheAarhusConvention

TheLisheenWindFarmcasehasdisplayedthecomplexitiesofconductingpublic

participationwithinIrishEIAs.Thesecondhalfoftheresearchquestionfocuses

on howmuch of the Aarhus Convention’s rights to access were fulfilled? The

evaluationcriteriafindingsclearlyshowedthatthepublicdidhaveaccesstothe

three pillars of the Aarhus Convention namely, assess to environmental

information,Publicparticipation in environmentaldecision-makingandAccess

to justice. However the findings did also show that this came with some

considerable deficiencies. Prevailing academic thought perceives public

participation as playing a central role in environmental management systems

such as EIAs (Hartley, 2005; Jay, 2007; Doelle, M. 2006). However, there has

been considerable debate over the quality and effectiveness of public

participation within EIAs. This debate rages throughout the literature with

numerous different viewpoints from which strong critiques of public

participationwithinEIAshavebeenmade.ThisMaster’s thesisdidnot set out

directlytocritiquepublicparticipationinEIAs. Insteaditspurposehasbeento

exploretheexperiencesoftheparticipantsthemselvesandtoexploretheextent

towhichtheAarhusConvention’sprincipleswerefollowed.

Page 65: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

65

The results of the dual analysis conveyed some of the issues facing public

participation and the Aarhus Convention. It became clear from the in-depth

interviews and document study that none of the participants had a clear

understanding as towhat public participation should entail. The knowledgeof

the Aarhus Convention was also not evident, with even the local County

Councillor JohnHoganhavingneverheardof theConvention.Withnodefinite

definition of public participation or strict guidelines for its conduct affected,

communitiesarehardpressedtoknowiftheyhavebeenconsultedinlinewith

standardpracticeorhavebeenbeneficiariesofamoretokenisticgesture.

Theconfusionsurroundingwhatqualifiesasinclusiveparticipationoradequate

consultation is not a strong starting position to begin a constructive dialogue

with a community. This confusion has been highlighted before within EIA

literature. Faircheallaigh (2010) for example worked on distinguishing clearly

betweentherangeofpurposesofpublicparticipation.Hepointstothefactthat

the issue of public participation is highly political and contested by many

stakeholders. Italsohasmanyobjectivesand involvesmanydifferentconcepts

and consequences for policy makers (O'Faircheallaigh 2010). Informing the

public on developments is a very different thing to the reality of communities

directly influencing decision-making. Faircheallaigh (2010) also notes how the

objectivesidentifiedinthecorebodyofliteratureonpublicparticipationinEIA

arecomplex,anddemandconsiderableanalysisanddefinition.Takingallofthis

intoaccount,itisnotsurprisingtoseetheparticipantsinthiscasestrugglingto

comprehendhowpublicparticipationissupposedtobeconducted.

SimilarlevelsofuncertaintywerepresentintherolethattheAarhusConvention

played in the case. The discrepancies betweenwhat qualifies as following the

principlesoftheAarhusConventionandwhatactuallyoccursduringthepublic

participationraisedsomeimportantquestions.Thisaversiontostrictlydefining

the parameters of public participation can be seen in section 5.2.1 where the

conventionproposesareasonabletimeframeforinformingthepublic.However,

astheexactdurationofa“reasonabletimeframe”isneverexplicitlydefined.This

undefinedtimeframewasveryimportantinregardstoinformationprovisionin

Page 66: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

66

the case. As noted in section 5.2.1, the Templetuohy andMoyne communities

faced issues acquiring copies of the EISwhich impacted the public’s ability to

utilise the EIS in the time given to submit written comments and objections.

Thereforemembers of the community had to borrow or share the few copies

thathadbeensoldtothepublic.

Section5.2.3notes thatplanningauthoritieshave strict rules in regards to the

timingofsubmissionsforactiveplanningapplications.However,thetimeframe

for informationprovisionwas at the discretion ofAALMLtd, as theEISwas a

commissioned report to which they owned the rights. What was the reason

behindthislimitedamountofEIScopies?Couldithavebeenadeliberateattempt

at limitingthecommunities’abilitytochallengethewindfarmdevelopmentby

reducing theaccess to crucial information?Orwas it a simple clerical erroror

underestimationofthedemandforcopies?Withinthescopeofthisstudy,ithas

notbeenpossibletodeterminewhatexactlyhappenedinthisinstance.However,

if information provision hadmore specific guidelines attached, this errormay

nothaveoccurred.

Theseissuesbeingdiscussedhavealsobeenrepresentedpartiallywithsomeof

the literature on public participation in EIA. Public participation and the

application of the Aarhus Convention in EIA have been criticised for the

weaknessesdiscussedabove.HartleyandWood’s(2005)studyofEIAandhow

theAarhusConventionwasimplementedintheUnitedKingdomhasafocuson

thegoalsofearlyandeffectivepublicparticipation.Similartothefindingsofthis

thesis,HartleyandWood(2005) found thatmostof thebasicprinciplesof the

AarhusConventionhadbeen fulfilled, however, they alsonotedweaknesses in

appropriatetimingofthepublicparticipationandissueswithundefinedtermsin

theAarhusConvention. These undefined elements in the Conventionmake for

assessingtheeffectivenessofpublicparticipationmoreconvolutedasavariety

ofdifferentopinionsonwhatiseffectiveexistbetweenparticipantsandofficials

(Ibid). Olsen and Hansen (2014) also share this position, as their findings on

public participation in Greenland argue that with the absence of overall

Page 67: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

67

definitionsandguidelines,publicparticipationinEIApreventseffectivedialogue

betweenconsultersandconsulted.

Despitemajorerrorsonthepartofthoseresponsibleforinformationprovision,

the ‘accessibility and information provision’ practice criteria used in this case

wasfulfilled,asAALMLtdwereconsideredtohavefollowedtheprinciplesofthe

AarhusConvention’sfirstpillarofaccesstoinformation.TheAarhusConvention

waswritteninawaythatallowsfordifferenttermsinthetexttobeinterpreted

differentlydependingonwho is implementing theconvention (Stec2000).But

hereinliestheissue;thisflexibilitymakestheAarhusConventionpossiblebutat

the same time it canbe argued that it compromises theConvention toomuch.

However, when a multi-part convention is applicable to many different

countries,thisflexibilitymakesadaptingnationallegislationinaccordancewith

theconventionasimplerprocess.

Ofcoursethisflexibilitycanalsobeinterpretedascontinuingontothescopeand

contentof theAarhusConvention.Ononehand this givesdifferentparties the

ability to alter the extent to which they abide by certain aspects of the

Convention. However, on the other hand this is problematic as it fosters the

uneven implementation of the Convention. Stec (2000) puts forward the

argument that theAarhusConventioncanbe seenasa ‘floor’ as it attempts to

regulatebehaviourandenforcenormsatacertainbroadlevel.Resultsfromthis

caseshowthattheConventiondidawardsomestrongprotectionstothepublic,

however this flexibilitymayhaveallowed foraweakening in theprotectionof

rightstoaccessinformation.Itmustalsobenotedthatofcoursethisdiscussion

hasconsequencesontheresearchasthisflexibilityistranslatedtothepractice

criteria and causes issues in their implementation. This topic will be touched

uponlateroninthediscussion.

Could the difficulties of practicing public participation within EIAs be due to

theirhistorical techno-rationalapproachtodecisionmaking? Jay(2007)points

to the historical beginnings of EIAs, whereby technical rationalist thinking

dominatedthedecision-makingprocessthatwasinharmonywiththeEIAs’goal

Page 68: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

68

to provide environmental information. The techno-rational approach still

maintains a strong influence within institutionalised EIAs in many countries

(Lawrence 2000). However, this strong technical emphasis and its autocratic

tendencies marginalise the role the public play in EIAs. Experts and officials

dominate theproceedingswhilealsoassuming that theyact rationallywithout

externalforcessuchasmonetaryorpoliticalconsiderationsaffectingthem.The

LisheenWindFarmcasedidshowsignsofthistechno-rationalapproach-with

thelocalCountyCouncil,politiciansandmanagersofAALMLtddominatingthe

process.Italsohadelementsofmoreparticipatorygovernancewithinthepublic

participation process. The community-run Parish Forum was developed and

managedinawaythatgavespacefordiscourseonsomeofthesocialimpactsof

thedevelopment.

Thisposesthequestion:whatnowtakesprecedenceinthepublicparticipation

of EIAs? Do social considerations now hold the same weight as biophysical

elements? Although the traditional techno-rational position still remains

dominant in EIA practice, the spectrum of thinking on that position has been

shifting in recent years towards incorporating more collaborative and

participatory approaches. The implementation of the Aarhus Convention is

helpingtothischangewithitsstrengtheningofpublicparticipationbutthereis

still plenty of room to improve. EIAs nowhave the ability to fulfilmuchmore

than just their remit as an environmental advisory tool. They represent the

opportunity of becoming vehicles for community empowerment while at the

same time companies could benefit from capturing the values of those

participating.Withthatbeingsaidthecallsforalternativeapproachesareasign

thatthemajorityofEIAsstillgravitatetowardsthistechno-rationalapproach.

TheLisheenWindFarmcasestudyhasdisplayedthatthecommonweaknesses

attributed to the Aarhus Convention’s utilisation and public participation as a

wholearestillpresentinEIAsintheRepublicofIreland.Thereisurgentneedto

exposeweaknesses inpublicparticipation so that futureEIAs learn from their

mistakes.Thereisaverypressingneedfortherapidshifttorenewableenergyto

bemanagedeffectively.ThepublicparticipationinEIAsnowcomesatthevery

Page 69: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

69

time that the public is directly facedwith the need for this renewable energy

shift. Having a flawed public participation process mitigates the chance of

successfullyengagingandincorporatingthelocalcommunityinthisshifttomore

renewableenergiessuchaswind.TipperaryLocalCountyCouncildidshowthe

capacity to learn from theLisheenWindFarm’s successeswith theadditionof

thecommunitystipend.TheCountyCouncilamended theCountyDevelopment

Planwhichnowstatesthatanywindturbinesbuiltmustgive€4,500tothelocal

community(Hogan2015).Iftheycanlearnfromthesuccesses,maybetheycan

learnfromfailures.

Somesimplerecommendationscouldbetoensurethatmoreattentionispaidto

the time given to considerations for reasonable information provision and

noticesof theparticipationevents.Educatingthecommunityas to thepurpose

and structure of the public participation prior to its commencement could

alleviate some of the confusion surrounding the process. In light of the

weaknesses in the case it still represents the desired transition for a local

communitywhoseenergyusageweredominatedbyfossilfuelstowardscleaner

renewable energy. The LisheenWind Farmmay be small in scale, but the fact

that local community who had little or no experience with this new form of

renewableenergyproductionhasacceptedit,isanencouragingsign.

Page 70: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

70

7.2. Barrierstoparticipation

Theexplorationintoboththeexperiencesoftheparticipantsthemselvesandthe

assessmentoftheAarhusConventionilluminatedsomeofthebarriersthatwere

presentinthecasethatimpededpublicparticipation.Mostnoticeablyfirstpillar

of the Arhus Convention, access to environmental information had some

considerable issues present. Some of the common barriers such as poor

informationprevision,poor levelsof influence, andpoor access to legal advice

havealreadybeenmentionedhere.Yetthesepotentialbarriersarenotlimitedto

these examples. Both Petts (1999) andHartley andWood (2005) have argued

that there are stillmajor room for improvement in public participation in EIA

whenitcomestotacklingthenumberofbarriersthatarestillpresent.Monetary

barriers, educational barriers and poor facilitation all impacted on the overall

experienceofthepublicparticipationintheLisheenWindFarmcase.

Acommonthreadthroughouttheinterviewswasthatthetopicofmoneyandits

allocation came forward naturally during the in-depth interviews. Topics

discussedincludedhowmuchthewindturbineswereworthtothecommunity,

and howmany jobs and development they could bring, signalling these were

important issues to the interviewees. Interestingly the interviewees did not

complain about the monetary barriers that existed in regards to access to

informationandaccesstojustice.

Byconductingthedocumentstudy,itwasrevealedhowmoneymayhaveacted

asabarriertopublicparticipationinthecase.ThelimitednumberofEIScopies

thatwere available to purchase cost €45 for a copy. Financial constraints can

severelyaffect thecapacityof thepublic toengagewithmostvitalelementsof

thepublicparticipation(Zuhair2016).€45isquitealargesumofmoneytopay

to gain access to the vital information about the environmental effects facing

TempletuohyandMoyne.Acopyforreadingwasmadeavailabletoreadduring

officehours,howeverthiswasonlywithinworkinghoursonsite.Itshouldalso

benotedthatthisofficeisnotinacentral,easilyaccessiblelocation,giventhat

theofficeislocatedatthemineitself.Addedtothemonetarybarrierforviewing

Page 71: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

71

theEIS, therewasanadditional chargeof€20per submission to theplanning

authorities for people who wanted to make a written objection. This barrier,

while it did not prevent some of the interviewees from accessing the EIS and

filing submissions to the local County Council, may have prevented the less

financially secure members of the community from accessing their rights to

publicparticipationenshrinedbytheAarhusConvention.

Palerm’s (2000)workonEIAs in theMaldives showshowbarriers reduce the

capacity of the affected communities to engage in public participation. Low

procedural awareness in public participation and the decision-making process

canplayalargeroleinthis(Palerm2000).Themotivationsbehindtheanti-wind

farmmovementthatoccurredduringtheapplicationprocessshowsignsofclear

misunderstandingandpoorenvironmentaleducationinregardstothepossible

impactsofthedevelopment.Othervariablesalsocontributedtothismovement

suchasfearsofpropertypricedevaluation,butifpublicparticipationexpanded

itsroletoincludemoreeducationaleffortstheconflictcouldhavebeenavoided.

AALMLtdwereawareof the resistance to thedevelopmentanddemonstrated

theirabilitytocompromisewiththecommunitythroughtheestablishmentofa

stipend in order to help move forward with the development. Half of the

intervieweesmentioned how the stipend was not a case of AALM Ltd buying

themoff.Thecaseisalsoanexampleofhowpublicopinionchangeddramatically

overthecourseoffouryears.Somuchsothatamainprotesterandtreasurerof

the Moyne and Templetuohy Action Group agreed to have five wind turbines

placedonhislandfollowingtheexpansionseeninthesecondphase.

Another barrier was poor handling of the facilitation of discussions with the

community. AALM Ltd’s initial approach of setting up a forum to discuss the

prospectofdeveloping thewind farmwasapromising start.The interviewees

described the healthy relationship that the mine had with the community.

However,someoftheintervieweesmadeitclearthatfollowingtheinitialcontact

and initiation of the forum, AALM Ltd did not take an active role within the

facilitationoftheParishForum.Zuhair(2016)arguesthattrainedpractitioners

Page 72: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

72

are essential to effective public participation. The main facilitation occurred

during the twomainopendaysshowcasing thedevelopment.Theorganisation

andfacilitationoftheParishForumwaslefttothelocalcommunityandthelocal

CountyCouncillor.Thecommunities’abilitytoorganiseandrunafunctionaland

successfulforumwithoutanyhelpisimpressivebutitcouldhavebenefitedfrom

a visit from professionals trained in facilitation and conflict resolution. It is

understandable that the EIA practitioners did not have a role in the Parish

ForumasitsactivitycontinuedlongafterthepractitionershadfinishedtheEIS.

However,thesimpleadditionofafewfollow-upmeetingswiththeParishForum

couldhaveimprovedtheprocessgreatly.

Capacity-building is a term that has been seen in EIA literature for some time

now. It has a very important role in training of practitioners on better EIA

practiceandlearningfromcontinuingresearchinthearea(Jay2007).Whileitis

unclearifcapacityissuesweretherootcauseofthisbarriertobetterfacilitation,

couldtherebeapossibilitytoextendthistrainingtoofficersandmanagersona

privatecompany level?With thehigh levelsofcompetitionseen fromdifferent

environmentalconsultancyfirmscompetingforEIAcontractsitisdifficulttosee

ideas such as this being viable within a capitalistic system, as any additional

moneyrequiredforthepresenceofaprofessionalconsultantwouldaddcostto

thebid,makingthe firm lesscompetitive.Maybeadifferentapproachcouldbe

taken,suchasmakingitmandatorytohavefacilitationtrainingformanagersor

complianceofficersofcompaniesinvolvedintheEIA.

7.3. TheoreticalconsiderationsonthecaseTheuseofphenomenologicalmethodstoexploretheexperienceofparticipation

inamorehumancentredwaybroughtwith itsometheoreticalconsiderations.

Utilising this analysis method required the ability to approach the data in a

alternativeway.BergerandLuckmann’sworkalsoapproachedsocialrealityina

newway.Aswesawinthetheoreticalframeworkchapter,byattachingconcept

of the life-world to Berger and Luckmann’s Social Construction of Reality, the

theoryofknowledgehasbeenaugmentedinawaywhichallowsustodiscussthe

Page 73: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

73

results of the case in amore concrete and logicalmanner. A primary facet of

Berger and Luckmann’s theory rests in the effects of habitualization and

institutionalisation.Ifweapplythislenstosomeofthefindingsoftheresultsit

could help further explain the participants’ experiences. It also could help

explain the way in the communities’ perspective of the wind turbines altered

betweenthefirstandthesecondphasesofwindfarmexpansion.Theresultsalso

highlighted how the participants reflect upon their position within the

communitythroughtheirparticipation.

The Templetuohy and Moyne communities were not accustomed to wind

turbines before this case. They had no practical understanding of what these

objects would do to their locality. Habitualization could explain how the

community came to become so accepting of these large, energy-producing

turbines.Alltheintervieweesnotedhowtheturbinesatfirstwereimposingand

broughtaboutacertainlevelofaweattheirsheerscale.Butsoon,theybecame

lessnoticeableand justpartof the landscape.This isaperfectexampleofhow

day-to-dayhabitsofhumansoperating in their environment are subject to the

processofhabitualization.Thecommunitywentfromnotseeinganyturbinesto

seeing 18 of themhabitually every day.However, it could be argued that pre-

existing energy industry structures within the locality may have made the

acceptanceof thewind turbineseasier.ThepresenceofAnBordnaMóna, the

Irish national electricity producer, in the locality since the 1950s could have

impactedhowlocalswouldhabitualisethisnewformofenergyproduction.

Anotherexampleofhabitualizationwasnoticeable in intervieweeTimBergin’s

commentsonshadowflicker.Withtheerectionofthefirstsetofturbinesitsoon

became clear that the offices inwhich heworked at themine suffered from a

certainamountofshadowflickeratthesametimeeveryday.Hestatedthatthis

was shocking the first few times it occurred. But soon this also became

habitualisedandnolongerbotheredhimasmuch.Whenthesehabitualsettings

becomepredictabletothewholecommunity,andnotjusttoasingleindividual,

itcanbedescribedasbeingpartoftheprocessthatBergerandLuckmanncalled

institutionalization. It can be argued that the turbines became an institution

Page 74: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

74

within the social environment a few years after being erected. Part of this

institutionwasthecommunitystipendthat,asseen insection6.5.1,developed

its own set of rules that governed the use of the stipend. Therefore, the

development of habitualised rules within the institution is noticeable. As this

newinstitutionissettolastforatleastthe20yearsoftheturbinelifespan,there

isevenapossibilitythattheinstitutioncouldbecomereifiedandpasseddownto

thenext generationofTempletuohyandMoyne residents.Howeverdue to the

scopeofthisstudyitisstilltoosoontospeculateonthat.

7.4. AlternativeapproachesandmethodologicalreflectionThisthesis’sresearchquestionaskedhowhavethestakeholdersoftheLisheen

WindFarmexperiencedtheirpublicparticipationinvolvementinIrishEIA.The

findings answered this with the help of the phenomenological analysis. It

suppliedrichdescriptionsoftheirexperiencesandinformativethemesemerged

whichwere derived from the subjective data of participants’ experience.With

thesefindingsinmindisthereabetterwaytoapproachpublicparticipationin

EIAsthanhowitcurrentlyisbeingconducted?TheinherentsubjectivityofEIAs

isoftenseenasashortcoming,asjudgementbasedonpersonalopinionsshould

go against the primary goals of EIAs. That being said, could there be away of

utilisingthissubjectivityratherthanperceivingitasashortcoming?Thissection

willdiscussthisprospectwithreflectionsonthemethodsusedthroughoutthis

Master’sthesis.

Qualitativeresearchmethodswerepredominantlyutilised inorder toresearch

the Lisheen Wind Farm case. In doing so, this Master’s thesis has faced the

difficult reality of assessing and qualifying information from subjective

individuals, who are obviously shaped by their social, political and cultural

environment. The majority of literature on public participation in EIAs

concentrates on that practice. ThisMaster’s thesis also focused on howpublic

participation is practiced. However, this research also acknowledged the fact

thatthesubjectiveexperiencesoftheparticipantstendtobeunderrepresented

Page 75: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

75

withintheliterature.Thisiswhyphenomenologicalmethodswereutilisedinthe

secondanalysisofthedata.

Phenomenological methods help to describe and interpret the meanings of

humanexperiences. Thecentralityofthehumanbeingsinthismethodiswhat

makes it so useful in discovering how the interviewees regarded the public

participationinthecase.Theconceptofthelife-worldiscentraltothisprocess,

astheexperiencesoftheparticipantscanbegivenmeaningwhenreferredtothe

experientially given world, and is reflected upon in the process of

phenomenologicalreduction.Byemphasisingthesignificanceofthelife-worldit

shouldbenotedthatitisnotattheexpenseofscience.

Zahavi’s(2009)writingsonthelife-worldmakeasalientpointinregardstothe

natural sciences and subjective phenomena such as the experience of

participation.Thenaturalscienceshavealwaysfounditdifficulttoresearchthe

socialsideofcases.Thenaturalscienceshaveatendencytoadvocateobjectivism

andscientism.Scientismistheopinionthatonlynaturalsciencedecideswhatis

real, and thus reality is identical to what can be proven by natural scientific

approaches (Zahavi 2009). Under this view, subjective phenomena such as

aesthetic tastes are often disregarded, as they possess no real objective

existence. This could help explain why individual participants’ experiences of

publicparticipationinEIAsaresopoorlyarticulatedintheliterature.Definingan

individual’s experience cannot be described as an exact science, however this

shouldnotdiminishthevalueofsuchattempts.

Byexploringthephenomenonofpublicparticipationinthiscasewiththeuseof

phenomenologicalmethods,oneglaringdifferencebetween theresultsbecame

clear.The firstanalysisusedmethods thatwereassessment-basedandutilised

more frequently in the literature. Its results had similar outcomes to other

research on EIAs with a notable focus on its application and weaknesses in

process.

Page 76: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

76

The results from the phenomenological analysis, on the other hand, did not

expose theweaknesses in thepublicparticipationasmuchas the firstanalysis

did. By utilising amore human centred approach, one could better empathise

with how the development of thewind farm had impacted the participants. It

exposed the different social factors and motivations that affected the

participantsthroughouttheprocess.Thiswasmostpronouncedinsections6.5.3

and6.5.4,whichdescribedhow theparticipants experienceda strong senseof

dutyattachedtotheparticipationprocess,andhowself-perceptionaffectedhow

they participated. Having more insights such as these could contribute to the

process of developing new, better ways of approaching public participation

withinEIAs.

Better insightswouldallow formore constructivedialoguebetweenassessors,

professionaldevelopersand theaffectedcommunities tooccur.Wilkins (2003)

would agree with this use of subjectivity to develop better dialogue between

professionals and the lay community. He remarks that subjectivity can be an

important source discourse, which in turn can foster social values such as

sustainabledevelopment(Wilkins2003).Anotherknock-onbenefitofimproved

dialogue would be to avoid conflicts such as the one seen in this case from

occurring. Benefits could also be seen in the empowerment of communities to

takemore of an active role in the future of the environment inwhichwe live.

Thiscaseshowedsignsthatdialogueanddiscussioncanleadtosituationswere

allpartiesbenefitfromthedevelopment.

EIA could also aim to act as a mechanism for environmental education. The

Lisheen Wind Farm case emphasised how a community which displayed

considerableresistancetotheideaofwindturbinescanaltertheirperspectives

in quite a short space of time. If a more concerted effort was made by the

developers to educate the community about the benefits ofwind energy, then

they possibly could have saved a lot of time andmoney during that extended

planning process. The current approach to public participation in Irish EIAs

Page 77: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

77

should aim to incorporate better attempts to improve the level of dialogue

betweenallparties.

Doelle and Sinclair (2006) also articulate the possibility of a shift in how we

approachpublicparticipation inenvironmentalassessments.Thisshift isaway

from thehigh levels of discretion currently allowed in the assessmentprocess

and towards forming clear and mandatory foundations on which public

participationisconducted.Throughearliercontactandmoreopencollaborative

approaches to public participation, Doelle and Sinclair (2006) posit that

environmental assessments could be redesigned to represent what we have

knownabout theoretical literature forsome time.Fosteringbetterconnections

withthepublic thoughpublicparticipation ismutuallybeneficial forallparties

involved.

Havingcoveredsomeofthemajordiscussiontopicsthatarosefromtheresults,

this section will finish with some further reflections on the methodological

approachtakenandissueswhicharose.

The experience of undertaking thisMaster’s thesis has been a challenging yet

rewardingone.Overthecourseofthisresearchanumberofchallengessurfaced

asaresultoftheresearchdesign.Thefirstanalysisonpublicparticipationand

the Aarhus Convention utilised a set of practice criteria for assessing the

participationandtheadherenceofittotheprincipalsoftheAarhusConvention.

There is an inherent issuewith evaluating public participation, as there is no

widelyagreed-uponsetofcriteriaused.Someevaluationframeworksarebased

onthecommunicativetheoriesofHabermas(1984)whileotherswherebasedon

sociallearning,focusingtrustandtimingoftheparticipation.

This thesisdidnotutilise these frameworksas theywerenotadequate for the

assessing the adherence to the Aarhus Convention. In the end the practice

criteriawerechosenwiththeaimofassessingthethreepillarsoftheconvention

whichposedsomedifficulties.TheAarhusConvention,andpublicparticipation

for that matter, are not defined narrowly enough to ensure reliable outputs

Page 78: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

78

whencriteriaarebeingtested.HartleyandWood(2005)alsonotethechallenge

of assessing theconventionwithout specific strict criteriabeingoutlined.With

this issue inmind the practice criteria thatwere utilised in this thesis had to

haveabroaderscopethendesirable.However,thepracticecriteriawhichwere

used did manage to give a detailed assessment of the adherence of public

participationtotheAarhusConvention.

Another issue was the outcome of the purposeful and snowball sampling

method.Thismixofsamplingmethodsinadvertentlyledtoanall-malesampleof

interviewees. Gender balance within research samples is clearly important in

ordertoadequatelyrepresenttheentirecommunity.Itshouldalsobenotedthat

women have clearly participated in the planning process as documentary

evidencenotably shows their presence in the objections and submissions.The

choiceofusingsnowballmethodmayberesponsiblefortheover-representation

ofmeninthestudy,thoughothersocialandculturalfactorsmayhaveplayeda

roleinthis.TheareaofTempletuohyandMoyneisinaveryrural,religiousand

traditionalpartoftheRepublicofIreland.Furtherresearchwouldberequiredin

order to investigate if this social and cultural context could have impacted

representation in the public participation. This study is not alone in showing

signsofmenbeingover-representedinpublicparticipation.OlsenandHansen’s

(2014)workinGreenlandnotedthatmainlymenvoicedtheiropinionduringthe

participation process, which they posit acted as a barrier to more inclusive

dialogue.

Finally, it isworthreflectingonthechoiceofonlyutilisingqualitativemethods

duringtheanalysisprocess.Onealternativeapproachwouldhavebeentousea

quantitativesurvey insteadof thepracticecriteria.Thiscouldhaveproduceda

broader representation of the entire community involved in the public

participation.However,itsusemaynothaveproducedvalidresultsasitwould

be extremely difficult to source enoughwilling respondentswho could deeply

reflect on the public participation. The use of quantitative methods such as

surveyscouldhaveactedinsomesupportingway,butitisclearthatwouldnot

Page 79: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

79

beadequateenoughontheirowninattemptingtoexplorethesocialcomplexity

ofpublicparticipationinEIAs.

7.5. ConclusionsThisMaster’s thesis set out to explore the complexities of public participation

withinIrishEIAs.Inabreakfromthetypicalstudiesintopublicparticipationin

EIAs,itutilisedadualisticapproachtotheanalysisofthedatacollectedfromin-

depthinterviewsandadocumentstudy.Theaimoftheresearchwastoexplore

how the stakeholders of Lisheen Wind Farm development experienced their

public participation, and the extent to which the Aarhus Convention was

adhered. The dualistic approach utilised a set of practice criteria for the first

analysis and phenomenological methods for the second. This resulted in two

verydifferentsetsofresultsfromthesamedata.

The results proved that the criteria were fulfilled, thus this research can

conclude that in this case the primary principles from the three pillars of the

AarhusConventionwereadheredto.However,theresultsalsodisplayedsomeof

theweaknessespresentinpublicparticipationtoday.Similartootherliterature

in this field, thepublicparticipation facednumerousbarriersaswellashaving

some major issues in information provision and poor execution of the

participatory methods and monetary barriers. The flexibility present in the

AarhusConventionandthepublicparticipationcreatesunintendeddifficulties.

By not having explicit definitions, it creates a difficult atmosphere for the

practitioners and participants involved in the participation. The

phenomenological analysis returned quite a different set of results given the

nature of the approach. Its description of the experience of participation was

illuminating as it helped expose the capacities of the participants to engage in

public participation. Underlying social norms such as self-perception and

feelingsofdutytoone’scommunityresonatedstronglyintheresults.Thereisa

possibility that such social considerations could be utilised in some fashion in

Page 80: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

80

order to promote more sustainable values and more constructive dialogue in

regardstothefutureofourenvironment.

The public participation in this case can be seen as falling short of its full

potential.ThehistoricalrootsofEIAs inutilisinga techno-rationalapproachto

infrastructural developments such aswind farms are seen clearly in this case.

EIAshavestillnotperfectedtheirabilitytoconsiderthesocialaspectsaffecting

public participation. However, this slowness to adapt could be turned into a

positive. A move to promote the use of more subjective data such as the

experiencesofparticipantscouldleadtobetterinsights,whichinturnleadtothe

moreco-operativeapproachestopublicparticipation.

Aswemovetowardsamorebeneficialandinclusiveformofpublicparticipation

withinEIA structures,wemust acknowledge that thisprogressiveprocesswill

taketime.PublicparticipationinEIAsstillmaintainsamarginalpositioninhow

EIAs are conducted in the Republic of Ireland today. This case showed the

weaknesses in the flexibility awarded to those responsible for initiating the

public participation.However,with the urgent and pressing need tomake the

shift from our dependence on fossil fuels to renewable energies, this case has

shown encouraging signs of things to come. That a small, traditional, rural

community such as Templetuohy and Moyne could drastically change their

opinionsonrenewableenergyproductionintheirlocalityisaveryencouraging

signindeed.

Page 81: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

81

8. BibliographyAngloAmerican2006,'LisheenWindFarmDevelopmentScopingReport(Pre-

Planning)',EIA-ScopingReport,AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLtd,Anglo

AmericanLisheenMiningLtd,Killoran/Moyne.

AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2006b,FurtherInformationRequest,viewed

6May2016,

<http://193.178.30.68/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=360334&format=j

peg>.

AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2006c,FurtherInformationRequest

PlanningReference06/510773,viewed20June2016,

<http://193.178.30.68/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=360334&format=j

peg>.

AngloAmericanLisheenMiningLTD2007,ApplicationNo:06510773,viewed20

June2016,

<http://193.178.30.68/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=390922&format=j

peg>.

AngloAmericanLisheenMinningLTD2006,Eplanning:Planningapplication

detailesref06510773TipperaryCountyCouncil,viewed20August2015,

<http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/06510773/0>,

Applicationfilelocatedintheviewfilessection.

Berger,P.L,1966,Thesocialconstructionofreality:atreatiseinthesociologyof

knowledge,PenginBooks,London,England.

Berger,P.L.1991,ThesocailConstructionofReality:ATreatiseintheSociologyof

Knowledge,PenguinBooks,London.

Page 82: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

82

Bloor,M&Wood,F2006,KeywordsinQualitativeMethods:Phenomenological

Methods,SAGEPublicationsLtd.

Boon,T.E.1999,Fiveanalyticalframeworksforanalysingpublicparticipation.In:

Niskanen,A.&J.Vayrynen1999,32ndedn,RegionalForestStrategies.

Brinkmann,S&Tanggaard,L2010,Kvalitativemetoder,HansReitzelsForlag,

København.

Bryman,A2008,SocialResearchMethods,3rdedn,OxfordUniversityPress,

Oxford.

Bryman,A2012,SocialResearchMethods,4thedn,UniversityPress,Oxford.

Burr,V2015,SocialConstructionism,3rdedn,Routledge.

CounciloftheEuropeanUnion1985,'CouncilDirective85/337/EECof27June

1985ontheassessmentoftheeffectsofcertainpublicandprivateprojectson

theenvironment',Directive,CounciloftheEuropeanCommunities,EEC.

CSO2011,StatisticalProduct-ThisisIrealndPart1,Accessed:11/06/2016

Availabile:

<http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/Database/eirestat/This%20is%20Ireland%2

0Part%201/This%20is%20Ireland%20Part%201_statbank.asp?SP=This%20is

%20Ireland%20Part%201&Planguage=0>.

Davies,AR&Mullin,SJ2011,'Greeningtheeconomy:interrogatingsustainability

innovationsbeyondthemainstream',JournalofEconomicGeography,2011,pp.

793-816.

DepartmentoftheEnviornment2006,'WindEnergyDevelopmentGuidelines

(DRAFT)',PlanningGuidelines,TheDepartmentoftheEnviornment,Heritage

andLocalGovernment,GovernmentofIreland,TheDepartmentofthe

Enviornment,HeritageandLocalGovernment,Dublin.

Page 83: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

83

DepartmentoftheEnvironment2011,Environment(MiscellaneousProvisions)

Act2011,viewed10May2016,

<http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/act/20/section/8/enacted/en/index

.html>.

DepartmentoftheEnvironment2016,AarhusConvention,viewed13January

2016,<http://www.environ.ie/environment/aarhus-convention/aarhus-

convention>.

Devine,P.W2005,'BeyondNIMBYism:towardsanIntegratedFrameworkfor

UnderstandingPublicPerceptionsofWindEnergy',WindEnergy,vol2,no.8,pp.

125-139.

DoelleM,S.J2006,'TimeforanewapproachtopublicparticipationinEA:

Promotingcooperationandconsensusforsustainability',EnvironmentalImpact

AssessmentReview,vol26,pp.185–205.

EEA2016,'RenewableenergyinEurope2016Recentgrowthandknock-on

effects',EEAReport,EuropeanEnvironmentAgency,EuropeanUnion,978-92-

9213-727-4,PublicationsOfficeoftheEuropeanUnion,Luxembourg:.

EirgridGroup2016,TheDS3Programme,Viewed8Febuary2016,

Available:<http://www.eirgridgroup.com/site-files/library/EirGrid/DS3-

Programme-Brochure.pdf>.

Endreß,M2016,'OntheVeryIdeaofSocialConstruction:Deconstructing

Searle’sandHacking’sCriticalReflections',HumStud,vol1,no.39,pp.127-146.

EuropeanCommission2003,Directive2003/35/ECoftheEuropeanParliament

andoftheCouncilof26May2003providingforpublicparticipationinrespectof

thedrawingupofcertainplansandprogrammesrelatingtotheenvironmentand

amendingwithregardtopublicparticipationandaccesstojusticeCouncil

Page 84: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

84

Directives85/337/EECand96/61/EC,EuropeanUnion,viewed10March2016,

<http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/NOT/?uri=CELEX:32003L0035>.

EuropeanCommission2016,EnvironmentalImpactAssessment,viewed10May

2016,Available:<http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/eia-legalcontext.htm>.

Eurostat2016,Electricitygeneratedfromrenewablessources:%ofgross

electricityconsumption,

<http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/graph.do?pcode=tsdcc330&language=en>.

Glucker,A.N2013,'Publicparticipationinenvironmentalimpactassessment:

why,whoandhow?',EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview,vol43,pp.104-

111.

GovernmentofIreland2007,S.I.No.133/2007-EuropeanCommunities(Accessto

InformationontheEnvironment)Regulations2007,viewed22May2016,

<http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2007/si/133/made/en/print>.

Habermas,J1984,TheTheoryofCommunicativeAction,Vol.1:Reasonandthe

RationalizationofSociety,BeaconPress,Boston.

Hartley,N.Wood,C.2005,'Publicparticipationinenvironmentalimpact

assessment—implementingtheAarhusConvention',EnvironmentalImpact

AssessmentReview,vol25,pp.319-340.

Hogan,C.J2015,MScThesisInterview.

Howley,M,Holland,M&Dineen,D2014,EnergyinIreland:KeyStatistics2014,

SustainableEnergyAuthorityofIreland.

IPCC2014,'SummaryforPolicymakers.In:ClimateChange2014:Mitigationof

ClimateChange.ContributionofWorkingGroupIIItotheFifthAssessment

Page 85: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

85

ReportoftheIntergivernmentalPanelonClimateChange',IPCC,Cambridge,

UnitedKingdomandNewYork,NY,USA.

Jamison,A&Baark,E1999,'NationalShadesofGreen:ComparingtheSwedish

andDanishStylesinEcologicalModernisation',EnvironmentalValues,May1999,

pp.199-218.

Jay,SJCSPWC2007,'Environmentalimpactassessment:Retrospectand

prospect',EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview,vol27,pp.287–300.

Keen,E1975,Doingresearchphenomenologically,BucknellUniversity,

Lewisburg,PA.

Lawrence,D.P2000,'Planningtheoriesandenvironmentalimpactassessmentt',

EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview,vol20,no.6.

Lawrence,D.P2003,EnvironmentalImpactAssessment:PracticalSolutionsto

RecurrentProblems,JohnWiley&Sons.Inc.

McLauglin,P2012,'EcologicalModernizationinEvolutionaryPerspective',

OrganizationandEnvironment,2012,pp.178-196.

Meadows,D,Meadows,D,Randers,J&BehrensIII,W1972,LimitstoGrowth,

UniverseBooks.

Moustakas,C1994,PhenomenologicalResearchMethods,SAGEPublications,

ThousandOaks,CA.

MoyneTempletuohyCommunityActionGroup2006,'MissionStatement',

Actions,MoyneTempletuohyCommunityActionGroup,MTCAG,Templetuohy.

Murphy,R2012,'Sustainability:Awickedproblem',Sociologica,2012,pp.1-23.

Page 86: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

86

NorthTipperaryCountyCouncil2006b,Re:Permissionforwindturbinefarm

consistingof22No.windturbinegenerators,accessroads,craneagepadsand

associatedinfrastructure.AnEnvironmentalImpactStatementwillbesubmittedto

thePlanningAuthoritywiththisApplicationatBarnalisheen,Cooleeny,Derryfada,

DerryvilleandKilloran,viewed6May2016,

<http://193.178.30.68/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=350270&format=j

peg>.

NorthTipperaryCountyCouncil2007,Decision:NotificationofDecisiontoGrant

Permission,viewed20Febuary2016,

<http://193.178.30.68/idocswebDPSS/ViewFiles.aspx?docid=390922&format=j

peg>.

O'Faircheallaigh2010,'Publicparticipationandenvironmentalimpact

assessment:Purposes,implications,andlessonsforpublicpolicymaking',

EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview,vol30,pp.19-27.

Olsen,ASAHAM2014,'Perceptionsofpublicparticipationinimpactassessment:

astudyofoffshoreoilexploratiooninGreenland',ImpactAssessmentandProject

Appraisal,vol32,no.1,pp.72-80.

O'Mahony,B2009,BordGáisbuysSWSfor€500m,IrishExmainerLtd,viewed25

May2016,<http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/bord-gais-buys-sws-for-

500m-107154.html>.

OrdnanceSurveyIreland2009,OrdnanceSurveyIrelandLicenseNo:AR0017009,

viewed16Febuary2016,

<http://www.eib.org/attachments/pipeline/20090748_nts6_en.pdf>.

Orlikowski,W.J.BJ.J1991,'StudyingInformationTechnologyinOrgnisations:

researchapproachesandassumptions',InformationSystemsResearch,vol2,pp.

1-28.

Page 87: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

87

Palerm,J.R2000,'AnEmpirical-TheoreticalAnalysisFrameworkforPublic

ParticipationinEnvironmentalImpactAssessment',JournalofEnvironmental

PlanningandManagement,vol43,no.5,pp.581-600.

Patton,M.Q1990,QualitativeEvaluationandResearchMethods,2ndedn,CA:

SagePublicatioonsInc.

Petts,J1999,HandbookofEnvironmentalImpactAssessment:Environmental

ImpactAssessment:Process,MethodsandPotential,Oxford.

Petts,J1999b,HandbookofEnvironmentalImpactAssessment:Environmental

ImpactAssessmentInPractice:ImpactandLimitations,BlackwellScience,Oxford.

PublicServiceInformation2015,Commentingonaplanningapplication,viewed

10April2016,

<http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/planning_permission/commen

ting_on_planning_application.html>.

Rocktröm,J,Steffen,W,Noone,K,Persson,Å,ChapinIII,FS,Lambin,EF,Lenton,

TM,Scheffer,M,Folke,C,Schellnhuber,HJ,Nykvist,B,deWit,CA,Hughes,T,van

derLeuw,S,Rodhe,H,Sörlin,S,Snyder,PK,Constanza,R,Svedin,U,Falkenmark,

M,etal.2009,'Feature:Asafeoperatingspaceforhumanity',Nature,2009,pp.

472-475.

Ryall,A2009,EffectiveJudicialProtectionandtheEnvironmentalImpact

AssessmentDirectiveinIreland,1stedn,HartPublishing,Oxford.

Schutz,A1972,CollectedPapers1:TheProblemofSocialReality,Springer

Netherlands.

Searle,J.R1995,Theconstructionofsocialreality,PenguinBooks,NewYork.

StateofGreen,AboutStateofGreen,viewed4April2016,

<https://stateofgreen.com/en/pages/about-state-of-green>.

Page 88: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

88

Stec,SALSC2000,THeAarhusConventionAnImplementationGuide,viewed21

June2016,<http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/pp/acig.pdf>.

Stec,SAC-LS2000,TheAarhusConvention:AnImplementationGuide,United

Nations,NewYork.

Strauss,A&Corbin,J.M1998,Basicsofqualitativeresearch:Techniquesand

proceduresfordevelopinggroundedtheory,Sage,ThousandsOaks,California.

Submissions/Objections2006,Planningapplicationdetailsref:06510773

TipperaryCountyCouncil,viewed15Febuary2016,

<http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/06510773/0>,

FoundintheViewscannedfilessection.

SWSNaturalResources2009,'LisheenExtensionWindEnergyDevelopment:

EnvironmentalImpactStatementVolume1,NonTechnicalSummary',SWS

Energy,Cork.

TheEconomist2016,'EUrenewablesusageshowssteadyincrease',The

Economist,18March2016.

TipperaryCountyCouncil2009,Planningapplicationdetailsref:09510100

TipperaryCountyCouncil,viewed10May2016,

<http://www.eplanning.ie/TipperaryCC/AppFileRefDetails/09510100/0>.

Troen,ILPE1989,EuropeanWindAtlas,RisøNationalLaboratory,Roskilde.

Tufford,LANP2010,'BrackeinginQualitativeResearch',QualitativeSocialWork,

vol11,pp.80-96.

UN2015,Agenda21Chapter8,viewed19October2015,<http://www.un-

documents.net/a21-08.htm>.

Page 89: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

89

UNGeneralAssembly1992,A/CONF.151/26(Vol.I),viewed21October2015,

<http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm>.

UNECE1998,'ConventiononAccesstoInformation,PublicParticipationin

Decision-makingandAccesstoJusticeinEnvironmentalMatters',Protocol,

UNECE,UNECE,Aarhus.

UNFCC2015,'AdoptionoftehParisAgreement.ProposalbythePresident',

Treaties,UnitedNationsFrameworkConventiononClimateChange,UNFCC.

ConferenceoftheParities(COP),UnitedNationsOfficeatGeneva,Geneva.

UnitedNations2015,AdoptionoftheParisAgreement,viewed3May2016,

<https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf>.

Wilkins,H2003,'TheneedforsubjectivityinEIA:discourseasatoolfor

sustainabledevelopment',EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview,vol23,pp.

401-414.

Wilson,D&Slack,JA1989,TowardanAppliedPhenomenology:TheCaseof

AbandonedPierUseinHobokenNewJersey,USA.

Wolsink,M2007,'Windpowerimplementation:Thenatureofpublicattitudes:

Equityandfairnessinsteadof‘backyardmotives’',RenewableandSustainable

EnergyReviews,vol11.

Yin,RK2009,CaseStudyResearch:DesignandMethods,Sage.

York,R&Rosa,EA2003,'KeychallengestoEcologicalModernizationTheory',

Organization&Environment,2003,pp.273-288,viewed11May2016.

Page 90: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

90

Zahavi,SO&D2009,'PhenomenologicalSociology-TheSubjectivityofEveryday

Life',inMHJacobsen(ed.),EncounteringtheEveryday:AnIntroductiontothe

SociologiesoftheUnnoticed,PalgraveMacmillan,Basingstoke.

Zuhair,MH,KPA2016,'Socio-economicandpoliticalbarrierstopublic

participationinEIA:implicationsforsustainabledevelopmentintheMaldives',

ImpactAssessmentandProjectAppraisal,vol34,no.2,pp.129-142.

9. ListofFigures

Figure1.Eurostat(2016),“Electricitygeneratedfromrenewablessources:%of

grosselectricityconsumption”,Accessed:05/02/2016,Available:

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/graph.do?pcode=tsdcc330&language=en.

Figure2.Wikipedia(2016),“IslandofIrelandLocationmapTipperary”,Accessed:

23/05/2016,Available:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Tippe

rary.svg

Figure3.Devane,D(2015),[photograph]“LisheenWindFarm”

Figure4.Devane,D.(2015),[photograph]“OperationalLisheenwindturbines”

Page 91: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

91

10.Appendix10.1InterviewGuidefortheLisheenWindFarmParticipants’

Topicandsubquestions PurposePresentationoftheinterviewerandthestudy:

1. Name

2. Short description of the thesis:HowyouareresearchingpublicparticipationwithintheLisheenWindFarmDevelopment

Togivetheintervieweeafeelingofthepurposeoftheinterviewandofthethesis,andtohelpcreatearelaxedatmosphere.Theunderstandingofthepurposeshouldincreasetheinterviewee’swillingnesstorespondindepthandtoanswerthequestionsbasedonhisfirstthoughtandwithoutstrategicpurposes.

Aboutinitialcontactaboutthedevelopment:3. Couldyoutellmeaboutthefirst

time you heard about thedevelopmentofthewindfarm?

4. Did you receive any literatureor information about the planstoconstructit?

5. Did you know that an

Environmental ImpactAssessmentwascarriedout?

Togettheconversationstartedbyaskingsimple,politeandeasytoanswerquestions.Alsobeginningtofindouthowtheywhereinitiallyapproached.Howinformationwasdistributed.ToshowiftheparticipantwasawareoftheEIAanditsrelevancetohowtheywhereengagedbythedevelopmentcompanyatthebeginningofthedevelopment.

AbouttheirExperienceandInvolvement:6. How would you describe your

participation/involvement inthe construction of the windfarm in 2009 and/or theextensionin2013?

7. How did you feel when youheardaboutthedevelopment?

8. Inyourexperiencewhatimpactdid your participation have onthewindfarmdevelopment?

Broadquestionintendedongettingtheparticipanttodescribetheirexperiencesofparticipationintheirownwords.Togaininsightsintohowtheyexperiencedtheiraccesstoinformationinthecase.Tofurtherallowtheintervieweeelaborateonhowtheyviewedtheirexperienceofparticipation.

AbouttheInformationMeetings:9. Where you aware of, or Togetaviewoftheparticipation

Page 92: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

92

participated inany informationmeetings that happened in thearea?

10. Wasthereany localcommunityorganised meetings held abouttheplansforthewindfarm?

11. Do you think the information

given to the local communitywasadequate?

12. What worries did thecommunity have about theturbines?

throughdeveloperorganisedpublicmeetings.Toinvestigateothermeetingswhichfacilitatedthepublicparticipation.Togetaviewontheopiniononhowthelocalcommunitywasengagedwithasawhole.Didtheyfeeltheyhadaroleinthedevelopment?Tounderstandthefearswhichfacedthelocalcommunityduringthedevelopment.

AboutaccesstoDecisionmaking:13. How did you feel in regards to

the way the community wasinvolved in the planningprocess?

14. Didyoufeelyouhadasayinthedecision making processinvolved with the developmentofthewindfarm?

Toseeiftheintervieweesviewedtheparticipationasgivingthemaccesstotheplanningprocess.Toinvestigateiftheirinvolvementinthepublicparticipationgivethemthefeelingthattheyimpactedthedecisionmakingprocess.Didtheyhaveasayintheproceedings.

AboutaccesstoJustice:

15. Following the plans becomingpublicknowledgedidyouknowthat the public was invited tocommentontheplans/planningapplication? And if so did youcomment?

16. Doyoubelieve that communityhad adequate access tocomment on the developmentplans?

Tofindoutiftheintervieweewasawareoftheirabilitytochallengetheplanningprocessfollowingtheinitiallyplanningapplication.Tofindoutiftheyplayedanactiveroleincommentingontheplans?Toseewhattheregeneralopiniononthelevelofaccesstohavingtheiropinionheardintheplanningprocess.

Page 93: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

93

10.2.Appendix:FullCodingofIn-depthInterviewsforPublic

ParticipationandtheAarhusConventionQualitativeAnalysis

10.2.1.QualitativeCodingoftheIn-depthinterviewwithTimBergin

-ChairoftheParishForum,localresidentandminer.

I:Interviewer

T:TimBergin

Transcription

Coding

I: I’m interested in your experiences of the

participation within the development of the

projectandwhenIsayprojectImeanthewhole

thingfrom2009,thewholething.

T:Myonly involvementwith it is, living locally

andworking.Idon’thaveanythingphysicallyto

dowiththem.

I:Ohok.

T: Em 2008/2009 sure the mines themselves

put in the planning for it. The mine didn’t

developitthentheysoldittoSWS(.)theywhere

Cork based em (.) there was a big anti wind

farmmovementat the time then.Therewas

agendas, where people involved with that

who had no interest being involved with it

(windfarm).Thewholeotherendoftheparish

Moyne, putting up the 8x4 placards. But look I

knowpeople that got roped into in because

some of their neighbours felt very strongly

OneofthefirstthingshementionsisanAnti–Windfarmgroupactivityinthecase.ConflictMentionthatindividualpeoplehadagendas?Displayingantiwindfarmsentiment.

Moreforcefullocals

Page 94: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

94

about it and they felt that (.) doyou know (.)

didn’t want to be letting the side down. But

look it (.) that’s neither here nor there. There

was an anti em:: (.) development still went

ahead, they got the planning. 18 turbineswent

downfirst.

pressuredsomeoftheirneighboursintojoiningtheircause.Socialisationandparticipatingwithinthelocalsocialstructures.

I: I’m just wondering when did you first hear

aboutit?

T:IheardaboutitbecauseIwasworkinginthe

mines. They said they where looking for

planning. Sure look it was general knowledge

thenthereonceitcameout.Butinfairnessem:

they would have information evenings at the

timeshowingthedevelopment,withallthese

turbines they have a (.) they have pictures

andmontagesofitaviewthatway(pointsto

the left) and showingwhat there physically

going to see. There’s going to be a turbine

thereandaturbinethereintothepicturesso

youcan lookanydirectionandsee.Lookout

my back window its probably (.) probably 2

milesIsupposeasthecrowflies.Thenearestof

them you can see it out there. (.) Never

bothered me from day one anyway. So it

neverreallyitwasn’tanissueforme.

DirectlyfoundoutthroughThecompanydidmakeangoodefforttodisplaytheupcomingdevelopment.Visuallytheyshowedwheretheturbineswouldbeplacedinrespecttothelocalarea.Turbinesareveryvisiblefromhiskitchen.

I:Sodidyougotothemeetingsthen?

T: I would have yeah. I would have had an

interest in it and a keen interest in it still. I’m

Keeninterest

Page 95: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

95

tryingtogetintotheindustrybecauselookit(.)

itsnotmaybegoingtogetabigasitwasbecause

of(.)Ithinkthisareaissaturatedwithturbines

attheminuetsothere’snotgoingtobeawhole

lotmore. But ah I would have an interest in it

fromthatpointofview.Ineversawthemasan

issue.Noiseor..

Jobsandgrowthinthecommunity–theformerroleoftheturfcuttingandminesimportanthere.-----HabitualizationofcustomsThoughlackingoptimismRepeatshiseasewiththeturbines

I:Ok,likethesightofit…

T:Thesightof it like look (.) thefactthatthere

onlow lying land,thereveryeasilyem:(.)you

wouldbedrivingdownaroadandthenyoucant

see them. Whereas when they’re put up on a

whole rangeofhills, they standout fromevery

direction.WhereasIgouptothecrossandIcant

see themandyougoanotherhalfmileandyou

can see the lot of them. And then gone again

anotherthreestopsorwhatever.Ithinkthelow-

lyingland(.)theycanbeconcealedeasily.

Aesthetics=Wellplacedtotakeadvantageofthelow-lyingland.Importanceofplanning

I:Soyoustartedparticipatingthroughreceiving

information about it then you went to the

meetings…

T:We where then involved in a group, it was

partoftheplanningapplicationthattheyhadto

(.) had to engage with the community. So a

group was set up then and it served too

purposes because themineswhere closing and

it actually served as a committee that where

meeting at the mines for other issues. It was

“Hadtoengage”participantholdsacriticalpositionontheoriginal

Page 96: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

96

onlysetupinitiallytogetoverthis tohaveto

engage with the committee so. This Parish

Forumwassetup,Iwasonthecommittee(.)I’m

chairofitnowactually,but..

reasoningforitbeingsetup.ßButcreatedtheForumwhichheisachairof.Chairofforum

I:Soisitstillactive?

T:Yeah,Yeah(.)em:

I:Howmanymemberswouldyouhave?

T: Oh sure there’s probably thirty on the

committee.Embutthebigbenefitcommunity

wise was (.) is the funding you get for the

turbineslike.

Importanceoffundingdriver

I:Sodidtheyexplainthat,thefundingissue?Or

didthatcomeinlater?

T: Itwouldhavebeenexplainedbutnot inany

great detail at the early stages. I think at the

minuet it’s a:: it’s a condition of planning. So

there’snowayoutof it now.Whereasbefore

with these it was up to the company whether

they wanted to give the parish money or

whatever. Em: (…) a €1,000 per megawatt

isn’tit.That’sthestandardthingnow.Sowe

had18turbinesstartingout,ourinitialfund

orpotcallitwhatyouwantwas€30,000per

year.

Planningstipulations=communityfundingLargeincentivetoengageandaccepttheturbines

I:Andhowwidewouldthatbecommunitywise

Page 97: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

97

becauseyouhaveMoyneand..

T: Yeah em we actually allocated money last

night for the present year (.) so basicallywhat

wedoiswesetoutanotice in thenewsletter

orwhatever locally.All the clubs knowabout

it know, it is kept within

Moyne/Templetuohywithin theparish.They

knewthesecondphaseofitwentup,another12

so there’s30 turbinessowehavesomething in

therangeof€53,000or€55,000ayearnow.

I:That’shuge!

T: The other turbines the latest ones to go up

againBruckanaBordnaMóna.

I:Yeah,YeahIoriginallygotconfusedwiththem,

Ithoughttheywheretheseones.

T:Didyeah,Haha(laughter).Sowehave,there’s

another pot of €40,000 there which is divided

betweenMoyne/TempletuohyandCrosspatrick.

Soyoucansay70oddthousand(€70,000).

Fundingprocessisorganisedinadeliberativedemocraticway.Followingthesuccessofthefirstphaseafurther12Smallparish–Templetuohy/Moyne3rdwindfarminthearea.Theyalsohavemanagedtosqueezemoneyoutofthisone.

I:Inageneralareainashortperiodoftime…

T: InashortperiodoftimeforIdon’tknowwe

wheredebatingwhetheritwas15or20yearsor

the life of the turbinewhich ever is first.Look

from a financial point of view there was a

hugebenefitfortheparishlike.Imeanitwas

serious money like. Some of the initial

Financialimportanceagain.Objectorshadareasonto

Page 98: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

98

objectorsforthefirstphasehaveturbineson

therelandinthesecondphase.

altertheirviews

I:Andwouldtheybethefewthatareoverthere

bypastMoyneontheroad…

T: On the other side of the road yeah, yeah.

There’s 4 or 5 of them I think on one

particular fellas land. Now he would have

been on the committee. Now he may have

gottendragged into it Idon’tknow.But Imean

therehasbeenvideosdonefromSWSandthen

it was owned by Bord Gáis and now its

Brookfield, its been sold a few times. It was

actually done by SWS a promotional video

doneandsureIwasonit,Ihavenoobjectionto

it. This fella was on it, and he said he had no

issuessayinghedidobjecttothembutoncethey

whereup,youknowthe issueswithnoise (.) I

thinkisamyth(.)andtheflicker(.)yesitdoes

exist and if your, if they are verynear you. It’s

thefirsttimeyouseeityourwondering(.)it

islike(.)intense,itsfuckingintenselike.But

it comes and goes id say within a half an

hour,anhourmaxitwouldlast.Becauseyou

know the sunwouldmove. Flicker canbe an

issuebutthenoisething(.)Ithinkno,notabit

like.

RichardDaly–doesn’tmentionhimdirectly.Movedfromhavingastrongantipositiontobeinginapromotionalvideoforthem.Flickerisanissueifclose.Personexperienceoftheflicker.

I: So when youwhere being involvedwith the

community part, did they (development

company) structure it? Did they help you

Page 99: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

99

structure it orwas itmore of your community

steppinguptoorganiseit?

T:Wewouldn’thave (…..) itwasa conditionof

planning that they have to engage with the

community now (.) that probably in different

areastookdifferentformsbecause,isengaging

withthecommunityhavinganopenevening

and letting themknowabout it andcanyou

say“rightwedidthisandsignedover”.

Butbecausethemineswheregoingdoingit,the

forumwassetupthoughtheminestherewas

acoupleworkingthey’reinvolvedinitandthen

basicallyallthe(.)anyorganisationintheparish

was set a letter about it. Saying come to the

meeting for a committee tobe setup, chair set

thewholelotandwecontinuedonthensince.

Importanceofplanningincreatingengagement.Questionswhatengagementis.Miningworkerswherethefirsttobeconsulted.Useofexistingstructurestoinitiatetheconsultation

I: Would you think that the way they did the

engagementwithmeetingsandanyinformation

theyleafleteddoyouthinkthatwaseffectiveor

….?

T: Beneficial like? Yeah it was yeah. Look I’v

beenat thatone ivbeenat theextension, Iwas

at the Bord NaMóna one. Look it’s the same

thing I mean like, you can go in and see

where they’re going, how its going to affect

whatever’saroundyouem:whatitsgoingto

look like. There’s not much more they can

tellyoureally.

RespectsthenatureofthemeetingsEngagedpublicRepetitiveashe'sbeentothreeofthem.

Page 100: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

100

I:Yeah()..

T: Now there are probably other places that

went up that haven’t gotten the colour of

money where getting. Because maybe the

committeewassetup ina strongerway,the

reasonwhyarecommitteeisasstrongasitis(.)

was it was directly involved with the mines.

Whereas thedevelopers (.) theBordNaMónas

theymightn’tputthesameeffort into it. Idon’t

know.Maybetheywillmaybetheywont.

Indigenoustypologies:theyaredoingalotbetterthenotherareasthathadwindfarmsplacedinthem.Thecommitteewasstrongerasitwasdirectlyinvolvedwiththeminesthoughsomeoftheirworkers.Whereothercompanieswouldn’tputasmucheffortin.Equatesstrongcommunityorganisationto–monetarybenefits

I: And do you know of any further plans or

anythingthatwillcontinue?

T: There is a planning permission got for

another8or9,Lisheen3they’recallingit.It’s

the far side of the Bord Na Móna one. So

whenever that goes ahead I don’t know. You

knowwiththewindcapacity.

Anotherexpansionofthecurrentwindfarminplanningstagesalready.Verytechnicallyknowledgeable

I:Butyouwheresayingthatbetweenstageone

and stage two that the protesters for the first

phaseactuallybecamelessinthesecond.

T:Therewasnoprotestthesecondtime.Some

oftheprotestershadturbinesputontheirland.

I:Ok(.)sotheyrealisedthebenefit.

T:Well they (.) ha ha (.) they realised the

Arguesthelackofconflictinthesecondstageistodowith

Page 101: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

101

benefit but I suppose you can say, they

realisedthebenefitandtheywerebenefiting

from itbut(.)Maybethewholefearandstigma

andeverything (.) look it these turbines areup

there. Look when they where being put up

initially there was nearly an audience

watching the first few going up.And the last

12seemedtojustspringup,youknowyoujust

become oblivious to it like. Before you would

alwaysgetupandbelookingatthemattheturn

of theday.But sure you get upnowand you

don’tevenseethem.Youknowandlookitthe

peoplethatturnedfromobjectorstohavingiton

their land (.)maybe they just saw them for

whattheywhereratherthenallthispublicity

andbadpublicity.

theoverwhelmingbenefitstobothcommunityandthemselves.LiftingoffearNolongerhasasocialstigmaattachedtoit.Ashepreviouslymentionedassocialpressureinvolvedinthefirstphase.Notinterestingtothelocalsanymore.PartoflifeMovingpastexternalknowledge–towardspersonalexperience.Firsthandexperience-key

I:Doyouthink(.)didtheychallengeitincourts

ordidtheygotoanyofthehearingsoranything

likethat?

T: I don’t think they did. It would be (.) they

objected and I would think (.) I think they got

planning permission then and I wouldn’t think

that it went back to An Bord Pleanala or

anything.I'mnot100%sureoranything.I’mnot

sure.Butem:itdefiantlydidn’tgoallthewayup.

But they (.) I suppose maybe it wasn’t the

objectors but initially 18went up. I think they

would have been looking for planning for 20.

Therewas twoof them(.)the nearest two, to

someofthehouseswheretakenoutofitand

permissiongivenforthe18.

Veryinformedbutonthespecificplanningalterationshe'suncertain.Importanceofpositioningagain.

Page 102: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

102

I: So the interaction with the community did

actuallyamendthereplanssomewhat.

T: Well whether it was the interaction or

whether itwas the planning said their house. I

don’tknow. Idon’tknow.Theywheredefiantly

thetwothatwheregoingtobenearanyofthose.

I: So as a communitymember you knewabout

thelegalstipulationsabouthavingtoparticipate

withthecommunity..

T:Yeah.

I:butdoyouthinkeveryoneelsehadthatkind

of..

T:Iwouldn’tthinksono.

I:No?

T:Well Ionlyknewabout itbecausethemines

approached us to set up this committee like.

Other then that I don’t know if there’s a

development starting wherever (.) down in

Clonmeentomorrow.Dotheyactually(.)Isthe

informationevenenoughtosayyouengaged

withthecommunityordotheyhavetosetup

acommittee?Idon’tknow.

(Relative enters the kitchen) Hello where

CommunityisanengagedcommunityhoweverhisviewuninformedabouttheEIAprocess.Becauseoftheearlyconsultationhewasmoreinformed.Questionsthelevelsofparticipationneededtohaveengagedwiththecommunity.

Page 103: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

103

invadingyourspace.Howareyou!?()

I:Yousaidthatinitialgroupwas30people,did

they (.) is it still the same number deciding a

thing..

T:Well (.) we probably had (.) howmany had

welastnight?Wemighthavehad20.Wehada

meeting (.) you see (.) are community forum

wassetuptodealwithanissuewiththisand

thendoubledupasissueswiththemines.So

other then (.)wewouldmeet a couple times a

year and we would met with the mines as

regardswiththeclosure.Otherthenthedishing

outofthemoney(.) there’sprobablynotingfor

thecommitteetodo.Inrelationtotheturbines.

I:Ahok.

T:Soitsortofservestwopurposesforus.Now

lookitifthecommunitygetsupandgetsatit

(.)andtheycanusethatcommitteeforother

stuff as well. Like you know. But it did server

twopurposes forusas I said. If itsonly todeal

with the dishing out of the money. Its only a

couple of meetings you know. Send out the

application forms, give out the money and

putupwiththefightsafterthatlike(.)Ha.

Stablestructure–stillhighturnoutsfordecisions.Evolvedfromitsoriginalrole–goodforcommunity.Mobilisedcommunitiescanbothdefendtheirqualityoflifeandimproveonit.Theyareusedtocompaniescominginandtakingrawresourcesoutoftheirlocality.

I: That will go on for the foreseeable future I

suppose?

Page 104: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

104

T: Its either 15 years or 20 years or the life of

the turbines. If they took them down or

whatever, the money would cease like. I think

there’s 20 years. Even 20 years, the turbines

aren’tgoingtogoawayhere.Theywillprobably

take themdown and a 4megawattwhere they

hada2megawatt.Likeyouknow.

Longtermperspective.Expectationsofupgrades.

I: Yeah that’s true actually. They keep making

thebetter.Yousaidthepeoplethatdisagreedat

the start they (.) what exactly was there main

issuewithit?

T: Idon’tknow.Idon’tknow.Em:Sureyouhad

everything from. They where afraid the fact

that it was going over the mine, that the

ground wouldn’t support them and rubbish

inmymind.Looktheyhavethewholeflicker

and the noise thing but (.) it was going to

ruin their views and there parish and this

thatandtheother.Idon’tknow.Idon’tknow.

Fears–overblown.Almostcontemptforthemisplacedfears.

I: Because aesthetically, like you know (.) you

seetheminthedistanceandyoudon’tseemto..

T: Well look they don’t bother me. Its like

anything,ifyouhaveanissuewiththemand

your looking at them every day it will give

youapaininyourheadifyouthinkitsgoing

togiveyouapainintheheadlike.D’yaknow,

it’sthesameasifaphonemastgoesupover

there.Youknow,“ohIhaveanawfulpainin

UseofmetaphortogethispointacrossNotestheirrationalnatureofman.Ifyoubelievethatsomethingisbotheringyouitwillbotheryou.Evenifitsnottrue.

Page 105: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

105

my head every time that turns on”. And its

not evenpowered like.Youknow. So looka

lotofitcanbeintheheadlikeyouknow.

I:Yeah.

T: Now I know look there may have been

agendaswithpeople.Iknowonefellaupthere.

He was very staunch against it and he was

looking for planning permission for a house at

thetime.Hehaditviewedbythecountycouncil

andnext thingthecouncilgavehimpermission

for a turbine whatever half a mile from his

house.Looktherewasagendasallover.You’ll

alwayshavethatlike.Youknow.

I:YeahIknow.

T:Sowhatwheretheirworries,Idon’tknow.

Agendasnotedagain!2ndE.g.ofmanwhochangedhisviewafterhemanagedtogetplanningpermissionforaturbineonhisland.

I:Sotheyweren’treallythatmajorIsuppose?

T: Well look it, beauty is in the eye of the

beholder,likeyouknow(.)haha

ASTETHICS

I: Another interesting part of this project was

thatitwentupsoquicklywithoutthatmuch..

T:Youknowitwasn’tmassivelike.

I:AcrossallofEuropeyouhavegroupsofpeople

protesting heavily, even in countries like

Page 106: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

106

Denmarkwhohavebeendoingitforalongtime

andtheystillhaveissues.

T:Wouldtheyasmuch?

I: They still have as much objections yeah, I

knowanindividualthatworksintheparliament

systemandtheygetcomplaintsallthetime.

T:Like thiswentupandthe fact thatallotof it

wason (.) I think the initial oneswason (.)no

privatelands.ItwaseithermineslandorCoillte

land, forestry. So none of them went up on

privateland.Andtheminesthenownedthisbig

(.) couple of thousand acres. So there was

nobody(.)andeventhepeople livingnearest it

where on the sunny side of it so they where

never going to have the flicker effect. And they

tookawaythetwothatwherenearestthem.

So like themines had this big lock of land and

you had a big stretch of bog there to

Templetuohy.Sothat’swhytherewasnomajor

(.) other then this groupuphere like. Itwasn’t

the case that everyone all around them got

togetherandobjectedtothemlikeyouknow.It

was because itwaswhere itwas situated. And

it’sthesameIthinkforanything.

BordNaMónanowarelookingtoputupaheap

of them.But thereputtingthemup inbigareas

where its sparsely populated. Like are they

going to have objectors. You know this whole

Differenceofphaseonebeingbuiltonstateland.Whilethesecondstagewasbuildonprivateland.Naturallandscapemadetheprocesseasier.Lesspopulatedareas.Majorstateenergycompanyexpandingwindfarms.

Page 107: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

107

thingupthemidlandsthen.Theywheregoingto

export the power to the UK, there was what a

onehundredorsomethingturbines.

MediainIrelandlikemanycountrieshavebeendebatingthewindfarmdevelopments.ConflictColonialconnotations.

I:YeahIthinkitwassledgedtobethebiggestin

Europe.

T: Sure they where up in arms “where not

gona”,“alltheseturbines”.ButsureIsawthe

planning for it like and theywhere in little

pockets. Twas in five counties from Kildare,

Offaly, Laois, maybe some of Tipperary, West

Meath.Sotheywheregoingtobepocketsof10

and 12 there wasn’t going to be one hundred

turbines up like, you know.And yet people got

thisbigthingof“oh::onehundredturbineswhat

are we going to do”. Look (.) I don’t know

peopleareentitledtoobjectlike.Butarethe

legitIdon’tknow.

Amajoroneplannedinthecentreofthecountry.Therealitywasthattheywherespreadacross5counties.Perceptionofthedevelopmentdrivingobjections.Hequestionsthevalidityoftheseobjectionswhentheyarebasedonmisinformationindividuals.Importanceofearlyengagementandinformation.

I:I'mhopingtovisitotherpeopleintheareaand

itsmostlyabouthowthereexperiencestufflike

what theydid.And it’s trying to tie in all these

issuesthatareacrosstheboard.

T: Yeahwell therewas really a differencewith

the first ones being put up. They where being

put up on a Sunday morning or something,

whatever way those fellas work seven days a

weekbut.Therewasanaudiencelike.Andthe

Differencebetweenthebeforeandafterengagementthoughtheparishforum.

Page 108: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

108

last twelve just seemed to, just like a

mushroom.LiketheyputthemupinIsuppose

threeorfourdayswhenthey’reatitlike.Itjust

ohthere’sanotheroneofthem.

I: So do you think the community just slowly

becamecompletely….

T:Ah:::they’reusetoit.

Institutionalisation–behavioursbecomingroutinizedandhabitual.

I:Justnormal,factoflife?

T:That’sitlike.Thenagainyouwillhear(.)the

planningwasprobablydone rightnow.There’s

nonof themverynearhouses.You’llseeplaces

where theres a big cable up behind yeah, and

thereaturbinespinningupthere.Youknowit’s

at your doorstep like. I don’t know if theywill

movetheminimumdistanceI thinkfromthe

500mto700m.

I:Yeahtheguidelinesareunderassessment.

T: Yeah, so look it. Id say if they went to

moving it out to 1000m it would solve an

awful lot ofproblems.Likeyouknow(.)even

the one (.) I don’t know did you drive into the

entranceofthemines?(.)intothemones?

I:Wedidyeah.

T:Yeahdoyouknowwhereyouturnintheroad

andthere’sgatesandthereisaturbineinonthe

Mentionsplanningdonerightagain.Minimumdistances–currentlyunderreviewinIreland–beendelayedforyearsduetothecontentiousnessandpoliticalfactorsatplay.Anupcominggeneralelectionstalledtheprocess.

Page 109: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

109

left?Yougoinalittlefurtherandyourmeetinga

turbineonyourrightandtheofficeblockishere

(gestures to its location). So the car park is

basically there in the mines. All the times that

turbine there is always have been on or

whatever and you would walk in across and

scarcely hear it. That one if you where in the

offices at 9 o clock in themorning, the flicker

comessavagenow.Butinthespaceofanhour

meeting.IrememberthefirsttimeIsaidcorked

it.

IwasinameetingIwasfacingthesunthere

and I was wondering what was that like.

Flicking (.) Flicking (.) Flicking (.) and next

thingIsaidokthat’s(.)andwegotonwithit

and then I said to myself “where did that

go?”. It was gone like.Doyouknow itmoved

around. But that one creates flicker, the one

that’s just out the road (.) and its probably (.)

what is it out? Its probably 400, 500 or 600m

out. That one creates no flicker. You know and

again I would think that it’s down to the low

lyingland.Whereaviewofthemallonabrowof

ahillgoingacrossyeah,therealwaysgoingtobe

above you. I think if planning is done right,

and they areput in areaswhere they aren’t

imposedonhouses

I:Thattheywouldn’t..

T: I don’t see an issue with it like you know.

Maybeotherpeoplewillbut.

Experienceoftheflickereffectforthefirsttime.Oneofthecontentiousissues.PLANNING–

Page 110: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

110

I: So your saying if the planning becamemore

robustthatmaybetheywouldn’thavetoengage

inasmuchparticipation?

T:No,nowell.Theywouldn’t..

I:Theystillwillbut..

T:Theystillwillbuteh:theyneedn’t impinge

uponpeopleasmuch like.Youknowthere’s

Jesus hundreds of thousands of acres of

wilderness like you know. But then again

everyonehasdifferentopinions.Iwastalking

toafriendofminewholivesontheothersideof

the parish. And he would be a farmer and

everything else but he says there’s enough of

them around. You know, many more would

destroy the landscape. Yeah know its just

anotheropinion.

Isplanningtheonlyanswer?Howpeopleexternalisethereownsocialworldswillmakethemhavequitedifferentpositionsonculturalideassuchaswilderness.Landscape

I: Iwasjustthinkingsoyoupersonally(.)what

did you get from participating? Are you happy

or?

T: Em personally, sure im involved in a lot of

different organisations and everything from

schools to the church to the GAA to the, you

knowtheyallbenefitfromit.Anditsfundraising

that a club or parish doesn’t have to do. The

only gain is the financial gain for a parish

like.Ifwedidn’tgetthecontribution,youcan

talk about green energybut like, youknow,

who cares where they are producing green

VeryinvolvedDrivetobenefithiscommunityStrongstatement–financialtopofpriorities.Thiscanbetiedintothesocialandhistoricalpositionofthevillage.Benefittingthecommunityismoreimportantthentheenvironmentonamacro

Page 111: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

111

energy. They don’t have to be in your back

yard. Unless there is a financial gain for a

communitythereisnobenefitforthembeing

there.

level.Hedoescareforhisenvironment–butthereisalimit.

I: So even if they completely engagedwith the

community but didn’t have some financial you

wouldn’tgetanythingoutofit?

T:Givingyougreenenergy(.) sure likewho

careslike.Youknowlikeitdependsonwhat

peoples (.) you know if they are there and

theyareimpingingonyou(.)ifthereisagain

for you parish fine and dandy but if there’s

not. You know people will object and just

wontwantit.

I: Yeah this is one of the biggest issues in the

wholediscussion.

T:Yeah.

I:Engagement.

T: Again it’s the gain then for the community,

which is the thing like. If there is no gainwhy

would you bother with it like, if it is effecting

you.Wellifthere’sagaineveryonewins.

Reasoningonbenefits.Barteringsystemimpingementonpeople=benefitfortheparish?=ifnot–rejection/objectionFunding/benefit/driveAnothermentionofgainandbenefitforthecommunity.

Temporaryrecording issues–startsbacka few

minuteslater.Withadiscussionaboutthethird

Page 112: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

112

windfarminthearea.

T:SowhenBordNaMónastartedthentheyhad

aninformationevening,arecommitteewentasa

group. We went and we saw the posters and

everythingelse.Weapproachedthemasagroup

sayingyourputtingupturbinesinareparishwe

asagroupwanttoengagewithyou.Andwegot

nocontactwiththem,zero.

I:Really?

T: Em:thedevelopmentdidn’tgoasquickasit

was thought it was so it was dragged out and

dragged out. And we actually put in a

submission in there planning to make them

contribute to whatever fund whatever amount

we got. But it actually missed the date. Or the

dateswheremissedsoaresubmissiondidn’tgo

in. But yet probably sixmonths later eh: there

wasa(.)thisfellaImightputyouintouchwith

him JohnHogan. Hemetwith a BordNaMóna

fella.IwasonTippFMactuallyandyourman

accused the Bord Na Móna fella of not

engagingwithus.“Yourjustcominginhereand

doingwhatyouwant”.Shortly after that then

theycamebacktousandtheycameupwith

this contribution. So theway they set it up is

different ours is, our one is (.)we give out the

money but its administered by the county

council. So the county council has to rubber

stampeverythinginregardstoplanning.

Thissectionhasanotherexperiencewithparticipationhoweveritisnottheprimaryfocusoftheresearch.3rdwindturbinedevelopment.NotLisheenForum–drivetogetmoneyoutofthisnewdevelopmentSignsthateffectiveparticipationcanhavebeneficialknockoneffectsthatwherenotintended.Usedlocalmediaandtheirlocalrepresentativetomanipulate/pressurethecompanyintogivingthecommunitybenefits.Fundingisadministeredbythecountycouncilbuthavetorubberstamptheredecisions.Itseemstheredeliberativedemocraticworks

Page 113: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

113

I:Thedecisions?

T: Yeahwell they cant change are decisions

butyettheyhavetorubberstampthem.Bord

Na Móna is different Bord Na Móna are

administeringthereown.Nowtheywouldhave

thesamecriteria,youhavetohaveplanningyou

cantjustputupstuffbutthetwofundsarebeing

run differently but the set up the initial

engagement run differently aswell. They came

and theyput theposters andall and thengone

like.Anduntilabitofpressurewentonthem

then there was nothing. Now look maybe

they where going to do it anyway, I don’t

know. But you know there wasn’t a huge

amount(.)hahaha(.)comingfromthem.

I:Yeah.

T: Yeah so if they had gotten away with it,

maybe they wouldn’t have contributed like

youknow.

WithLisheen.Twofundsduetotheothercompany.Inthisexperiencetheyhadhadposterputupandtheyhadnointeractionwiththem.Theyapproachedthem.Eveninthissmallareatherearehugedifferencesinparticipationapproachestakenbythedifferentcompanies.

I:Because it isreallyclose, itblends intophase

one,Ithink.

T:Itdoesyeah.

I:Ithoughtthatwasphaseone(.)haha.

T: No you wouldn’t think that they where

different.

Page 114: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

114

I: Then I thought there was too many wind

turbinesthere.

T: Yeah like there are three different wind

turbinefieldsassuch.

I:Soundslikeyoudidwelloutofitanyway?

T: Wedidyeah,moneywise.There’sjobsas

well I suppose. There could be (.) there’s

probably one, two fellas working there, four

fellas, five fellasworkingupthereontheactual

windturbinesthemselves.That’sitthen.

Money–alotJobs-notmany

I: Do you think if you didn’t have any sort of

involvementinitthat, letssayyouwhereliving

orworked in a different job then do you think

you would have been annoyed seeing them

springingup?

T:Em:Iwouldhaveseenthem(.)astheywent

up I would have seen them as possibility of

getting a job out of them. Maybe not like, but

eitherway, eitherway theyneverbotheredme

like.YouknowIthinkthey’reelegantlooking

as opposed to intrusive. Tis down to

everyone’sopinionisn’tit.

HypotheticalQ–Hecouldhaveviewedthemaspossibilityofajob,

I:Yeahexactly.

T: Ill ring that fella and see he might actually

have a littlemore information on the planning

Helpingmewithgettingintouchwithanotherpossibleinterviewee.(Snowballsampling)

Page 115: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

115

endofit.

I: Yeah that would be a great help, or anyone

else that would be (.) you know I only need a

threeorfourmorepeopleandyouknowIcould

go knocking on doors but if you knew anyone

because your in the council. Even names and

contact details would be great. It also helps to

havelocalstotalktothembefore.

T:Yeahyeah,yeah.

I: Because I am just some random person to

them.

T:Yeahthat’sityeah.

I:Iwasjustthinkingthatthereknockingonyour

doorthinkingisthistherightdoor.

T:Hahahahaha.

I: And thedirectionswherebeside ahousebut

notthathouseonewithtwostories.

T:Yeah,yeah

Generalchitchatandsmalltalk.

I: I was hoping to do something in this area. I

was originally interested in the bogs and the

wind turbines. You knowBordNaMóna is not

veryenvironmentallyfriendly.

Page 116: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

116

T:Yeah.

I: Burning all the peat, industrial level turf

burning you know. And also destroying certain

environments. Its interesting when you have a

company like this that goes from that to

renewable energy I assume that’s going to be

thereendplan.

T: Well it is like, the whole renewable; they

havethousandsofacresofthereownlandto

put themin.ButasIseeituphere,uphereall

the bogs are nearly cut out but id say where

talkinginagoodyeartheytake(.) I thinkthey

lowerthebogbetweenafootand18inchesa

year. So and I remember about 15whenwe

where walking across those bogs and they

where putrid wet. Now the mines have the

wholeareadrainedat theminuetandyou’d

walkacross thatbognowin thewinternow

inapairofboots.Whereaswhenthemines

stoppumpingnow,Irecontheregoingtobe

an absolute sea ofwater. There going to be

flooded like.Youknowso theregoing tohave

(.)youseetherechangingthelandscapeand

then suddenly there into green energy like.

Hahaha.

Environmentaldamagecausedbytheturf(peat)cuttingpracticesincethe1930s.Miningalsocauseddegradationandalterationstothelandscape.BordNaMonaVeryawareoftheenvironmentalcontradictionsinthiscase.Mininghasalteredthelandscapedestroyedecosystemsandwillagainalteritallagainwhentheystoppumping.Notesthehypocriticalnatureofswitchingfromdirtyminingtogreenenergy

I: Yeah Iwas looking at this area, and also the

midlandsofIreland.

T:Yeah,yeah.

I: Basically like part battle ground part (.)

Page 117: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

117

basically with out all these developments we

would never reach are targets and thenwould

endupgettingfined.

T:Thatthenthewholeotherargument,likeit’sa

subsidisedindustryyouknowyoutakeawaythe

subsidiesdoesitstandalonethenonitsownlike

(.)somesay itdon’t.Sonowyourputting them

up would you be as well off paying the fines

insteadofspendingmillionstogetthemupbut

there still not viable to stand up on there own

likeyouknow.SoIsupposetheflipsideofthat

is you may as well up them up rather then

payingfines.Don’tknow.

EconomicperspectiveasTurbinedevelopmentissubsidisedbythestate–Notestheneedforadvancingtheturbinesbutquestionstheeconomicvalidity

I:Butyeah(.)ifyoucouldputmeincontactwith

anyonethatwouldbegreat.

T:Yeahilltrythemtwofellasandsureifyouget

themtwoofthem.

I:JohnHoganand..

T: Yeah John and Richy Daly. And sure your

aroundforthenextcoupleofdays?Weekend?

I:Illbeherefortheweek.Sowheneveritsuits.

EndofRecording:InterviewEnds

Page 118: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

118

10.2.2.QualitativeCodingoftheIn-depthinterviewwithRichardDaly-

Farmer,landowner(Moyne)inwhich5windturbinesarelocated,

FormerleaderofcomplaintsagainstLisheenPhase1

andmemberoftheParishForum.

I:Interviewer

R:RichardDaly

Transcription Coding

I: As I said earlier on I doing it on the wind

turbines basically here and it’s in two phases

here. You probably had different experiences

herewiththedifferentphasesbutIdjustliketo

firstlyaskyouasalocalwhoisinvolvedinthis,

howdidit(.)whendidyoufirsthearaboutit?

R:When we first heard about it, right, as you

quiterightlysaidtherewastwophases.Thefirst

phase was the Lisheen Mines themselves ah,

wanted to put up the turbines themselves. My

recollectionwasthattheywantedtoputup22,

initially(.)butahplanningcriteriaandwhatever

ahendedputtingup18.SoandtheywhereupI

suppose four or five years and they had the

capacity on the grid, so they said sure look-it.

We may as well increase it, so they put on

another 12 and then I think there is a couple

more,BordNaMónaputupanother14turbines.

They would be quite larger, they would be 3

kilowattsisit.Yeahsothat’sprettymuchit.

I:Soyou,didyouhearaboutitin2008orwasit?

Page 119: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

119

R:Yeahaboutthatyeah,2008yeah.

I: And did you em did they give you, did you

receiveitthoughwordofmouthordidyougetit

in note in the letterbox? How did you find out

aboutit?

R:Ehhowdidwereallyfindoutaboutit?Iknew

it was in there plans, eh that they had extra

capacity. That was always theway.When they

put up the eh (.) initial ones therewas always,

they came down to local in the (.) I think by

part of there planning they had to contact

locals in the immediate (.) close to the

vicinityof it.So itwassittingdown like this

inakitchenandweaskedthemthequestion

likeifyougetplanningpermissionforthe18

or22at the timewill therebea capacity to

put up more? And they quite rightly said

yeah, because the mine has degraded and it

makesmoresenselikeyeah.Itwasalwaysinthe

back ofmyhead that theywanted to put them

up. Its not that some one came, “oh here we

wanttoputthemuptoday”youknow.Itwasin

the back of mymind that they where going to

extenditlike.

First being informed of the

proposeddevelopment.

Was aware of the capacity

available fromthe firstphase

participation.

Didn’t see any physical signs

on the road or anything like

that but heard about it first

through contact with the

companyinthegroup.

First engagedwhen the local

community was asked to

partakeinthecommittee.

I:Ok(.)butthenwhenitcametoitdidyougoto

Page 120: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

120

anyof thesemeetings,whentheengagementof

the contractors/development did they run any

localinformationevents.

R:Well not the contractors, I suppose it has to

take different steps. All they have to do, you

know look for planning permission. Get the

whole project together right and then it goes

planning (.) but before it actually went to

planning (.) eh during parts of the planning

there was I think one if not two public

meetings. So it was at that then when you

heard everyone else’s views. And I know

initially because there hand been no turbines,

initially there was allot of questions where

askedbecauseitssomethingnew.Sotherewasa

bit of ah:: I wouldn’t say negativity but there

wascertainlyanawfullotofah::(.)questions

asked that needed to be asked and which

were answered. Its notuntil there actuallyup

(.)youknowweallthoughtthiswasgoingto

be shocking and noise and the flicker (.)

whatever but no they slipped in handy enough

like. It was part probably the unknown really.

Youknowandthat’swhytherewassomuch..

Outcomesofparticipation

No turbines had been build

herebeforeLisheenphase1.

Usesthetermnegativity.

Questionsneedinganswers.

They where perceived as

being potentially terribly

noisy and the flicker would

disturbeveryone.

FearoftheUNKNOWN

I: Sobeforetheyhadthesemeetingsyouwould

say that most people kind of either (.) they

wouldn’teitherbeprooragainstbuttheywould

beabitworried?

R: Certainly worried yeah. Defiantly yeah.

Because look it, any information is so

RoleoftheMedia.

Notes the accessibility of

information as a reason for

Page 121: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

121

accessible and it’s so easy to get here and

read about the bad news story of wind

turbines breaking or going on fire or

whatever like you know what I mean. So

basically (.) it justneeds toknow.Theywhere

new (.) new to the area there its like

anywherewhen they come in new. Because

in fairness they are quite tall and you know

you’llseethem..

I:Yeahyeah.

R:After living inherenow (.) ah surewehave

been living here since 2000 right so say 15

years. Sowe can see (.) wewhere here before

the turbines and we were here for the

construction of turbines and were here

obviouslywhentheturbinesaregoing.Andlook

it(.)I’vethreechildrenanddoyouknowwhatI

mean, itsnot that I’mgoingtodoanythingthat

would be (.) that they’ll have health reasons

from these turbines orwhatever. So look, sure

they’re as good as any other kit around the

place. There’s no ill effects basically in

regards to health and that becausewewould

be (.) the turbine in themines I think is about

600metersfromthehouse.AndIthinkthemid

post on the one here is about 580 again or

something like that.Like580or600. I think its

slightly closer. Now it could be open for

discussionaboutthatoneallright.Likeifyou’re

sittinghereaswelllike,bar…

the negativity. Bad news

stories.

Fear

The community hadn’t

processed there arrival yet.

They had not yet ben

institutionalisedyet.

Notpartofeverydaylifeyet.

Reaction to an external

threat. – counterwith earlier

engagement?

Personal grounding for

position against the turbines

inthecase.

Family – Health – concerns

about the effect of the

turbines.

Eventually found that these

whereunfounded.

Page 122: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

122

I: Ididn’tevennotice it,hahaha. (hepointsout

the 5 turbines outside the window of the

kitchen)

R:No,no,illtellyeahyouhavetopinpointitso.

They’re there and they’re there working and

today of all days if you want to hear it, it’s a

perfect day to hear it. I know you have other

noisesinthebackground.We’llsay(.)withwind

and trees and whatever. But even on a calm

day now you’d hear the birdswhistling and

otherbits(.)naturewouldactuallycarryon

asnormal,likeyouknow.

I: I tried to listen to one of them actually, the

other field further over there to hear it but it

wascompletelysilent.

R: In fact now you’d have to go an awful lot

closer (.)with in say150m - 80myou’dhear a

whooshnoise,butlookitthatit.

I:Yeah, Iwaswonderingthese(5turbines)are

built on your land though, these are the lands

youfarmandworkon?

R:Yes.Yeah,yeah.

Itshardtohear

Virtuallynoimpactonnature.

They act is if there is no

difference.

Needtobeveryclose

I: Ok so do you think that they (.) the

development,thatyouhadmoreofaroleinthe

kindof(.)whatwasyouactualroleifyouthink

aboutit…

R: Ok so fromgreen field right so, if you could

RESPECT

Page 123: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

123

take it that you’re the contractor and I’m the

farmer. Sooutofrespect youcan’t just come in

androaroverandtellmewhattodoandallthis.

So there’s proper consultation and in fairness

like even the practical things when they’re

sayingwhere theroad isgoingorwhatever. I’d

have water troughs and water fittings and

electric currents going to stock cattle. They

worked with me. Do you know if there was

anything broken, they would fix it and I’d tell

themwhere it was or whatever. But it was all

excellentwhere(.)becauseof the5 that’swere

on this farm we were able to jig around the

layout of the fields. Because yeah know the

roadwaywascominginandtherewasactuallya

crossroad down there and there was another

couple of bits of roadway built on this farm so

wewhereabletoworktogetheronit.

Considerate of his farming

practicesandinvolvedhimin

thedecisionsinregardstothe

buildingofaroad.

His feeling is that his

involvement made a

difference in the hands on

decisions.

Veryhelpful

I:Soyouhadaroleinthedecisionmaking…

R: Yeah, Yeah. Definitely yeah. Yeah on the

ground like.Youknowtherewasalwaysgoing

to be a road coming in its in the planning

permissionbut.Justtojigitaround.Iknowthey

had an impact statement on a badger sett and

the road had to bemoved out fromwhere the

badgerswere. Look itwith the bestwill in the

world I would have preferred if the road was

tuckedinniceandneatbesidetheditchbutlook

it there’s badgers there we worked around it

andthat’s it likeyeahknow.Soyeahlittlething

likethattheywereverygoodlike.

EIA–protectionofbadgers

No real interruption to his

work.

Page 124: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

124

I:Betweenlike2009andthefirstphaseandthe

secondphasewouldyou say theydid the same

(.)wellwhatwastheparticipationlevelifthere

wasadifferencebetweenthetwo?Doyouthink

more peoplewhere engaged or the community

wasengaged?

R: You see in the firstphase rightpeople (.) it

was the unknown really. This was something

new coming in right. So second phase then

people realised that theywhere running for

five years or whatever four or five years

maybe itwasmoreI forget.Sotherewasmore

acceptance then for the second phase. Because

people (.) there was actually as far as I can

rememberIdon’tthinktherewasanyobjection

at all for the second phase. Therewas nothing

thatwenttoAnBordPleanála,no.Isupposethe

locals saw that at least there’s a couple of

local farmers (.) getting somebenefit out of

it,whichwouldbe goingback into the local

(.) anywaybecausewhere living in the local

andall this so.Yeahtherewasno,verylittleif

anyobjection at all to the secondphase vs. the

first one.There was more concerns because

oftheuncertaintyoftheunknown.Thatwas

itlikeyeah.

Time and experience turns

theturbinesintoaconstantin

there understanding of the

socialworld.

As people are continuously

creating their shared

understandingofrealitythere

isroomforchangeinopinion.

Thereisdefinablyatemporal

element to this as the

experience plus time

drasticallyalteredhisviews.

I: You’d say that they probably did the

participation involving the community to the

same amount or? You had more of a role

Page 125: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

125

obviouslybecauseofitbeingyourland.

R: But apart from that I wouldn’t like you to

ehhh: () (.) upset anyone either! You know

whatImean.We’relivinginacommunityand

asbestwill in theworldwe’d like to get on

witheverybodyaswellaswecould,wedon’t

like to upset people. But in fairnesswe have

anotherfarmacrosstheroadbut(.)calleddairy

blockandwewhereapproachedtoputaturbine

on that farm butwith are viewwe said look it

we though it might impact to much on are

neighbours.Because itsmorepopulatedover

(.) on the farm across the road.Wedeclined

on thatoffer toputa turbineover there.Sowe

putupfiveturbineshereandbothneighbouring

farmersputuponeaswell.

I:Ok.

R: It didn’t interfere (.) its kind of a isolated

block of land down here like it wouldn’t be

populatedbyanymeans.

I:Justyourselves.

R: Just ourselves like yeah and neighbouring

farmers.Lookitsuitedtoputthemupherewith

out any hassle or whatever like vs. getting

greedyaboutitifyoulikeputtinguponeonthe

home farm, itwould probably be running a bit

tooclosetohouseholds.Sothatwasthedecision

wetook,thatwasit.

Community minded -

cohesionisimportant.

Avoidanceofconflict

Thegreatother

- Greed = adding an

extraattheexpenseof

alocalanger.

Large area of private farm

land was a good location for

thosespecificturbines.

Page 126: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

126

I:Youmentionedthebadgersetthingthere.Did

youknowaboutthefullimpactassessment?The

environmentalimpactassessments?

R:See funnyenoughtherewasguys itwas like

dark () when they would be coming in they

might come across something of reference or

whatever.To be honest with you its not my

area of expertise so who was I to question

what course theywould be digging.But that

with the badges, I knew there was always

badgers there. But funny enough there hadn’t

been badger there at that sett for a good few

years. But unfortunately id say I was unlucky

enough,arabbitorsomethinghadbeenlivingin

itthereorafoxcleaneditsoitlookedtotheguy

that (.) and the date when he was doing he’s

study he though that there was defiantly a

badger in it. And there hasn’t been a badger

theresince.Therewouldbeactuallythreeother

identified setts on this farm there. And the

departmentmonitorsthoseallthetimebutthey

nevermonitoredthatonebecauseitwasadead

setlikeyouknow.Butlikethefactthatthewind

crowd, orwhatever youwant to call them saw

that itwasasettandthat theroadwascoming

quiteclose to it that’swhy theydecided topull

Aware of the specialists

expertisebut

Disagrees with the EIA

specialists – Badgers hadn’t

beenlivingthereinyears.

Page 127: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

127

the road. Now that when I say it wouldn’t be

20m from it, but still it’s a slightly out then id

like but look where farming so we worked

aroundit.Itsfineyeah.

Em: there’s allot of other (.) I remember a

coupleof times theydidbats.TheycameinI

think it was 11 o’ clock at night and they sat

there till about 4, half 4 in the morning or

somethinglikethat.

Extensivesurveyingoffauna.

I:Listeningforbats?

R: Yeah itwas actuallyquite coolnow.But ah

justmeeting them and that. But then they also

regularlydobirdwatching.WhenIsayregularly

itmight be twice a year in allot of these come

downtothefarm.

I:Sotheysurveyit?

R:Theywouldandtheywouldbe(.) theyhave

tostudywhatbirdsareflyingaroundinthearea,

but theyarealso seeing if they foundanydead

ones.Tosee ifabirdhitsa turbineanddiesor

whatever.AsfarasIknowasalaypersonlike

myself.That’sall that Iseegoingon.Thatupa

coupleofyearsphasetwolikeyouknow.

I: So where they going to continue there

monitoring?

Isn’t informed when they

Page 128: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

128

R:Idon’tactuallydon’tknow.AsfarasIknow

theyare.Ididn’thearanythinguntoward.Ithink

theyare.Idon’tmind.

I:Itdoesn’tbotheryou?

R: It doesn’t. Often some days you would be

herdingcattleorwhateverandyou’djustpullup

and have a chat “how are you getting on”. You

wouldnearlyrecognisefromthelasttime.Illbe

honest with you, we where hunting cattle the

otherdayandinfairnessoneofthegirlsactually

cameoutandgaveusahand.Thecalvesweren’t

goingareway.InfairnessthoughIhavetosay

they do respect the land owner asmuch as

werespectthosepeopledoingtherejob.You

knowwhatImean.Andinfairnesstothemon

servicescoming in theway theymightbe in

once or twice the month at the most, you

know what I mean maintenance is quite

minimalnow.Isupposeallotcanbedonefrom

inside in the main office in the mines or the

substationorwhateverlikeyeah.

makevisits

RESPECT–notedagain

I:Youknow(.)IinterviewedTimBerginandhe

wastellingmeaboutthecommunitygroupthat

wassetup.

R:Yes.

I: Following thedecision towell (.) the stipend

ofthemoneyyougetfromthewindturbines.Do

youhaveanyinvolvementinthat?

Page 129: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

129

R:YeahI’mactuallyonthatcommittee,itscalled

the‘ParishForm’andwhenthemoneycomesin

itsactuallyfantasticbecauseI’minvolvedwith

an athletic club here in Moyne as well. And

eventhe localhall inMoyneandthenalsothe

money would have helped contribute to the

buildingoftheGAApitchandthedevelopment

of that. The hall in Templetuohy and the

church. Look it there’s 50,000 coming in

guarantiedfromtheseturbinesandthenthere’s

another 20,000 coming into the parish from

BordnaMóna turbines aswell.So it’s quite a

nicechuckofmoneylike.Butinfairnessthe

money that’s coming in is being well spent.

It’s not like there coming in and people are

goingonthepissorwhateveryouknowwhatI

mean.

I:Ofcourse.

Activecommitteemember.

Involved with the athletics

club.

Major capital developments

in a very rural area with a

smallpopulation.

Indigenous phrase:

(translation-wedon’tjustuse

the money on a night out

drinking.

R: They’re being used for good fantastic jobs

like. And especially (.) if you had time (.) its

gettingabitdarknowbuteventheathleticsclub

inMoyne..

I:I’veseenit,itsreallygood.Ivseenworstones

inDublin,itstentimesbetter..

R: Ah you would, yeah it is yeah. It’s a good

community spirit kind of effort, that got to

that level. It would probably have been done

regardless of the wind farm it defiantly would

New track at the athletics

club

The capital expenditure is

raisinglocalmoral

Page 130: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

130

havebeendonebutcertainlyhavingmoneytake

thestingoutofit.Youknow, itcost€235,000

right.Wehad€60,000ofareownmoney,the

athleticclub.Andweborrowedanother170,000

odd. But having that money coming in at least

youcanbudget.Wehavealottogoingaswell,its

coveredthe loanbuttheplanistogetthis load

tobepaidoffquickly.Sobyhavingthisextrafew

quidcominginfromthewindfarm(.)Looknot

one club will get the full amount. Sure we

wheregetting10,000or15,000foracouple

of years and theywewould stand back and

let another club come in, you know what I

mean(.)withtherebitsandsoforthandsoon.

Itsspreadaroundanditsitsit’sagoodideanow.

Youknowwithgoodprojectsobviouslylike.

Being on that committee if someone came in

andsaid“isthereanychanceofacoupleofquid,

I want to put some new windows into my

house”, there’s not a hope in hell (.) you know

whatImeanitforcertaingoodprojectsandallot

ofthemoniestoisforsayiftheyhavedonethe

job the have to have the receipts so say if

something costs 20,000 atmost they would

getis10,000.Youknowwewouldn’tbeseen

to be funding the project 100%. So its an

incentive for each committee then towork. Do

you know what I mean, but still look it it

certainly take the sting out of it having this

moneycomeintotheparish.

Importantwhenyouconsider

rural populations moving to

moreurbancentres.

The wind turbine funding is

beinginvestedwell.

Dividedupfairlybetweenthe

different community clubs,

organisations,churchetc.

E.G of not using the money

badly.

No 100% funded projects

preventsmissuseofmoney.

ALl

Page 131: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

131

I:This forum,did itexistbefore(.) inany form

beforethatorwas itactually thewindturbines

andthecommitteesresponsetothem?

R: Yeah, itwas (.) look it (..) therewas always

probablycommitteesthereIsupposeasregards

tomanagingthemoneyitobviouslywassetup

because of the wind turbines. But with the

Lisheen Mines across the road there was a

couple of projects where the LisheenMines

would have contributed heavily to a couple

of projects in the area as well. So there was

nearly a couple of guys say athletics stuff, GAA

andanothercoupleofcommitteesthatwhereall

talkingtogetheranyways.Soitwasjustamatter

of putting a proper brand over (.) the parish

forumcommittee.Headswherethinkingbefore,

youknowwhatcouldwedo,somethinglikethat

because. As far as I know the council inNorth

Tipperary would be unique as (.) when the

turbinesstartedoffinitially,Ithinkjeezthis

oneherecertainlycouldhavebeenoneofthe

first in North Tipperary. So the council were

lookingatustoseehowwewerereacting.And

the pros and cons of everything else going

forward,sotheyactuallytookaleafoutofour

book. When they saw how well this, the

community worked quite well together in

getting these sums ofmoney. So I think they

haveputit,theyhavedefinitelybecauseIknow

I’ve talked to the county councillor; haveput it

into place that any projects like this, that

therehastobesomuchthat’sgivenbackto

LisheenMineswhere already

activeinthecommunity.

Due to the number of clubs

with active committees It

aided thedevelopmentof the

forum.

Under scrutiny of the council

to see how the development

andparticipationplayedout.

Longtermeffectofthiscase

Page 132: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

132

thecommunity.

I:Sothiswasoneofthelargest(.)orthetallest

turbinestobebuiltin2009.Soyouralsosaying

thatthishasbeenaddedtootherdevelopments?

R:Yeahdefinitely, Iknowdefinitely thecouncil

waslookinginandseeingwhatwaywe(.)itwas

managedbasically like.Andwhen they actually

(.)theyhavegivenusgreatcreditfortheway

it has been managed like. It’s nice to know

like.

Credit giving where credit

due.

Roleinsocietyreaffirmed.

I: Itsoneof thereasonswhyIvbeen lookingat

this,Iwaslookingatdifferentprojectsthatthey

where developed but this one that it was

developed so (.) it justwent up so quick Iwas

between 1 and 2 years since being back and

turbinesareeverywhereinanareathativbeen

wellusedtowhenIwasachild…

R: Yeah especially years ago, I know forme it

wasallotofbogandpeatgeneratedaroundthe

areayouknowso.Jeezwhen Iwasyoung the

roadwayguys youknow summer jobs going

down to Bord Na Móna but that kind of

fizzled out. Then you had the Lisheen Mines

and you seen the wind turbines happening.

There’s nearly something comes every

generationorwhereverlikeyouknow.Itshard

to know now the mines are on there last legs

withnearlyalltheorehavingbeentakenoutso

Historicperspective

Peatcutting–firstjobs

Theminesfollowed

- Turbinesnext.

Industryevolvingovertime.

Used to many companies

comingandgoing.

Page 133: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

133

they’re (.) I know inside in there they are

kickingaroundtheideaofusingitasakind

ofa(.)centreofprettymuchexcellence.You

knowtheymightbringonahsolarpanelsand

allthiskindofthing.Useitaskindanenergy

hub, this area like do you know what I mean.

Look it they are toying aroundwith something

like that, an idea like that. If it happens it

happens. But if it happens I wouldn’t be

surprised because as I said something

happensnearlyevery20yearslikeyouknow

what I mean so. Yeah it’s unique in this area,

whetherisgeographicallylocatedwiseorwhere

(.)likethere’spower(.)everyturbineisturning

and the power is getting used. And as far as I

know if they hadmore power they would still

use it. Like you know. So it’s obviously been

placedforgoodcauses.

Progressintoaenergyhub

Seems confident that the

locality will keep innovating

newenergyresources.

Energydemand

I:Sodoyouthink,whatdoyouthinkyourem(.)

personally,doyoufeelyourparticipationhadan

impact,inthedevelopment?

R:Ahpersonallyphhhaa::

I:Youknowinyourexperience?

R:Myexperiencelookit.I'mfromtheareaso

like I suppose I’m certain look maybe it has

maybe it hasn’t. Some might say it has some

mightsayithasn’t.Lookit,idliketofeelithas.

Certainlywith local communities youknow,

and being part of the ‘Parish Forum’,

Hisroleintheparticipation.

Page 134: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

134

allocating money every year is certainly you

know it’s nice to know there’s good jobs done

and the moneys been spent correctly like, you

knowwhatImean.Solookitidliketosee,I’m

notlookingforanycreditbutI’dliketoseeif

itwasdoneahappreciatedlikeyouknow.So

likeyeah,Ahhlookit.Yeah.I'mtoomodest.

Knowing that a good job is

beingdone

-

Once again feels good from

theworktobeappreciatedor

atleastacknowledge.

I: Ha ha yeah exactly it’s the typical problem

withIrishpeople.

R: Ha ha yeah now if I was a county

councillor id be blowing it up ohh:: yeah::,

yeah::yeah.

I:Hahahayeah.

R:Lookit it’sasmallcommunityandid like

to see it grow and you know its there for

whoever insists come behind us like you

know.

Idhate to seeevenwith themines that, if it

washandledwronglyorsomethingifwesaw

or heard that there was a bit of (.) damage

going on that effected the environment that

wouldupsetmealotmorelikedoyouknow

what I mean. Because it will effect the

generationstocomelikeyouknowso.

That’s why even wind turbines I know you

hear so much negative about them,

negativityaboutthembutlooktheydon’tkill

Notes the county councillor

here.Thereseemstobesome

localpoliticsatplay.Clashof

ideas.

Community growth and

generationaloutlook.

Environmentalprotection

Important that actions now

effectthefuturegenerations.

Notes the negative view of

turbines.(again)

Page 135: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

135

anyoneandit’stheyearwherein,wehaveto

beproducinggreenenergiesyouknow.You

justmovewiththetimesthenafterthat.

Advancementofgreenenergy

isn’tupfordebate.

Movewiththetimes

I: Just quickly you mentioned they reduced it

fromwasit22to18

R:Ehyeah.

I:Orwasit20to18.Theyreducedtwoanyway.

They reduced it down to 18 from the original

plansforthefirstphase.

R:Yes.

I:Sodoyourememberwasiffromahearingor

wasitpeople…

R: I know that they had four definitely in

their initial plan eh: well initial draft. They

had fouron theway intoLisheenMineson the

left hand side. There’s one there now. But I

wouldsayfourwherenotgoingtoworkbecause

they where too close together. And so they

where gigged around. And I know they looked

for another one down the road there opposite

theguy(.)PatCaseybuthehadgoneinlooking

for planning permission I think a couple of

months before the wind turbines had gone in

looking for planning so that one was knocked

straightaway.Hehappenedtobejustinlooking

At the entrance of Lisheen

Mines – near on of the local

roads.

Existing planning permission

blockedone

Page 136: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

136

for planning permission for his house. So that

onewas either knockedor gigged around.So I

don’t know. It took a couple of gigging a

roundstobeforetheyactuallysettled.

I: So it wasn’t necessarily a negative response

or..?

R:Ahcertainlyahh:jesusno.Ahidsayplanning

yeah. Because I know its like this, they had X

amount of land to work with right so (.)

obviouslytheregoingtomaximiseittothebest

ofthereabilities.SoIsupposethrowingin20or

22initiallytheythoughtitmightworkbutthen

gigging it around from what ever obvious

reasons they probably thought 18 would work

an awful lot better then22. I know fromdown

here going through it if your turbines are too

closetogethertheywilltakethewindoffofeach

otherso.There’snopointinputtingtoomanyin

theonepoint.

I:Itsprobablyjustmorestressforthem…

R:Yeah,soIknowitwasthesamedownhere.It

was going to be four but then they gigged it

aroundandfittedfiveincomfortably. Andthey

couldactually (.) anotheronewouldhavegone

over there but we thought it might have been

coming too close to the house and then it was

alsoimpedingonBordNaMóna.Lookit,justtry

thefiveonthislandonthisfarmandthen..that’s

thewayweworkedit.

Sothereductionfrom20–18

wasplanningrelated.

Same movement of turbines

for max energy was on his

landaswell.

Page 137: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

137

I: Do you know actually any other people that

had a similar experience to you or that did I

knowyouwheretheonlyonethathad(.)there’s

another farmerwho has another one in a field

overhereisit?

R: There is yeah, Jim O’ Grady and a there’s

anotherguySeanHayden.

I:Ahoksothereisafewmore.

R:There isyeah,on theotherside then there’s

John Butler and Tom Butler. Yeah sowhatever

fivefarmsandthenthere’sthreeinCoillte.That

was the second phase and then the first phase

waswhatwasintheLisheenMines.

I: Ok, so do you think they would have had a

similarexperiencetoyou?

R:Yeahprettymuchyeah.Iknowcertainlywith

JimO’Grady.WellnotsomuchwithJimO’Grady

ifyoucould imagineah:he’s justat theedgeof

hislandandnextthingtheyliterallycamein(.)

put in a turbine and out again. Where as here

they where literally cutting right across the

farm, like you know what I mean. They had

minimal impact on Jim O’ Grady. Ah John

Butler,yeahTomandJohnButlerhadabitof

impact I suppose alright yeah. But certainly

yeah they probablywould have had similar

Other farmers with turbines

on their lands shared similar

experiences.

Page 138: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

138

experience. Not as detailed as here either

likeyouknowbecausetheyjusthadoneeach

likeyouknow.

Less complicated then Mr

Daly’s5turbines.

I:Soyougotthelionsshare?

R:Ahlookit(.)potluck,rightweboughtthis

farmin1992andgrandwedevelopeditand

whatever. And back in 2008 another farm

came up beside it and we bought that and

justintimingandthetimingwasgood(.)we

bought it inFebruaryandbytheendofthat

yearwewhereinnegationswithwindfarms

toaboutputtingupturbines.Soitjustkindof.

Farmswherepickedbasedon

the position relative to roads

andotherhouseholds.

Statesitwasluck.

I:Kindofsnowballedfromthere?

R: Yeahworked from thereyeah.Well as there

saying, if you could remember back to the

Celtic tigeryears.Youmighthaveheard the

phrase or saying “road frontage”. Did you

everhearthat“roadfrontage”.

I: Don’t buy a property if it doesn’t have

“roadfrontage”haha.

R: Yeah exactly, except this is the complete

opposite.

I:Ok.

Indigenousterm-Celtictiger

years: termfor theeconomic

growth in Ireland from the

mid1990stillthemid2000s.

Rapid economic growth

followed the economic crisis

of2008.

Road Frontage: a properly

withaccesstoaroad.

Page 139: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

139

R:Becausetheturbinesdidn’twanttobebeside

the roador anything. So itwasworth an awful

lotmore being further away from the road. So

thatwasit.

I:Doyouthinkthatyouwouldhavetheturbines

on your farm if therewas the benefits that the

communityhadandthebenefitsthatyou..

R: See, ah:: where probably (..) we knew that

there was money going to the community

anyway and thiswas just (.) I know therewas

30,000withthe..

I:Original..

R:Original and then therewas another 20,000

itsactuallyincreasednowbutah:.Soiscertainly

helpedlikeyouknowwhatImean.Look ityou

havetorespectotherpeopleaswellandyou

cant just steam roll and Idon’t thinganyone

individual could afford to put up five turbines

and I don’t think the Lisheen Mine (.) you

know theywhere thekey.Because theyhad

the power out from Thurles out to the

Lisheen Mines so the infrastructure was in

place.Like foranyone individual togosolohe

probablywouldneedanawfullotofmoney.And

ifanythingwentwrongatallhe’dgobrokeyou

know.Itwouldbeimpossibletostartoffonyour

own. It would be unthinkable really, like you

know.AsIwassayingtheoutletfrom(.)forthe

powerhadcapacity.

Fundingagain

RESPECT

Individuals cant compete at

helevelthecompaniesdo.

Alreadyexisting

infrastructure–drawofthe

area.

Page 140: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

140

I:Yeahtheyhadasubstationoutthere.

R:Yeahtheyhadthebig(.)whatisita110KV

comingfromThurlesinplacealreadylikeand

thatwaskeylike.

I: Over all do you think between 2009 – 2013

the whole time now, do you think they

participatedwell,withtheengagementwiththe

localpeopleinthedevelopments?

R:Idsaysoyeah,yeahdefinitelybecauseevenat

theconstructionstage, look it theguyscame in

(.) what where there names em: (.) Crawfords

wasit?Iforgettheconstructioncrowd.Ehhbut..

I:Icouldprobablyfinditout.

R:IthinkitwasBelford,Belfordyeahthey,yeah.

Theysublet’editouttoRossmoreEngineeringa

company from Co. Cork. But I know for a fact

that they a (.) felicitated buying diesel local

and any problems with machines or anything

like that theyavailed of local mechanics and

all.Youknownicegestures so Imean there’s a

certainbitofspinoff locallyfromityeah.But

yeahlookititslikeanybuildingwork,theyjust

comeinand itsdonetheyhaveatimeframeto

do it and that’s it like yeah. A lot of the

contractors(.)there’saquarrylocallyandallot

of materials where sourced locally as well

Positiveviewonparticipation.

Thomayhavemisinterpreted

thequestion.

Developers kept the

happiness of the locals in

mind.

BENEFIT–spinoff

Page 141: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

141

likeyeah.

I:Sotheywentaboutittherightway?

R:Absolutelyyeah.Absolutelyyeah.

I:Sonoonefeltthat(.)youknowyouhearitin

the press and everything that big firms are

cominginandtakingarelandandairandusing

it for profit. Its not that kind of mentality or

sentimentanyway?

R: No I don’t think so no. No, look it its like

across the road with the mines right, Lisheen

mines right. The ore is quite expensive. But its

alsoquiteexpensivetobringitoutoftheground

andsentitoffinashiptoChinaorwhereverits

going.LikeyouknowwhatImean.Youhaveto

allow a bit of leeway, you have to accept that

yeah fairplay they’llmakea fewquidoutof it.

But they’re also spending an awful lot of

moneyintheareatogetitoutlikeyouknow.

Itslikeprobablythewindfarmsliketherewasa

huge investment into so yeah they would be

entitled to a fewquid out of it too.But it also

certainty helps that the local community is

alsobenefitingoutofitwithsome,youknow

with some local communities like the

athletics and the GAA, churches and

whatever. Halls and all this sort of craic. So

yeah personally yeah id believe it would be a

goodnewsstoryyeah.That’smyopinion.

Mediaquestion–

Benefits for the local

community = always the

returningpoint

Page 142: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

142

Breakintheinterview:Personalinformationetc.

Comes back with discussion about a

promotional video used to display the Lisheen

windfarmafterdevelopment.

I:ItwastheIWsomething,itwastheIrishWind

FarmsomethingAssociation.

R:Yeah,becausetheywantedtoputsomething

together because they where doing another

project. I think it was kind of involved with

mainstream. But it didn’t materialise anyway.

Butyeahnotheyneededthiskindofagood

newsstoryaboutwindfarmsbecausethere’s

somuchnegativityanduproarinplaces.

Media spin – change the

nationaldebatenarrative.

I:Whatdoyouthinkaesthetically,likewhatyou

thinktheylooklikeontheirown?Doyoucareat

all?

R: Look it, does it bothermedefinitely not.No

there was a tree there (points and remarks at

themore visible turbine between trees) and it

fell down and I said Jesus the tree was nice

therebutsurelookit.They’rethere,itspart

ofit.

ThewayIlookatitnowisprogress.AsIwas

sayingeverycoupleofyears,Idon’tknowifyou

wouldrememberitbutBordNaMónawashere.

And there was (.) during the summer there

was rows and rows of cars going down to

work inBordNaMóna.Next thing thatdied

Aesthetics–

Progressiveview

Memories of more industrial

times.

Page 143: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

143

off.AndtheLisheenMinescame.Sotherekind

ofgoingandIknowwehavewindturbinesand

whatever.Nowtheretalking,thattheymightbe

using this site as an energy hub (.) kind of

excellence. Because there talking about solar

panelsandthatsortofthing.LookIwouldn’tbe

surprised if it happens and but if it does that

would be progress. I think its coming from the

EU that the (.) they’ll nearly give you planning

permission faster now for a solar power then

theywouldforturbines.

I:Theguidelineshaven’tbeenchosenyet.

Expectsmoreprogress.

Optimistic

Interruptionastheintervieweegetsteaready.

R: Na look it I don’t mind them. I'm right

beside the highest one on are lands so

whatever.

Doesn’timpacthislife

Largestonebesidehim.

Morepersonalinformation.(nottranscribed)

R: I knowMartin Shanahan, he's a retired guy.

Doestractorsandcarsandwhateverbutah.He

hasone(turbine)atthehousethatwouldnever

pay for itself. Its just the technology in it isn’t

good enough.Hewas saying that itwas a pure

wasteoftimeputtingitup.

Morepersonalinformation.(nottranscribed)

R:Togobacktotheturbinestheengineeringis

Page 144: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

144

fantastic.Toactually(.)ifIwastotellyoutodig

it out. Took an average of 54 loads of

concrete for each foundation. But when you

actuallyseetheholeandthenthegearboxatthe

end.These oneshave gear boxes I think the

propellersandthegearboxiscarryinga100

ton. On the top. Yeah it’s mad. It’s like a

bungalowontopofthepoll.It’samazing.

Iwassayingearlierwiththeroadwaytheycame

in there and put in a if you see them once or

twiceamonth that’s it like. If youknowwhat I

mean.Ithasverylittlemaintenance.Ifthereisa

problem it probably could be fixed in the

substation. It probably could be fixed on the

phonelike.Technologyisfantastic.

Its great to see the engineering has come

leapsandboundslikeforthegreatergood

EndofRecording:InterviewEnds

Impressedwithengineering

Scale

Smoothrunningoperation.

Greatergood–

Page 145: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

145

10.2.3.CodingofIndepthInterviewwithPaddyDoyle–

ChairpersonofMoyneAthleticsClub,memberofthe‘ParishForum’andmember

oflocalhistoricalsociety.

November10th2015-Templetuohy,Co.Tipperary,RepublicofIreland.

I:Interviewer

T:PaddyDoyle

Transcription Coding

I:Couldyoutellmewhenyoufirstheardaboutthe

planstodevelopthewindfarmsatLisheen?

P:Ah::Ican’trememberthedateortheexacttime.

Itwas justwhenplanningpermissionwasapplied

forthatwordwentaroundtheparish,thenatthat

stage. That there was going to be the turbines

erectedatthesightoftheLisheenMine.

First heard through word

ofmouthnot

I: So you heard it though word of mouth rather

thenthroughanysortofofficialmeans?

P:Yes(.) I I I I thingthe initialwordwasthrough

wordofmouthnotthoughameetingoraletteror

anything.

Not heard from the

company

I: How did you feel when you first heard about

them?

P:Em(.) Iwasn’t tooalarmedat the ideaof them

buteh::Isupposeanythingnewlikethatyouhave

tobecautiousyano.(.)Thefeelingatthetimewas

there’snopointaskingquestionslatersoehhh:::

Caution against the

unknown.

Page 146: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

146

Sopeoplestartedtoresearchtheideaandlookinto

iftherewasanynegativeeffectstoitbecauselike

the media had some negative press. But I

suppose a few people started to research it and

lookintoit.

AffectoftheMEDIA

I:Howwouldyoudescribeyourparticipationwith

theprojectitself?Ifyoucouldsummarisehowyou..

P:Liketheturbinesthemselves?

I: Ah:: no like the participation with the local

community,the‘ParishForum’

P:Wellatthetimewhentheturbineswherebeing

mootedtherewasanactiongroupwhereformedto

kindofreallytoinquire(.)theyweren’tananti

turbinegroup.Buttheywherejustsetupto(.)

em:(.)tofindoutmoreinformationreally.

I suppose I went down out eh: of curiosity I

supposeasmuchasanythingelsejusttoseewhat

wasgoingonthere.Andthenwhentheydidem:

it turned up very little really that there was

verylittlenegativeaboutit

and thenwentplanningdidgoaheadandwesaw

thatthiswaswhattheconditionseh:(.)

I’minvolvedintheathleticclubandthehistory

group in Moyne so I I em: I went down to the

meeting to see ehwhatwouldwould itmean for

thosegroupsI’minvolvedwith.

ActionGroup=Seephotos

ofdocuments.

Antiwindfarm??

Active in this prior to

granting of planning

permission.

Then was involved in the

ParishForum.

---conditionsofplanning

engaged member of

community

Page 147: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

147

I:Ah:ok.

P:Iwentdownandehacommitteeof17where

em where elected I suppose as such on the

night.

And it was set up and then an annual general

meeting was formed was called after that and it

kind of just gradually grew the format of how it

operateswas kind of organic really it (.) emerged

asneedsbekindof.

Democraticallyelected

Annual engagement from

thebeginning

I: Oh ok and was that around 2008 before

construction?

P:YesitwouldhavebeenIsuppose.

I: So tell memore about the club and what your

roleisinthat?

P: Well in the athletic club I’m involved in as an

athletic myself and I’m also a coach I’ve been a

coaching theclub forabout20years.Andeh: I’ve

alwaysheldaplace in the last20 -25years iv

heldanofficershipaswellandchairmanatthe

momentandwehaveallotoffacilitiesandallot

of capital projects kind of that where carried

outinthelast10–15yearssowewherealways

hopingtogetmoneyaswell.

Andthehistorygroupwe’veem:(.)we’vewrittena

parishhistorythatwaswrittenin2002anditwas

em.

Longstandingpositionin

thelocality.

Benefitedhugelyfromthe

turbines

Page 148: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

148

I:Ohreallyyeah,

P:Yeahitwasathreevolumeahbooksabout1500

pagesinit(.)ithadtobedividedintothreekindof

A4 sized books. It was a sizable project theMine

helpedusalittle(.)helpeduswitheh:printingofit

Isuppose,theygavesomefundsaswell.

But then eh: in the last few years thenwewhere

em: (.) therewas no index to the original volume

threevolumessointhelast4or5yearsweputwe

got an index and the forum then helped us pay

forthat.

Historygroupalso

receivedfunding.

I: So the community and your personal

involvementhasbeenhelpedbythisdevelopment.

P:Ohabsolutelyyesitsbeenagreatkindofwellit

wasoriginally30,000ayeartotheparishandeh(.)

withtheextraturbineshavebeenputupsoitsup

toeh:50,000ayeartobedividedupbetweenthe

parish, (.) for both ends of the parish for capital

projectsannually.

Funding

Divided–differentendsof

theparish=

I: Do you remember any meetings, information

meetings or anything like that prior to it being

built?

P:Eh::: Idoremembereh:: (.) Idorememberone

yeah()asecondsetofturbineshavealsobeenset

upbyBordNaMónawhichareasecondwindfarm

Engagement–

Page 149: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

149

but I distantly that going ahead but yeah () (.) I

kindofvaguelyremembermeetingwiththepeople

beforetheLisheenturbineswheresetup.

Notmuchinteraction.

I:I’minterestedinfindingoutiftheyhadaccessto

theactualdecisionmakingprocess?

P: Yeah the Lisheen Mine would have been (.)

since the time I had been set up really have

beenquiteopenwith..with…with thepeopleat

allstagesofitsowndevelopment,ofwhatitwas

doingandwhat it intendedtodo.Andthathas

workedverywell.

ButanotherminejustinGalmoyMinelessthen10

milesaway,setupbeforeLisheenMineanditwas

operatedonatellthemaslittleaspossiblebasisas

it seems to me. And everything seemed go work

againstthemwhereas,(.)theLisheenMinekindof

adapted a (Minorco Lisheen) the different

companies that owned it since itwas first kindof

(.)theorewasfirstfound.They’veoperatedona

muchmoreopenbasiswiththecommunityand

itseemstohaveworkedanawfullotbetter.

I:Ah::ok::…

P: And so when it came to the turbines they

adopted the same kind of system really. They

didinformusandtherewasmeeting.

Glowing praise for the

companiesengagement.

EG of a similar situation

going badly. Galmoy -

Didn’tworkas theywhere

not informed as to what

washappening.

Numerousdifferent

companiesownedthe

mine.

IMPORTANCEOF

Continuousengagement

I:Soyoufeltliketheydidactuallyengage.

Page 150: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

150

P:Oh::yeahtheydidyeah::theLisheenMinehave

beenverygoodtoengage(.)Ifeelyeah.

I: Do you think that maybe it was the mine that

played that role or because of the previous

connections with the society or was it their

interaction with the community because of the

development?

P: (Intakeofbreath)(.)Eh::: itshardtosayreally

(.) id say it was the way they had operated

really.

I:I’mtryingtoteaseoutwhythese,howexactlythe

participationwentbecauseitseemstohavebeena

successfromnearlyeveryoneI’vetalkedto.

P: Yeah like openness defiantly seems to have

worked like there are (.) like I’ve said that the

Galmoymines (.) because the localsbackedup (.)

becausethethingswheredoneandthentheytried

to explain why they where done. (.) Then you

know::there’sno()andnogoingbackthenandits

very hard to allay peoples fears afterwards

whenitstoolate.WhentheLisheenMinekindof

seemedtohave(.)kindofgivenus thechance

to ask questions and things like that and then

(.) theywhere ahh (.) youknow:: itwas itwas

quiteopenreally.

Opennessagain!

Bad e.g. again – informing

the locals. (action without

participation)

Nogoingback..

Lisheendidn’tdothat–

Meaningful to this

participant

Page 151: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

151

I: Did you know at the time that there was an

environmental impactassessmentdonebeforethe

construction.

P: I can’t remember know (.)with themines and

everything we also met with them about the

tailingspondand theEPAand therewas fromwe

couldalwaysfeel(.)thefeelingwealwaysgotwas

that they where doing everything thing that was

thatwasneededtobedoneandthattheywhere(.)

Isupposeeh::theywereaskeenaskeepingthe

thingrightaswewere.

environmental

Confidenceintherehistory

inthearea.

I: Do you remember any differences between the

firstphaseandthesecondphase,inregardstohow

you where informed about it or how the parish

dealtwithit.

P: I remember the parish didn’t (.) em::: there no

active reason or anything like that for the second

phaseitwasjustkindof(.)I suppose the feeling

wasthattherewasn’tanytroublewiththefirst

phase so (.) there was no real issues with (.)

frommypointof view therewasno real issue

withthesecondphase.

I:Thesecondphasewasbuiltonmorefarms?

P:Itwasitwasonprivatelandreally.

I: So the discussions would have been dealt with

Notrouble

Nosecondphasemeetings

Page 152: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

152

themIsuppose.

P: Yes there was no (.) I cant remember any

meetingtakingplaceforthesecondphase.

I:Doyourememberanyonechallenginganyofthe

initialplans?Iknowthattheinitialplanswherefor

22windturbinesandthenreducedto18.

P:That’sright18whereputup.

I: I’m interested to know was that done by the

community or was that just planning related

issues?

P:Ithoughtthattheyappliedfor22(.)turbinesas

far as I know but I think logistically I think they

only18wasmorepractical,Idon’tknowwhy.

Practical issues with

planning

I:Gettingbacktoyourroleintheclub,doyoufeel

that(.)Iknowthatitsreceivedfunding,ivactually

seen it myself and it looks very good (.) it looks

well put together. Do you think that you would

havegottenthefundingordoyouthinkyouwould

have been much worst off if these wind turbines

hadn’tbeenbuild?

P:Well every bit of funding helps.Butem::yes

wewoulddefiantlybeallotworseoffiftheturbines

hadn’t been built. Because ah:: like it is been

comingintotheparisheveryyearassuchandit

is for capital projects so em:: (.) it encourages

Page 153: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

153

organisationstodevelopfacilitiesreally.

I:Andwhereyouwithinthe‘ParishForum’forthe

whole time, so you where representing these

groups?

P: Yes in fairness like most people (.) a certain

number of people, I suppose more than half of

thepeopleontheforumwouldhavebeen,em::

have a vested interest in some organisation,

morepracticallyallofthemreally.

But in general at themeeting therewas a general

fairnessandehakindofah responsibility to the

community as much as anything. The loyalty

wouldn’t like come to a vote as in one

organisationagainstanother,reasondoeskind

ofwinoutinyouknowtheend.

Vestedinterests–but

The General Good –

community

Responsibility

I:Wouldyousaythatthiswouldbeagoodexample

of a rural Irish example of how wind turbines

wouldberolledoutinanarea.

P:Wellitsits(.)itisagoodsystem(.)butatthe

same time (.) people might say are you being

boughtoff? Itsem:: Ipersonallydon’t feel like its

likebeingboughtoffatthemoment.Idofeelthat

greenenergy isan important sourceofenergy

and its much better then digging up the bogs

andburningthingsthatcreateCo2.

You know like I do think it’s a valuable way like

some people protest the sight of them and

CommunityBribery?

Environmentallyminded

Believes in protest – but

notintrusive.

Page 154: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

154

everything but. Its only (.) there not very

intrusiveandtherenotthatuglyIthink.ButIdo

thinkthatthefactthatmoneydoescomebackto

thecommunity isverybeneficial to thepeople

that have to live in those areas. Perhapshouse

valuesmighthavedroppedIdon’tknowbecauseof

them (.) that people might find it harder to sell

housesor landorsomethingbut Idon’t (.) I think

that em: the fact that facilities have been put

back into those parishes that are closest to

thembasicallystandstothoseparishes.

Greater good – mild

Utilitarianism?

BENEFITS–

Propertyvalues

I: Keeping with that, do you think because your

communityseemstobeatightknitcommunitythat

caresandlooksoutforeachother…

P:Yeahwellit’satypicalruralcommunityassuch.

I: So you would say that would be the typical

standardacrossthecountry?

P:YeahIwouldimaginesoyeah.

TYPICAL RURAL

COMMUNITY

I: As I have been looking at participation within

localcommunities, it’saverygoodexample, Iwas

wonderinghowmuchIyoucouldgeneralisethisin

regardstootherplacesandcountieseven.

P: Yeah its () but for small communities to

surviveyoudoneedtohavefacilitiesandneed

to have schools and you really need to have

characterisation and all that kindof stuff.Like in

SMALL COMMUNITY

SURVIVAL=Driver

Worry for the longevity of

Page 155: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

155

moreruralareaswheretheyloosetheirschool

maybe and even their church and things like

that (.) that are a focalpoint.And if they loose

those kind of facilities those em:: practical

facilities for sporting events and things like

that, theneh: theyare incentives forpeople to

gototownsreallyandleaveruralareas.

hisruralcommunity.

Loss of focal points = loss

ofcommunity.

Loss of population to

urban centres – social

impact.

I: Ok yeah. Over all did you think that the

companiesengage inovereverything really in the

planning phase, information phases, following up

phases.Didtheydoagoodjobinyouropinion?

P:Yestheydid.Theywherecomprehensiveand

they had a follow up on the work that, you

knowIthinkeveryoneishappyastheycouldbe

withit.Youknow.

PersonalAssessment

I:Justyourselfdidyourexperienceparticipatingin

theiswholeprocessdidyougetanythingfromitor

wasitachoreorwhereyouveryhappydotoit?

P:WellIwashappyenoughtodoitI’mjust(.)I’m

alwaysinvolvedincommunityprojectsaround

here so you know its just another (.) just

another(.)kindoflocaldevelopmentIsuppose

projectreally(.)I’mjusthappytobeinvolved.

Experience–

Sees himself as an active

memberofsociety–

Happytobeinvolved=

Page 156: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

156

10.2.4.Codingof Indepth Interviewwith JohnHogan–Cahaoirleach (Councillor)

Templemore/Thurles–PoliticalpartyFiannaFáil

I:Interviewer

J:JohnHogan

Transcription Coding

I: I’ve been trying to find out a more useful and

inclusivewayofengagingwiththecommunity…

J: First of all when thiswind farmwas suggested

em(.)theycontactedme,theLisheenMineswhich

wastheirfirststep.AndI’mapublicrep,nowthey

asked me how I felt and I felt there would be

plentyofobjectionstoit.

Ipersonallybelievein(.)greenerenergy,idbe

afirmbelieverthatweneedtochangetheway

we operate the world and we need to take a

hard look at the world around us. If we don’t

wheregoingtoburnupandthat’sthelongand

short of it. Global warming isn’t a joke it’s a

reality.

Butanywayso:Isaididagreewithitsotheysaid

thatwhattheyfeltthatweshoulddoistosetup

a ‘Parish Forum’, which was an excellent idea

becausethatParishForumwassetupfortodeal

with this wind turbine thing, and its working

eversince.SowesetupaParishForumtodiscuss

the whole thing and have a formal parish

structure for something like this coming in

Firsttobecontacted–

Politicalrepresentative.

Longtermperspective.

Politicallyminded.

Company’sideaforthe

establishmentofthe

forum.

Religiousterritorial

structuresused

Awareoftheneedforprior

Page 157: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

157

because it could have a detrimental effect we

didn’tknowyousee.Theproblemis ignorance

(.) an awful lot of people haven’t a clue. They

thinkit’sgoingtodothemharm,buttheydon’t

reallyknow.

SowesetuptheParishForumandweelected15

or 16 people. Everyone came to the meeting

everyonewasallowedtosuggestsomebodyand

thehighest16cametothevoteandgotelected

whatever.Sothenwestartedtodiscusstheissues.

Sothefirst thingwedidwaswewentaroundand

lookedat variouswind farmsaround the country.

Now we found one negative guy from who lived

below Rockchapel in Co Cork. She told us they

soundedlikeaeroplanesandhelicoptersatnight.

I:Okyeah?

J:Butshesaidshewasonalotofmedicationforit.

And then I asked her how long was she on the

medication? And she said 20 years. And I asked

hearhowlongtheturbinesup?2years…

I:Haha(laughter)

J: (Laughter)Funny thingabout it is (.) onegirl

gotthatintohearheadonourbusandshewent

off and contacted national bodies who where

opposed to wind farms and brought them all

back and said they where going to deafen

everybodyandallthethingsonthatthingIgave

you. Their going to damage the water, the

warningforthe

community.

IGNORANCE!!Lackof

educationontechand

Awareoftheinstitutional

structureswithinthis

society–

Organised

Organisedfieldtrip–

Needforfirsthand

experience=thiswasnot

officiallypartofthe

participationbutanidea

bythenewcommittee

themselves.What

Analogy–theclaims

unsubstantiated

Theeffectofoneindividual

onagroup–

Antiwindfarmlobbying

Page 158: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

158

environment, land values would be down 40%.

Landvalueshaven’tdropped(.)onesinglecent.

The dearest piece of land ever sold in are

parish was sold about seven years ago under

the turbines. 21,000(€) per acre for purely

agriculturalland.Fornothingelse.

groupsbecameinvolved

Externalactors

Fearsforlandpricesnoted

inotherinterviews.

I:Soit’salljustfalse?

J:Justrubbish. Ifafarmerwantsland,he’llbuy

itsupposingthedevilissittingonit.Theydon’t

care. If there is such a thing! They’ll buy it, they

don’tcare.Ifitsbesideanuclearreactorifafarmer

wants it they’ll buy it. That’s the reality. So it

didn’taffectanythinglikethatbutem:butthenas

the four of us then set up then we started

negotiatingprice.

WhathappenedwasIwenttothemines,andIsaid

tothem,what’sinitforthelocalcommunity?So

this is what I think is good practice. They said “I

supposetherehastobesomethingin it forthem”.

How do you envision giving us something? They

said, “we cant give you something” (.) “are

company isAngloAmericanand theywouldn’t

giveyouanything”hesaid.Doyouknow, their

stockexchange(.)theywillgiveaslittleasthey

can.

SoIsaidwhatwaywillweworkit.Themanager

ofthemineisacleveroldfella(.)agreatmanfor

corporate social responsibility. In fairness to

Indigenousphrase:It

doesn’tmatterwhat’s

wrongwiththelandifa

farmerwantsittheywill

buyit.

Participationasa

negotiation.

Theywheresavvywhenit

cametothisprocess.

Aprofitmaximising

companyworkingwithina

capitalistsystemwillvery

little.

Managerwasawareofthe

societyheworksinand

Page 159: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

159

him.Hesaidthat“ifyoucouldworkitthroughthe

planningprocess”.SoIwenttotheplannersandI

saidcanyouput inacondition, that theyhave

to give so much per turbine per year to the

community. Theplanner says “Jesus we cant do

thatunlesssomeoneaskesustodothat.Ithas

to come from the public as a submission”. So I

wenttothelocalmeetingsanywayandIsuggested

(.) I shouldhavewaited awhile (.) thatwe should

putinasubmissionlookingforsomethingforthese

turbines.So Iwasbooed andhissed as the local

councillor putting up the white flag. The

following morning I woke up and there was

postersattheendofmylane“localcouncillors

should support local people”.Nowmywifesaid

tomeyoumadeamistakethereJohnwhatareyou

going to do. I said the electionwas coming up in

twoyears later, Icouldn’tgiveashitletthemvote

for me if they want. I’m not going to tell them I

believethatturbinesarewrongifIthinktherenot.

I’mnotgoingtotellthemtokeepburningcoaland

peat.AndsoIsaidIknowthisisthewayIseeit.I

knowwecangetsomethingoutofit.

So Iwent to thenextmeeting,anywaytheysaid

tome“againyoucannotsend inanapplication

(.) they said you don’t represent us”. Even

though I’m the only councillor in the area,

there’snooneelse.SoIsaidwhorepresentsyou.

So who represents the parish? They said the

parishpriestrepresentsus(.) that’swhat they

said.

CSR

PLANNING–loophole

Publicsubmission

Antiwindfarmopposition

alreadyorganised.

Localpolitics

Politically–negativeatthe

time

Election–whichhewon.

Politicalrhetoricand

personalposition–handin

handinIreland.

Numerousmeetingsprior

toplanningbeingaccepted.

=selforganised–no

facilitation–deliberative

Conflictofrecognitionas

rep.–politicallyheis–

socially–??

Page 160: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

160

I:Ok…

J: The parish priest is a very quite man, Fr

Murphy (.) very quite man. So they said Fr

Murphycouldput inasubmission.So Idrewupa

submissionandgaveittoFrMurphy.Heaskedme

would I work with him. But the day of the (.)

thing(.)hesaidhewasbeingbulliedtoomuch,

hecouldn’tsignit.Toomanycallstohishouse

toomuchpressureonhim.SoeventuallyIhadto

send in a submission, and I did it. Looking for

40,000peryearfromtheturbines.

Religion?

Bulling?

SoJHsentinthe

submission.

I:Andisthisbeforeeventheplanningwas…

J:Theplanningwasgranted.ButIknewitwouldbe

granted.

I:So fullygranted?SotheEIAandeverythingwas

alreadydone?

J: Yes everything was done. But the planning

permission was gone in but hadn’t been granted.

Nowidspokenwith theplannersandsaidyou

knowthere’sallotadis…ofconcernmaybe.But

Idon’t thinkthere’s toomanywhereagainst it

(.) certain voices where very strong in the

community.Ithinkthemajorityofthecommunity

didn’t actually mind. A certain amount of voices

where very concerned and I said ya knowdo you

have to give planningpermission?And they said

they don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t.

That it was absolutely suitable, the density of

Insiderknowledge

TheActiongroup

Localpolitics–

Silentmajority.

Perfectlocation

Page 161: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

161

housingwasverylow,itwasverynearBogland

andallatonesidewasbog..

I:Didtheygetmanyyouknownegativecomments

into the comment section during the planning

stage.

J:Therewas65.Theywhereanorganisedgroup.

Twas there selves theirmothers and there sisters

andtherebrothers.Agroupmanybeofthecore

15 where probably where mostly responsible

forthe65.Andtheywhereallintheonetowns

land.Infairnesstheyhadconcernsaboutthem.

Accesstojustice

THEACTIONGROUP

Moyne

Considerablemobilisation

ofpeople.

I:Sotheydidputthatinandtheyhadasay?

J:Theydidhaveasay,ohh:::theydidhaveasay

(.)yeahandtheyhiredanexperttocomedown

and they got on television national television

complaining about these things. They where

goingtodestroyalltheirlivesandallthisstuff.So

theymadenationalheadlines like(.)Butat the

sametimeasilentmajorityweren’topposedto

them.IfyouknowwhatImean.

I:Yeah,yeah..

ButIthinktheLisheenMines,thedevelopers,also

knewthat.Sothey kindofrodethestormandlet

theplanningprocesstakeitscourse.

J:Sowhenthatwasdoneanyway,theplanners

UseofMEDIA

Fear-

- Paddy,Tim

Page 162: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

162

put it into the condition that they give 30,000

peryearindexedlinkedtothelocalcommunity.

Butthebiggestproblemis(.)andIthinkivgotthat

withme (.)Whatwas the local community? To

establishthatthen…

I: Yeah because it’s quite confusing with the

differentlayouts,evenwithallthedifferentturbine

fieldsnexttoeachother.

J: Myself and a few others set up (.) (takes out a

documentandshowsme)thiseveryquicklytosee

whatisthelocalcommunity.Thecommunitycould

beconsideredAbbeyleix.Weconsidereditasthe

Parish of Moyne Templetuohy, because we

where the ones up against it. So we set up a

structure every year we would (.) a get this

30,000 though a mechanism where you get

pound (.) euro for euro. If you spend a euro on

capital project for your parish you get back a

euro off this fund. Its not for day to day

maintenance of clubs or anyt.. a good few people

where very annoyed about that.But I thought it

wastheonlywaywecouldprogresstheparish,

rather then give it for the day to day running

you give it for capital expenditure and 50%.

Andthatworkedparticularlywell.

What I did after that was then and I felt it was

wrongofthecounciltomakeacommunitydothis

themselves.But that shouldhavebeenpolicy.But

you see as usual the council is amillionmiles

away.Something has to happen, their reactive

Turbinesprevailed

Geographicalissues

Manywindfarmsina

relativelysmallruralarea.

Negotiationsagain.

Economicallyprudent

structure.

PROGRESSagain

Capitaldrivingit–

Uptillthispointself-

governed.

Weaknessesinlocal

government

Page 163: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

163

ratherthenproactive.

I:Yeah,Yeah..

J: So in the last county development plan I got

the development plan changed. That every

developerhastogive€4,500per turbinetoeach

community.Sonomatterwhereorwhenonesbuilt

inTipperaryithastobeinthedevelopment.

He'scritical.

Impactonnationalpolicy.

Futureimpacts=

I: That’s very good I was going to ask you about

that.

J: I looked for I canvased for the change in the

countydevelopmentplan.

I think a lack of understanding is the biggest

problemoutofthesecases.Peoplefeellikethena

fewyearsagoTV3contactedme,Imighthavetold

youthistheotherday.Theywhereinthemidlands

doingaprogramallaboutmassiveobjections toa

em: (.) big wind farm that Bord na Móna where

developing.Theysaidtheremustbeallotofpeople

upsetaroundyou(.)andIsaidno. Itsnot itsnotI

thatIwasinfavour.Iwasn’tactuallyinfavourof

thematall,Ijustwasn’tagainstthem.

Sotheysaid“theremustbepeopledowntherevery

upsetovertheseturbines?Youknowarethereany

houseswith in500m?” I said theywhereopposed

toitinitiallybutnowtherenot.Sotheysaidtome

“Do you know anybody?” and I said listen ill tell

youwhatilldo.Justsou’llgivefaircoverageinthe

Knowledge–

understanding(repeated)

-Media–reportonturbine

objections-

politicalanswer

Page 164: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

164

media. I said you come down and ill drive you

aroundareareaandanyhouseyousaystopat

ill stop and ill go in and introduce ya. Illwalk

awayandletthemtellyouwhattheirviewsare

onwindturbines.Andthat’swhatwedid.

I:Youdidyeah?

J:Wedid.Theywentintoaboutfourorfiveofthem

andtheyplayedallofthem.Everyoneofthemsaid

the same thing. “Aw:: Ohh: we where kind of

against them in the beginning, we don’t see

them,wedon’thearthem,wedon’tnoticethem.

Theyplaynonegativepartinarelives.”

Confidenceinthe

participationprocess

Lifeworld-

Alternationinthe–social

constructionofreality.

I:Sodoyouthinkthat the informationgoingback

towhen they first put in (planning) do you think

theinformationgiventothem,thelocalcommunity

was it adequate?Youknow theway its stipulated

in the EIA that you have to engage with the

community.

J:Ifeelitwasminimal.

I:Soyoufeelitwasminimal?

J: It was minimal. It was good but it was still

minimal. Itwasbetter than we had in a lot of

things beforehand. You know there’s allot of

planningpermissionsforvariousprojectswehear

nothing.Atleasttheheldopenmeetingsinlocal

community centres and invited people in to

havealookatit.

Regardlessofsuccess–

AccesstoInformation–

minimal.

Meetingsorganised

Page 165: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

165

I:Okanddidtheydistributeanyleafletsor…

J:Onthatnighttheydidyes.Theydid.WellIfelt(.)

I should have had those but I don’t know where

they are. But I felt maybe they should have

maybe contacted individual objectors and

talked to them about their concerns.Maybego

onatripwiththe(.)whenwewentoffwehireda

busandwewenttolookmaybecomewithus.Talk

tothepeople,bepartofus.

It becamea them andus rather then,well let’s

justdo this foreverybody, you’regoing to gain

outofit,andwe’regoingtogainoutofit.

Everybody gains in the finish that’s the reality

andwe gain as a nationwith the use of green

energy.

Proposingamore

proactiveroleforcompany

-consultationsdirectly

withtheobjectors.

- trips–liketheone

theywenton.

- partofthewhole.

Mutualbenefit-mutual

understanding–Habermas

Communitybenefit=

macronationalbenefits.

I:Andmeetingarequotas.

J:Yeahandmeetingarequotasandavoiding fines

fromtheEUthat’sthelongandtheshortofit.

I:AnotherthingI’mlookingatiswhethertheyhad

an impact on the decisionmaking process within

theplanswhentheywherebeingmade?

J: No we didn’t have any impact in the no no.

Well I suppose in fairness to them they initially

looked for 22 and they got 18 (.) because the

planning process. They did have an impact

Nomajorroleindecision

makingprocessesbut

Page 166: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

166

becausetheplanningprocessagreedwithsome

of themmaybe theywhere a little tonearone

another, a populated area or something so

therenumberswherereduced.Andinfairnessto

thedevelopers,theyweren’toverlyconcernedover

that.That’sfinetheywherewillingtolistenand

theydidn’tobjecttothattheydidn’tappealit.I

felttheywherereasonableaboutthat.

Sosomeimpacttothefinal

development.

Butthisfeelingisn’tshared

byalltheparticipants.

I: Did you notice a change in the community

betweenphaseoneandphasetwo?

J:Yes

I:Likeafterthefirstphaseobviously…

J:Firstphase(.)secondphasewasthecommunity.

The communitybuilt them.The chairman of the

anti wind farm group has five of them on his

land.Andherealised(.)youinterviewedRichy,he

realised that listen there not as bad as I

thought. And that’s what he says. I have to

believe him.He built 5 of them. And everyone

saidfine,grand.

The funny thing is, there was there was,

actuallymoredivisionwithinthecommunityin

thesecondphase,justsomepeoplewherejealous

ofothersgettingthem.Thatactuallydidn’tmind,so

much(.)idknowwhenI’mouttheirspeoplesortof

saying“ohthatfella,hewantsitall,lookathim

now he’s getting the turbines. He was against

1stPhase–communityhelp

builtthem?

RichardDaly

2ndphase–Builtprivately

Majordifferencehere.

Communitycohesion=

Jealousy

Bitterorfeelingthatthey

wherehypocritical.

Page 167: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

167

them last year (.) aw feckers they want

everything”. Whereas they didn’t mind a

multinational company getting them because we

don’t know them but when your neighbour is

beingbetterthenyaitsoftenaproblem.

Ithinkthatwasthecaseupthemidlands,becauseI

had several several visitors in the midlands

whouse to call tomewhen thisproposedone

was up the country and allot of them where

askingme“andhowmuchwouldamangetifhe

hasoneina fieldbesidehim”. Inhis field.And

and I said why do you ask? “My neighbours

getting two and im getting non. And this was

allot of the issue. When there neighbour was

goingtoendup(.)you get approx. €25,000per

turbineperyearifoneofthemgoesuponyour

land for rent.And theywhereworried that their

neighbour would have €50,000 a year and they

wouldn’t.Andthat..

Culturalissue.

Factor–thebettermentof

onefamilyseenaslossfor

others.

- jealousy

Hugesumforrental.

I:Thatelementplaysintoit..

J:Thatplaysintoitandisthat’swhat’sdivisive

aboutcommunities,suddenlyyourmakingone

muchwealthierthenanother.

Whereastheywherealllivinginharmony,peas

in a pod for years and suddenly one becomes

wealthy and the other doesn’t. (.) It divides

people,that’shumannature.

I: And its probably very difficult to plan these

BIGunintended

consequence.

Veryinteresting

Page 168: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

168

things….

J:itisverydifficult..

I:tokeepthatinmindifyour..

J: it’s impossible, its practically impossible how

wouldyoudealwithityoucant.

Difficulttochallenge.

I: But do you think that this community could

would be a good example of a rural Irish

community,foraslikeatextbookexample?

J:Whereatextbook localwellknit community

all maybe traditional (.) Irish traditions. The

GAA, Catholic and all the usual things that go

with rural Ireland, music running and all those

things. It would be a very very tight knit local

community.Decentlivingpeopleyouknow..

Tightknitcommunity–

highlevelsofcohesionand

culturalandhistorical

identity.

I: Yeah yeah. Do you think you could take this

experienceandputitelsewh…

J:Ithinksoyoucouldputitanywhere.Ifyouused

therightmodel.I’d say if the LisheenMinewas

backagaintheywouldhavelearnedfromthere

experience. You know probably, more

engagement.Theymadeagoodstabat it.Maybe

setuptheforumfirstandinvitetheminandsay

wherethinkingofdoingawind farm.Tellthem

whatthebenefitsofit.

MOREENGAGEMENT

Earlierengagement-

Developtheforumpriorto

puttinginplanning.

Educatethem.

Page 169: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

169

And I found as well that what happens is, the

benefitsof thatwouldbe.Whenyouhold the first

meetingthere’s120peopleinthehallorwherever

asmallcommunityis,there’s20roaring.Youhold

a second meeting and there’s 80 in the hall and

there’s 10 roaring. You hold the third meeting

there’s 20 in thehall.But what happens is they

come to close to the planning permission and

theyallgetfiredup.

Whereas if you start holding them way out, by

thetimeitcomesaroundtosay“isthatnotbuilt

yet”theyhavegottenoverthefearsandgotten

over.. (.) Iv foundwithcommunities(.)advanced

warningisextremelyimportant.Ivbeendealing

withcommunities,ivbeenacouncillorfor16years

I know if they advance warn them then you

havetoeducatethem,itrelaystheirfears.

Politicalmindedstrategy

forpushingforwardwith

plans-numerousmeetings

Temporalissues–more

time–moreacceptable

Experiencedcouncillor–

ADVANCEDWARNING

I: If you lookat it theEIAwascompleted in2006

andtheconstructionstartedaround2009.

J: Yeahyeah sowhatdate ison that report, that I

gaveyouthere?

I:AhthereyougoMarch.

J:YeahMarch06,thatshouldhavebeengivento

thepublic thenand that shouldhavebeenout

there,suchthatwouldbeinmyview.Isuppose

it was a new process they hadn’t engaged

previously. I suppose sometimes some people

Proposingalmost2years

priornotice.

Companylearningcurve?

Page 170: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

170

would(.)theoldfashionedviewwouldbetosay

as little as you can and hopefully they wont

notice. But I feel yourwaybetter off to engage

with, talk to them and genuinely relay their

fears.

You know and take them away and show them

differentthings,talktopeopleotherpeoplewilltell

ya.Ifsomebodycometoareparish,theretoldtogo

awayanddon’tworryaboutit.Wegotnothingout

ofit,wherenotworriedaboutit.Theywilltellyou

personally any of them went though the first

phase said I didn’t gain personally the parish

gained there was no problem. I think that’s

important.

Well you could use that as a model, a very good

model.

Tradapproach

Modern–engagementkey

Morefacetime.

Importanceof

interpersonalconnection

-benefitforthewhole

ratherthentheindividual

important–community.

I:Allotoftheseacademicreadingsreallydon’tlook

into the contextual area that much, I know that

theyhavetoapproachthingsonagrandlevel ina

kindofguidelinekindofway.

Youknowthecurrentguidelines(.)Iwasgoingto

ask you that as well, in Ireland with the allowed

distancesforturbines.Theykindofhavetobeset

uptobeacatchall….

J: What frustrates the people more here in

Ireland is there’s more, there was a wind

character assessment done all right. But they

didn’t actually pick areas they actually said no to.

Page 171: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

171

Andthatannoyspeople.

There’s landmarks say like Slievenamon an

important hill(mountain) in Tipperary. Although

they havent put turbines on it there’s nothing in

theplanstosaytheycant.

I:Yeah.

J: And theres an area down in Faugheen Carrick-

on-Suir that’s huge resentment down there to

proposed windfarms. Vast resentment and its

becauseit’saveryscenicareapeoplehavealways

visiteditasascenicarea.SoIsupposetheirissues

thattheplanningauthorityhadntdeltwithit,they

feelthattheyhavntbeenprotectedenoughinthoes

areas.Thatneedstobedone.Youknow.

Landscape–alteration–

againstturbineson

hillsides

Inanotherexampleof

turbines-

I: Do you think the fact that theres so much

bogland in thearea thatplayed intodevelopment,

youknowitbeingasparslypopulatedarea..

J:Yes(.)yesithelped..

I:alsousedupindustrualarea

J:Itisthepeatlandisalmostmilledoutlike.So

it is unused land allot of it, so people are saying

whatharmisitdoinganybody.Andthebirdslike,

there where so many people on about the birds.

Theres a guy called Shaun O’ Farrel, you should

lookhimupdoingyour thesis. ShaunO’Farrelhe

worked on behalf of the government monitoring

Page 172: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

172

thebirdsthereforthelast7or8yearsaroundthe

windfarms.Imethimresently,hetoldmehehad

onlymetonebirddeadundera turbine in the

last 8 years. And he said it was (.) it was (.) he

doesn’tknowifitwashitby(.)ithadamarkbuthe

doesn’t know it was hit by the turbine. It might

havebeenhitelsewhereandmade itas faras the

turbine. He said there was no evidence

anywhere that birds where being killed by

them.AllthisstuffabouttheHenHarrier.

Nonlethal

I:Ohyeah it causesabout2yearsofa checking if

it’s a Hen Harrier area. You have to have 1 or 2

yearsofchecking,tomakesurethatitsnoahighly

populousarea.

J:Acouncillorinarecouncil,MattieRyan,he’sa

realmountainyfellownearNenaghandhelives

where(.)heliveswiththeHenHarrierslikeup

inthemountains.Andhesaidinacouncilmeeting

one day, there was a fella going on about the

protectingHenHarriersandtheseturbines(.)oh::

sureMattiesays(inanoverthetopaccent)“aHen

Harrier can spot a mouse in the grass from 200

yards and there going to run into a turbine139m

high”(Laughter)….AHenHarrierwouldneverrun

into a turbine (.) sure if theywhere there forever

theywouldneverrunintoaturbine.Thereableto

travel atmassive speeds and pick out amouse at

200m(.)butsure look.Nowhavingsayingthat(.)

youhaveto(.)wecant(.)wehavetolookafterall

arespecies.

HenHarrier–rare

Europeanspeciesof

protectedbird.

EIA–

Debateastoturbine

impact

Page 173: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

173

I: Yeahwehave over 33.3%of raised bogs in the

EU..

J:Wehave,andtherenotprotectedatallreally

(.)notatall(.)theyshouldbeprotected.

TheinterestingthingaswelliswhenBordNaMóna

builtawindturbinesbehindour(.)LisheenMines

ones.Theybuilt12of14more.BordNaMónahad

massiverowswiththecommunity(.)theyhave

nocorporatesocialresponsibility.

They felt like giving you a job was corporate

socialresponsibilityandtheygavenothingtothe

community (.) Imeannothing, andwe contacted

themyouknow,whatareyougoingtodowithyour

windturbines(.) liketheLisheenMineshadgiven

us (.)and itwasn’tmandatory inKilkenny and

Laois where they had (.) do you know when we

changedthecountydevelopmentplan?Theyhadn’t

beenchangedatthatstage.

Unprotectedecosystems

CSR=

Rightsoflocals-

I:Yeah.

J:Butthey,thefactthatLisheendidwhattheydid,

gave the contribution (.) there (Bord Na Móna)

doing the very same again. So there now giving a

voluntary donation every year to the local

communities.Andpeopleareveryhappy,theyare

hopingmorewillcomeupdownthere,aroundthat

area of Laois. Down towards your (.) country (.)

Clonmeenand(.)itgoesoffintheotherway.

BordNaMónafollowed

theLisheenminesexample

=

Page 174: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

174

I:Yeahitwassurefrommygranny’shouse..

J:Who’syourgranny?

I:MygrannywasMaryWhelan.

J: Mary Whelan, who’s she now? Ah sure ill

probablyknow…

I: Sure you can check it up, but em:: sure iv been

looking(.)toyouknowtheAarhusConvention?

J:Pardon?

I:TheAarhusConvention?

J:No.

I: It’s basically one of these over arching

conventionswhereyouhavetohave(.)withinEU

lawtheyaretryingtomakeitthatyouhave,access

to information, access to decision making

processes and access to justice. As a person in

regardstotheenvironment.

J:Ineversawthat?

Noknowledgeofthe

convention=thoughonly

cameintoforceinIreland

2012.

I:Yeahthat’sthething,imlookingintothataswell,

its suppose to be (.) its Aarhus, thatwith twoAs.

It’s the second largest city in Denmark, it was a

conventionthatwasdonein2008(.)1998,Ithink

itonlycameintolawhereinthelate2000s.ButI’m

Page 175: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

175

notentirelysurehowfixedinthelawitis,itskind

ofoneofthese(.)youknowit’saguidelineor…

J:YeahbuyyouseeinIrelandtheywillsayputupa

signnoticeyouknow,thenyoucango ifyouwish

to the planning authority. But that’s a bit unfair

becauseifsomeone…

I:Itsnotaccesstoinformation…

J:Itsnot,someoftheresidentsthatwerearound

thosewindfarmsah:wouldbeinthere80s.No

ideahowtouseacomputer.Wouldn’tbeableto

travel togo tomeetings.So theymightsee the

sign but they were totally isolated from that

typeofthing.

Critiqueofcurrent

informationaccess.

Ageissue=elderlywithno

computers–no

Notinclusiveparticipation.

Moreeffortsneeded.

I:Youseethat’salsowhatI’mlookinginto,because

you know you have windows to respond with

hearings and everything but (.) how long do you

need, and how often do you have someone to

engagewiththesepeople?

J:Realisticallytheyshould(.)sendacopy,make

a copyof theplanningpermission available in

your local community centre. Full access. In

thosesituations Iwouldbelieve that(.)and ifyou

did that everybody would come down.

Everybody.Youknowtheywouldcomeandhavea

look.

Possibleanswer=

Acopyoftheearlyscoping

report.

Page 176: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

176

It should be there at all stages (.) if therewas

further information there should be a copy of

thatmadeavailable.

That,thatwouldbeaccesstoinformation.That

notdone.

Keepaconstantversion

available

Fullaccess

I: No. Its not. The other elements I’v been able to

gleamfromtheinterviewsivdoneisthattherehas

been access to justice and there is access to

decision making but to a certain degree. That’s

whatI’mresearching.

J:IdtellyouwhatengagementtheyhadbutIdon’t

know.

I:Thescoping..

J:Itprobablyhassome.Itprobablyhassome,Icant

remember.

I: I thought getting my hands on this would be

almostimpossible.

J:WellIgotmyhandsonthatasthelocalrep,soI

heldontoit.

I:Howmanycouncillorsarethere?

J: I’mtheonlyone(.) imtheonlyonearoundthat

area.

Actingalone

Page 177: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

177

I:Sowhatareaisthat?

J:It’sMoyne/Templetuohyandallthatarea.

I:Andhowmanycouncillorsarethereoverall?

J: There’s 9 in the Thurles/ Roscrea municipal

district but I’m the only one between

Moyne/Templetuohy, Loughmore, Castleiney,

Drom and Borrisoleigh. All that area, An Gharraí,

Littleton. Itsabout12or14ruralparishes. Imthe

onlyonaroundthatarea.

Technicalpoliticalinfo

Onlyrepformanyparishes

I:That’sgreat,well it looked likeyouhelpedyour

communityanyway.

InterviewEnd.

Page 178: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

178

10.3. Phenomenological Analysis: Horizonal Statements of

Participationandtheirreductions

10.3.1.MrTimBergin’sHorizonalStatementsofParticipation.

Horizonal Statement 1: “But in fairness em they would have information

eveningsatthetimeshowingthedevelopment,withalltheseturbinestheyhavea

(.) they have pictures andmontages of it, a view that way” and “showing what

they’rephysicallygoing to see.There’sgoing tobea turbine thereanda turbine

thereintothepicturessoyoucanlookanydirectionandsee”(Appendix,p.195)

HorizonalReduction1:Togivethemcredit,theydidhostinformationevenings

showing the development. They displayed representative images and different

perspectivesoftheproposedturbines.

HorizonalStatement2:“Iwouldhaveyeah.Iwouldhavehadaninterestinitand

akeeninterestinitstill.I’mtryingtogetintotheindustrybecauselookit(.)itsnot

maybegoingtogetabigasitwasbecauseof(.)Ithinkthisareaissaturatedwith

turbinesattheminuetsothere’snotgoingtobeawholelotmore.” (Appendix,p.

196)

Horizonal Reduction 2: Personally therewasakeen interest inparticipating

and maintain that participation. Partly for the possibility of employment

opportunitiesbutitsdoubtfulasthelocationissaturatedwithturbines.

Horizonal Statement 3: “Wewheretheninvolved inagroup, itwaspartofthe

planningapplicationthattheyhadto(.)hadtoengagewiththecommunity.Soa

groupwassetupthenanditservedtwopurposesbecausethemineswhereclosing

and itactually servedasa committee thatwheremeetingat themines forother

issues. It was only set up initially to get over this to have to engage with the

committeeso.ThisParishForumwassetup,Iwasonthecommittee(.)I’mchairof

itnowactually.”(Appendix,p.196)

Page 179: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

179

HorizonalReduction3:Legallytheyhadtoengagewiththecommunity.They

formedacommunitygrouptodiscussthedevelopmentoftheturbines.Onlyset

up initially to get over this legal requirement. But expanded to tackle other

issues meeting at Lisheen mine HQ. Member at that point in 2008 and now

chairmanofthestillactive‘ParishForum’.

Horizonal Statement4: “Butbecausethemineswheregoingdoingit,theforum

wassetupthoughtheminestherewasacoupleworkingthey’reinvolvedinitand

thenbasically all the (.) any organisation in theparishwas set a letter about it.

Sayingcome to themeeting foracommittee tobe setup, chair set thewhole lot

andwecontinuedonthensince.”(Appendix,p.198)

Horizonal Reduction 4: The forum initially made up of mine workers had

letters where sent out to local organisations asking to attend to create a

communityforum.It’scontinuedoneversince.

Horizonal Statement 5: “Beneficial like? (Engagement/meetings) Yeah it was

yeah.LookI’vebeenatthatoneivbeenattheextension,IwasattheBordNaMóna

one.Lookit’sthesamethingImeanlike,youcangoinandseewherethey’regoing,

how its going to affect whatever’s around you em: what its going to look like.

There’snotmuchmoretheycantellyoureally.”(Appendix,p.199)

Horizonal Reduction 5: The engagement has been beneficial but Iv been to

threedifferenttheinformationmeetingsthey’reallthesame.Yougoinandsee

where they’re going andwhat affect they are going to have. “There’snotmuch

moretheycantellyoureally.”(Appendix,p.199)

Horizonal Statement 6: “It(funding)wouldhavebeenexplainedbutnotinany

great detail at the early stages. I think at the minuet it’s a:: it’s a condition of

planning.Sothere’snowayoutofitnow.”(Appendix,p.197)

Page 180: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

180

Horizonal Reduction 6: In the early stages participation the funding wasn’t

explainedmuch.Thecompanyhastodofundtheparish.

Horizonal Statement 7: “Wewouldn’thave(…..) itwasaconditionofplanning

that they have to engagewith the community now (.) that probably in different

areas took different forms because, is engaging with the community having an

openeveningandlettingthemknowaboutitandcanyousay“rightwedidthisand

signedover”.(Appendix,p.198)

HorizonalReduction7:Itwasaconditionofplanningthattheyhadtoengage.

Itevolveddifferently indifferentareas.“Isengagingwiththecommunityhaving

anopeneveningandlettingthemknowaboutitandcanyousay,“rightwedidthis

andsignedover”(Appendix,p.198).

HorizonalStatement8:“WellIonlyknewaboutitbecausetheminesapproached

us to set up this committee like.” “is the information even enough to say you

engagedwiththecommunityordotheyhavetosetupacommittee?Idon’tknow.”

(Appendix,p.201)

HorizonalReduction8: Ifoundoutearlyastheminesapproachedmetojoin.

“istheinformationevenenoughtosayyouengagedwiththecommunityordothey

havetosetupacommittee?Idon’tknow.”(Appendix,p.201)

Horizonal Statement 9: “Em personally, sure I’m involved in a lot of different

organisations and everything from schools to the church to the GAA to the, you

knowtheyallbenefitfromit.Anditsfundraisingthatacluborparishdoesn’thave

to do. The only gain is the financial gain for a parish like. If we didn’t get the

contribution,youcantalkaboutgreenenergybutlike,youknow,whocareswhere

theyareproducinggreenenergy.Theydon’thavetobeinyourbackyard.Unless

thereisafinancialgainforacommunitythereisnobenefitforthembeingthere.”

(Appendix,p.206)

Page 181: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

181

Horizonal Reduction 9: Being very active in the locality from church to GAA

theyallseethebenefitfromtheturbines.Greenenergyasideifitwasn’tforthe

financialgainfortheparishthereisnobenefitforthembeinghere.

HorizonalStatement10:“Em:Iwouldhaveseenthem(.)astheywentupIwould

haveseenthemaspossibilityofgettingajoboutofthem.Maybenotlike,buteither

way,eitherwaytheyneverbotheredmelike.YouknowIthinkthey’reelegant.Tis

downtoeveryone’sopinionisn’tit.”(Appendix,p.209)

HorizonalReduction10:Theycouldhavebeenseenasthepossibilityofajob

“either way they never bothered me like. You know I think they’re opposed to

intrusive.Tisdowntoeveryone’sopinionisn’tit.”(Appendix,p.209)

10.3.2.MrRichardDaly’sHorizonalStatementsofParticipation

Horizonal Statement 1: “When they put up the eh (.) initial ones there was

always,theycamedowntolocalinthe(.)Ithinkbypartofthereplanningtheyhad

to contact locals in the immediate (.) close to the vicinity of it. So itwas sitting

downlikethisinakitchenandweaskedthemthequestionlikeifyougetplanning

permissionforthe18or22atthetimewilltherebeacapacitytoputupmore?And

they quite rightly said yeah, because themine has degraded and itmakesmore

senselikeyeah.Itwasalwaysinthebackofmyheadthattheywantedtoputthem

up.”(Appendix,p.213)

Horizonal Reduction 1: Planning stipulated engagement with locals directly

affected. “So it was sitting down like this in a kitchen and we asked them the

questionlikeifyougetplanningpermissionforthe18or22atthetimewillthere

be a capacity to put up more?” (Appendix, p213). The expansion was always

goingtohappen.

HorizonalStatement2:“Isupposeithastotakedifferentsteps.”“ehduringparts

oftheplanningtherewasIthinkoneifnottwopublicmeetings.Soitwasatthat

thenwhenyouheardeveryoneelse’sviews.AndIknowinitiallybecausetherehand

Page 182: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

182

been no turbines, initially there was allot of questions where asked because its

somethingnew.Sotherewasabitofah:: Iwouldn’tsaynegativitybuttherewas

certainlyanawfullotofah::(.)questionsaskedthatneededtobeaskedandwhich

wereanswered.”(Appendix,p.213)

HorizonalReduction2:Therewereoneortwopublicmeetingsthatfacilitated

discussionofeveryone’sviews.Withnopreviousexperiencewithwindturbines

therewasallotofquestions. “Sotherewasabitofah::Iwouldn’tsaynegativity

but therewascertainlyanawful lotofah:: (.)questionsasked thatneeded tobe

askedandwhichwereanswered”(Appendix,p.213)

Horizonal Statement 3: “Its not until there actually up (.) you know we all

thoughtthiswasgoingtobeshockingandnoiseandtheflicker(.)whateverbutno

they slipped in handy enough like. It was part probably the unknown really.”

(Appendix3,p.123)

HorizonalReduction3:Onlyafterseeingtheminplaceandactiveyourealised

thatitwasprobablytheunknownthatwascausingthehesitation.

HorizonalStatement4:“Certainlyworriedyeah.Defiantlyyeah.Becauselookit,

anyinformationissoaccessibleandit’ssoeasytogethereandreadaboutthebad

newsstoryofwindturbinesbreakingorgoingon fireorwhatever likeyouknow

whatImean.”(Appendix,p.214)

Horizonal Reduction 4: The locality was worried yeah. Information is so

accessibleandeasytoreadbadnewsstoriesof“windturbinesbreakingorgoing

onfireorwhateverlikeyouknowwhatImean”(Appendix,p.214).

Horizonal Statement5:“Afterlivinginherenow(.)ahsurewehavebeenliving

here since2000 right so say15years. Sowe can see (.)wewereherebefore the

turbines and we were here for the construction of turbines and where here

obviouslywhentheturbinesaregoing.Andlookit(.)I’vethreechildrenanddoyou

knowwhat Imean, its not that I’m going to do anything thatwould be (.) that

Page 183: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

183

they’llhavehealthreasonsfromtheseturbinesorwhatever.Solook,surethey’reas

goodasanyotherkitaroundtheplace.There’snoilleffectsbasicallyinregardsto

healthandthatbecausewewouldbe(.)”(Appendix,p.214).

HorizonalReduction5: “Wewereherebeforetheturbinesandwewereherefor

theconstructionofturbinesandwe’rehereobviouslywhentheturbinesaregoing.

“I’ve three children and do you knowwhat Imean” (Appendix, p. 214). I’m not

goingdoanythingtoputtheirhealthatrisk.

HorizonalStatement6: “Oksofromgreenfieldrightso,ifyoucouldtakeitthat

you’rethecontractorandI’mthefarmer.Sooutofrespectyoucan’t justcomein

androaroverand tellmewhat todoandall this. So there’sproperconsultation

andinfairnesslikeeventhepracticalthingswhenthey’resayingwheretheroadis

goingorwhatever.I’dhavewatertroughsandwaterfittingsandelectriccurrents

going to stock cattle. They worked withme.” “But it was all excellent where (.)

becauseofthe5that’swereonthisfarmwewereabletojigaroundthelayoutof

thefields.”(Appendix,p.215)

HorizonalReduction6:Asafarmer,thebuildingcontractor“outofrespectyou

can’t just come in and roar over and tell me what to do.” There was proper

consultationand in fairness theyworkedwithme. “Becauseofthe5thatwhere

on this farmwewhereable to jigaround the layoutof the fields.” (Appendix, p.

215)

Horizonal Statement 7: “Yeah, Yeah. Definitely yeah. Yeah on the ground like.

You know there was always going to be a road coming in its in the planning

permission but. Just to jig it around. I know they had an impact statement on a

badgersettandtheroadhadtobemovedoutfromwherethebadgerswere.Look

itwiththebestwillintheworldIwouldhavepreferrediftheroadwastuckedin

niceandneatbesidetheditchbutlookitthere’sbadgersthereweworkedaroundit

andthat’sitlikeyeahknow.Soyeahlittlethinglikethattheywereverygoodlike”

(Appendix,p.216)

Page 184: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

184

Horizonal Reduction 7:We definitely had a role in decisions made on the

ground.Butanimpactstatementonabadgersettcausedtheroadtobemoved

from where I would have liked it to be. “but look it there’s badgers there we

workedaround it and that’s it like yeahknow. So yeah little thing like that they

wereverygoodlike”(Appendix,p.216).

Horizonal Statement 8: “You see in the first phase right people (.) it was the

unknown really. Thiswas something new coming in right. So second phase then

people realised that they where running for five years or whatever four or five

years maybe it was more I forget. So there was more acceptance then for the

secondphase.Therewasmoreconcernsbecauseoftheuncertaintyoftheunknown.

Thatwasitlikeyeah.”(Appendix,p.216)

HorizonalReduction8:Therewasachangeinacceptanceforthesecondphase

after5yearsofthefirstphaserunning. “Therewasmoreconcernsbecauseofthe

uncertaintyoftheunknown”(Appendix,p.216).

Horizonal Statement 9: “We’re living in a community and as best will in the

worldwe’dliketogetonwitheverybodyaswellaswecould,wedon’tliketoupset

people.But in fairnesswehaveanother farmacross the roadbut (.) calleddairy

blockandwewhereapproachedtoputaturbineonthatfarmbutwithareviewwe

saidlookitwethoughitmightimpacttomuchonareneighbours.Becauseitsmore

populatedover(.)onthefarmacrosstheroad.Wedeclinedonthatoffertoputa

turbineoverthere.”(Appendix,p.216-217)

Horizonal Reduction 9: “We’re living in a community and as best will in the

worldwe’dliketogetonwitheverybodyaswellaswecould,wedon’tliketoupset

people”(Appendix,p.216).Wehadanotherfarmbutinfairnesswedeclinedto

putaturbineonthatfarmasitmighthaveimpactedtheneighbours.“Soweput

up five turbines here and both neighbouring farmers put up one as well”

(Appendix,p.217).

Page 185: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

185

Horizonal Statement 10: “I’mactuallyonthatcommittee,it’scalledthe‘Parish

Form’ and when the money comes in its actually fantastic because I’m involved

withanathleticclubhereinMoyneaswell”(Appendix,p.219).

Horizonal Reduction 10: I'm actually on that committee its called the Parish

Forum. I seehow themoneybenefits the athletics club inMoyne that I’malso

involvedwith.

Horizonal Statement 11: “Yeah,itwas(.)lookit(..)therewasalwaysprobably

committeesthereIsupposeasregardstomanagingthemoneyitobviouslywasset

upbecauseofthewindturbines”(Appendix,p.220).

Horizonal Reduction 11: There have always been committees here but in

“regards to managing the money it obviously was set up because of the wind

turbines”(Appendix,p.220).

HorizonalStatement12:“AsfarasIknowthecouncilinNorthTipperarywould

be unique as (.)when the turbines started off initially, I think jeez this one here

certainlycouldhavebeenoneofthefirst inNorthTipperary.Sothecouncilwere

lookingatustoseehowwewerereacting.Andtheprosandconsofeverythingelse

going forward, so theyactually tooka leaf out of ourbook.When they sawhow

well this, the community worked quite well together in getting these sums of

money.”(Appendix,p.221)

HorizonalReduction12:“AsfarasIknowthecouncilinNorthTipperarywould

be unique as (.)when the turbines started off initially, I think jeez this one here

certainlycouldhavebeenoneofthefirst inNorthTipperary.Sothecouncilwere

lookingatustoseehowwewerereacting.”Theyassessedtheprocessand“when

theysawhowwellthis,thecommunityworkedquitewelltogetheringettingthese

sumsofmoney.”(Appendix,p.221)

Horizonal Statement 13: “My experience look it. I'm from the area so like I

supposeI’mcertainlookmaybeithasmaybeithasn’t.Somemightsayithassome

Page 186: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

186

mightsay ithasn’t.Lookit, id liketofeel ithas.Certainlywith localcommunities

you know, and being part of the ‘Parish Forum’, allocatingmoney every year is

certainlyyouknowit’snice toknowthere’sgood jobsdoneandthemoneysbeen

spentcorrectlylike,youknowwhatImean.Solookitidliketosee,I’mnotlooking

foranycreditbutI’dliketoseeifitwasdoneahappreciatedlikeyouknow.Solike

yeah,Ahhlookit.Yeah.I'mtoomodest.”(Appendix,p.222)

HorizonalReduction13:Hasmyexperiencehelpedthecommunitywellmaybe

ithasormaybeithasn’t.ButI’mfromthearea“beingpartofthe‘ParishForum’,

allocatingmoney every year is certainly you know it’s nice to know there’s good

jobsdoneandthemoneysbeenspentcorrectlylike,youknowwhatImean”….“I’m

notlookingforanycreditbutI’dliketoseeifitwasdoneahappreciatedlikeyou

know”(Appendix,p.222).

10.3.3.MrPaddyDoyleHorizonalStatementsofParticipation

HorizonalStatement1:“Yes(.)IIIIthinktheinitialwordwasthroughwordof

mouthnotthoughameetingoraletteroranything.“Sopeoplestartedtoresearch

theideaandlookintoiftherewasanynegativeeffectstoitbecauselikethemedia

hadsomenegativepress.ButIsupposeafewpeoplestartedtoresearchitandlook

intoit.”(Appendix,p.230)

HorizonalReduction1:“Theinitialwordwasthroughwordofmouthnotthough

ameetingoraletteroranything”(Appendix,p.230).Peopleresearchedandlook

intoittoseeiftherewhereanynegativeeffectsfromthemasithasbeenshown

inthemedia.

HorizonalStatement2:“Wellatthetimewhentheturbineswherebeingmooted

therewasanactiongroupwhereformedtokindofreallytoinquire(.)theyweren’t

an anti turbine group. But theywhere just set up to (.) em: (.) to find outmore

informationreally.IsupposeIwentdownouteh:ofcuriosityIsupposeasmuchas

anythingelse justtoseewhatwasgoingonthere.Andthenwhentheydidem: it

Page 187: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

187

turned up very little really that therewas very little negative about it and then

went planning did go ahead andwe saw that thiswaswhat the conditions eh:”

(Appendix,p.231)

HorizonalReduction2:“Atthetimewhentheturbineswherebeingmootedthere

wasanactiongroupwhereformedtokindofreallytoinquire(.)theyweren’tan

antiturbinegroup.”But theyaimed to findmore information. “IsupposeIwent

downouteh:ofcuriosityIsupposeasmuchasanythingelse”(Appendix,p.231).It

turnedupverylittlenegativefindingsandsuretheplanningwentahead.

HorizonalStatement3:“Iwentdownandehacommitteeof17whereemwhere

elected I suppose as such on the night. And it was set up and then an annual

general meetingwas formedwas called after that and it kind of just gradually

grew the format of how it operateswas kind of organic really it (.) emerged as

needsbekindof.”(Appendix,p.232)

Horizonal Reduction 3: At the initial parish forummeeting a committeewas

elected“itwassetupandthenanannualgeneralmeetingwasformedwascalled

afterthatanditkindofjustgraduallygrewtheformatofhowitoperateswaskind

oforganicreallyit(.)emergedasneedsbekindof.”(Appendix,p.232)

Horizonal Statement 4: “I kind of vaguely remembermeetingwith the people

beforetheLisheenturbineswheresetup.”(Appendix,p.233)

HorizonalReduction4:Takenasverbatim.

Horizonal Statement 5: “Yeah the LisheenMinewould have been (.) since the

timeIhadbeensetupreallyhavebeenquiteopenwith..with…withthepeopleatall

stagesofitsowndevelopmentofwhatitwasdoingandwhatitintendedtodo.And

thathasworkedverywell.”(Appendix,p.233)

Page 188: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

188

HorizonalReduction5:SincethetimeitwassetuptheLisheenMineswhere

quiteopenwiththepeopleatallstagesofthedevelopment.Stating,“whatitwas

doingandwhatitintendedtodo”(Appendix,p.233)Thisworkedverywell.

HorizonalStatement6:“ButanotherminejustinGalmoyMinelessthen10miles

away, set up before LisheenMine and itwas operated on a tell themas little as

possible basis as it seems to me. And everything seemed go work against them

whereas, (.) the LisheenMine kind of adapted a (Minorco Lisheen) the different

companiesthatowneditsinceitwasfirstkindof(.)theorewasfirstfound.They’ve

operated on amuchmore open basis with the community and it seems to have

workedanawfullotbetter.”(Appendix,p.233-234)

Horizonal Reduction 7: Compared with other local mines, Lisheen Mines

cooperationhas“operatedonamuchmoreopenbasiswiththecommunityandit

seemstohaveworkedanawful lotbetter.” “Andsowhen itcameto the turbines

they adopted the same kind of system really. They did inform us and there was

meeting.”(Appendix,p.233-234)

HorizonalStatement8:“Oh::yeahtheydidyeah::theLisheenMinehavebeen

verygoodtoengage(.)Ifeelyeah.”(Appendix,p.234)

HorizonalReduction8:TheLisheenMinewereverygoodatengagingwiththe

public.

Horizonal Statement 9: “Yeah like openness defiantly seems to haveworked

likethereare(.)likeI’vesaidthattheGalmoymines(.)becausethelocalsbacked

up (.) because the thingswhere done and then they tried to explainwhy they

wheredone.(.)Thenyouknow::there’sno()andnogoingbackthenanditsvery

hardtoallaypeoplesfearsafterwardswhenitstoolate.WhentheLisheenMine

kindofseemedtohave(.)kindofgivenusthechancetoaskquestionsandthings

like that and then (.) they where ahh (.) you know:: it was it was quite open

really.”(Appendix,p.234)

Page 189: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

189

HorizonalReduction9: “Yeah likeopennessdefiantlyseemstohaveworked”

it’s easier to allay fears before things a constructed then after the fact. “the

Lisheen Mine kind of seemed to have (.) kind of given us the chance to ask

questionsandthingslikethat”(Appendix,p.234)

Horizonal Statement 10: “Isupposeeh::theywereaskeenaskeepingthething

rightaswewere.”(Appendix,p.235).

HorizonalReduction10:Takenasverbatim.

Horizonal Statement 11: “I can’t remember anymeeting taking place for the

secondphase”,therewasnorealissueswithit(Appendix,p.235).

HorizonalReduction11:Takenasverbatim.

HorizonalStatement12:“Yesinfairnesslikemostpeople(.)acertainnumberof

people,Isupposemorethanhalfofthepeopleontheforumwouldhavebeen,em::

haveavestedinterestinsomeorganisation,morepracticallyallofthemreally.But

in general at the meeting there was a general fairness and eh a kind of ah

responsibilitytothecommunityasmuchasanything.”(Appendix,p.236)

HorizonalReduction12:Infairnessmorethenhalfofthepeopleontheforum

hadavestedinterestinsomeorganisation.Buttherewasageneralfairnessand

“akindofahresponsibilitytothecommunityasmuchasanything.”(Appendix,p.

236).

Horizonal Statement 13: “Yes theydid. Theywhere comprehensive and they

hada followupon thework that, youknow I thinkeveryone ishappyas they

couldbewithit.Youknow.”(Appendix,p.238)

HorizonalReduction13:AALMLtdengagedinallphasesofdevelopment“they

werecomprehensiveandtheyhadafollowupontheworkthat,youknowIthink

everyoneishappyastheycouldbewithit.Youknow.”(Appendix,p.238)

Page 190: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

190

HorizonalStatement14:“WellIwashappyenoughtodoitI’mjust(.)I’malways

involved in communityprojectsaroundhere so youknow its justanother (.) just

another(.)kindoflocaldevelopmentIsupposeprojectreally(.)I’mjusthappyto

beinvolved”(Appendix,p.238).

HorizonalReduction14:Iwashappytodoit“I’mjust(.)I’malwaysinvolvedin

community projects around here”…“I’m just happy to be involved” (Appendix, p.

238).

10.3.4.Cllr.JohnHogan’sHorizonalStatementsofParticipation

Horizonal Statement 1: “Firstofallwhen thiswind farmwas suggestedem(.)

theycontactedme,theLisheenMineswhichwastheirfirststep.AndI’mapublic

rep,nowtheyaskedmehowIfeltandIfelttherewouldbeplentyofobjectionsto

it.”(Appendix,p.239)

HorizonalReduction1:AsapublicrepIwascontactedwhenthenwindfarm

wassuggested.Theywanted toknowhow I felt. “Ifelttherewouldbeplentyof

objectionstoit.”(Appendix,p.239)

Horizonal Statement 2: “I said idagreewith it so theysaidthatwhatthey felt

thatweshoulddoistosetupa‘ParishForum’,whichwasanexcellentideabecause

that Parish Forum was set up for to deal with this wind turbine thing, and its

working ever since. Sowe set up a Parish Forum to discuss thewhole thing and

havea formalparishstructure forsomething likethiscoming inbecause itcould

haveadetrimentaleffectwedidn’tknowyousee.Theproblemisignorance(.)an

awfullotofpeoplehaven’taclue.Theythinkit’sgoingtodothemharm,butthey

don’treallyknow.”(Appendix,p.240)

Horizonal Reduction 2: AALM Ltd felt that they should set up this Parish

Forum,whichwasanexcellent idea. “SowesetupaParishForumtodiscussthe

wholethingandhavea formalparishstructureforsomethinglikethiscomingin

Page 191: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

191

becauseitcouldhaveadetrimentaleffectwedidn’tknowyousee.Theproblemis

ignorance(.)anawfullotofpeoplehaven’taclue.Theythinkit’sgoingtodothem

harm,buttheydon’treallyknow”(Appendix,p.240).

HorizonalStatement3:“SowesetuptheParishForumandweelected15or16

people.Everyonecametothemeetingeveryonewasallowedtosuggestsomebody

andthehighest16cametothevoteandgotelectedwhatever.Sothenwestarted

todiscussthe issues.Sothe firstthingwedidwaswewentaroundandlookedat

variouswindfarmsaroundthecountry”(Appendix,p.240).

Horizonal Reduction 3: Sowesetup theparish forumandelectedmembers.

“Everyonecametothemeetingeveryonewasallowedtosuggestsomebodyandthe

highest16cametothevoteandgotelected”(Appendix,p.240).

Horizonal Statement 4: “WhathappenedwasIwenttothemines,andIsaidto

them,what’s initforthelocalcommunity?”“Themanagerofthemineisaclever

old fella(.)agreatman forcorporatesocialresponsibility. In fairness tohim.He

said that “if you could work it through the planning process”. So I went to the

plannersandIsaidcanyouputinacondition,thattheyhavetogivesomuchper

turbineperyeartothecommunity.Theplannersays“Jesuswecantdothatunless

someoneaskesustodothat.Ithastocomefromthepublicasasubmission”.SoI

wenttothelocalmeetingsanywayandIsuggested(.)Ishouldhavewaitedawhile

(.)thatweshouldputinasubmissionlookingforsomethingfortheseturbines.SoI

was booed and hissed as the local councillor putting up the white flag. The

followingmorning Iwokeupand therewasposters at the endofmy lane “local

councillorsshouldsupportlocalpeople”(Appendix,p.241).

HorizonalReduction4: “What’sinitforthelocalcommunity?”Themanagerof

the mines being aware of corporate social responsibility pointed us towards

using theplanningprocess toget some financial compensation for community.

Only a public submission could ask for this. “So I went to the local meetings

anywayandIsuggested(.)Ishouldhavewaitedawhile(.)thatweshouldputina

Page 192: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

192

submissionlookingforsomethingfortheseturbines.SoIwasbooedandhissedas

thelocalcouncillorputtingupthewhiteflag”(Appendix,p.241).

Horizonal Statement 5: “SoIwenttothenextmeeting,anywaytheysaidtome

“againyoucannotsendinanapplication(.)theysaidyoudon’trepresentus”.Even

though I’m the only councillor in the area, there’s no one else. So I said who

represents you. So who represents the parish? They said the parish priest

representsus(.)that’swhattheysaid”(Appendix,p.241).

HorizonalReduction5:Inthenextmeetingtheysaid,“againyoucannotsendin

an application (.) they said you don’t represent us”. Even though I’m the only

councillor in the area, there’s no one else. So I saidwho represents you. Sowho

representstheparish?Theysaidtheparishpriestrepresentsus(Appendix,p.241).

HorizonalStatement6:“Theparishpriestisaveryquiteman,FrMurphy(.)very

quiteman.”“SoeventuallyIhadtosendinasubmission,andIdid it.Lookingfor

40,000peryearfromtheturbines.”(Appendix,p.242)

Horizonal Reduction 6: FrMurphy the Parish priest is a very quiteman, “so

eventuallyIhadtosendinasubmission,andIdidit.Lookingfor40,000peryear

fromtheturbines”(Appendix,p.242).

HorizonalStatement7:“Ifeelitwasminimal.”[Participation]“Itwasminimal.It

was good but it was still minimal. It was better than we had in a lot of things

beforehand.Youknowthere’sallotofplanningpermissionsforvariousprojectswe

hear nothing. At least the held open meetings in local community centres and

invitedpeopleintohavealookatit”(Appendix,p.245).

Horizonal Reduction 7: I feel the engagement with the community was

minimal.“Itwasgoodbutitwasstillminimal.Itwasbetterthanwehadinalotof

things beforehand. You know there’s allot of planning permissions for various

projects we hear nothing. At least the held open meetings in local community

centresandinvitedpeopleintohavealookatit”(Appendix,p.245).

Page 193: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

193

HorizonalStatement8:“Onthatnighttheydidyes.Theydid(distributeleaflets).

Well I felt (.) I shouldhavehad thosebut Idon’tknowwhere theyare.But I felt

maybetheyshouldhavemaybecontactedindividualobjectorsandtalkedtothem

abouttheirconcerns.Maybegoonatripwiththe(.)whenwewentoffwehireda

busandwewent to lookmaybe comewithus.Talk to thepeople, bepart of us”

(Appendix,p.245).

HorizonalReduction8:Onthenightofthemeetingstheydiddistributeleaflets

but“Ifeltmaybetheyshouldhavemaybecontactedindividualobjectorsandtalked

tothemabouttheirconcerns.Maybegoonatripwiththe(.)whenwewentoffwe

hiredabusandwewenttolookmaybecomewithus.Talktothepeople,bepartof

us”(Appendix,p.245).

HorizonalStatement9:“Itbecameathemandusratherthen,welllet’sjustdo

thisforeverybody,you’regoingtogainoutofitandwe'regoingtogainoutofit.

Everybodygainsinthefinishthat’stherealityandwegainasanationwiththe

useofgreenenergy”(Appendix,p.245).

HorizonalReduction9:Usedverbatim

HorizonalStatement10:“I’dsayiftheLisheenMinewasbackagaintheywould

have learned from their experience. Youknowprobably,more engagement.They

madeagood stabat it.Maybe setup the forum first and invite them inand say

wherethinkingofdoingawindfarm.Tellthemwhatthebenefitsofit.”(Appendix,

p.248).

HorizonalReduction10:Usedverbatim

Page 194: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

194

10.4.Appendix:FullInterviewTranscriptions

InterviewTranscriptionsLegend (.)–Pause

(A–overlapofwhattheresaying

:: - Prolongation of the immediately

priorsound.

Italics–stressingthepoint

()–Inabilitytohearwhatwassaid

I:-Interviewer

T:TimBergin,

R:RichardDaly,

P:PaddyDoyle,

J:JohnHogan.

10.4.1.In-DepthInterviewTranscriptions~LisheenWindFarmParticipants

Interviewee: TimBergin–ChairmanoftheParishForum,Localresidentandminer.

Location: November5th2015-Templetuohy,Co.Tipperary.

Qualityoftechnology: Soundqualitygood,enabledperfecttranscription

Legend I:Interviewer

T:TimBergin

I:I’minterestedinyourexperiencesoftheparticipationwithinthedevelopment

of the project andwhen I say project I mean thewhole thing from 2009, the

wholething.

Page 195: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

195

T: My only involvement with it is, living locally and working. I don’t have

anythingphysicallytodowiththem.

I:Ohok.

T:Em2008/2009suretheminesthemselvesputintheplanningforit.Themine

didn’tdevelopitthentheysoldittoSWS(.)theywhereCorkbasedem(.)there

wasabigantiwindfarmmovementatthetimethen.Therewasagendas,where

people involved with that who had no interest being involved with it (wind

farm).ThewholeotherendoftheparishMoyne,puttingupthe8x4placards.But

lookIknowpeoplethatgotropedintoinbecausesomeoftheirneighboursfelt

very strongly about it and they felt that (.) do you know (.) didn’twant to be

lettingthesidedown.Butlookit(.)that’sneitherherenorthere.Therewasan

anti em:: (.) development still went ahead, they got the planning. 18 turbines

wentdownfirst.

I:I’mjustwonderingwhendidyoufirsthearaboutit?

T: I heard about it because Iwasworking in themines. They said theywhere

lookingforplanning.Surelookitwasgeneralknowledgethenthereonceitcame

out. But in fairness em: they would have information evenings at the time

showing the development, with all these turbines they have a (.) they have

picturesandmontagesofitaviewthatway(pointstotheleft)andshowingwhat

they’rephysicallygoingtosee.There’sgoingtobeaturbinethereandaturbine

there in thepictures soyou can lookanydirectionand see. Lookoutmyback

windowitsprobably(.)probably2milesIsupposeasthecrowflies.Thenearest

ofthemyoucanseeitoutthere.(.)Neverbotheredmefromdayoneanyway.So

itneverreallyitwasn’tanissueforme.

I:Sodidyougotothemeetingsthen?

T:Iwouldhaveyeah.Iwouldhavehadaninterestinitandakeeninterestinit

still.I’mtryingtogetintotheindustrybecauselookit(.)itsnotmaybegoingto

Page 196: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

196

getabigasitwasbecauseof(.)Ithinkthisareaissaturatedwithturbinesatthe

minuet so there’s not going to be a whole lot more. But ah I would have an

interestinitfromthatpointofview.Ineversawthemasanissue.Noiseor..

I:Ok,likethesightofit…

T: The sight of it like look (.) the fact that there on low lying land, there very

easily em: (.) youwould be driving down a road and then you cant see them.

Whereaswhenthereputuponawholerangeofhills,theystandoutfromevery

direction.WhereasIgouptothecrossandIcantseethemandyougoanother

halfmile and you can see the lot of them. And then gone again another three

stopsorwhatever.Ithinkthelowlyingland(.)theycanbeconcealedeasily.

I: Soyoustartedparticipating throughreceiving informationabout it thenyou

wenttothemeetings…

T:Wewhere then involved in a group, itwaspart of theplanning application

that theyhad to (.) had to engagewith the community. So a groupwas set up

thenanditservedtoopurposesbecausethemineswhereclosinganditactually

servedasacommitteethatwheremeetingattheminesforotherissues.Itwas

onlysetupinitiallytogetoverthistohavetoengagewiththecommitteeso.This

ParishForumwassetup,Iwasonthecommittee(.)I’mchairofitnowactually,

but..

I:Soisitstillactive?

T:Yeah,Yeah(.)em:

I:Howmanymemberswouldyouhave?

T: Oh sure there’s probably thirty on the committee. Em but the big benefit

communitywisewas(.)isthefundingyougetfortheturbineslike.

Page 197: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

197

I:Sodidtheyexplainthat,thefundingissue?Ordidthatcomeinlater?

T:Itwouldhavebeenexplainedbutnotinanygreatdetailattheearlystages.I

thinkattheminuetit’sa::it’saconditionofplanning.Sothere’snowayoutofit

now.Whereasbeforewiththeseitwasuptothecompanywhethertheywanted

togive theparishmoneyorwhatever.Em: (…)a€1,000permegawatt isn’t it.

That’s the standard thing now. Sowe had 18 turbines starting out, our initial

fundorpotcallitwhatyouwantwas€30,000peryear.

I:AndhowwidewouldthatbecommunitywisebecauseyouhaveMoyneand..

T: Yeah emwe actually allocatedmoney last night for the present year (.) so

basicallywhatwedoiswesetoutanoticeinthenewsletterorwhateverlocally.

All theclubsknowabout itknow, it iskeptwithinMoyne/Templetuohywithin

theparish.Theyknewthesecondphaseofitwentup,another12sothere’s30

turbinessowehavesomethingintherangeof€53,000or€55,000ayearnow.

I:That’shuge!

T:TheotherturbinesthelatestonestogoupagainBruckanaBordnaMóna.

I: Yeah, Yeah I originally got confusedwith them, I thought theywhere these

ones.

T:Didyeah,Haha(laughter).Sowehave, there’sanotherpotof€40,000there

whichisdividedbetweenMoyne/TempletuohyandCrosspatrick.Soyoucansay

70oddthousand(€70,000).

I:Inageneralareainashortperiodoftime…

T: InashortperiodoftimeforIdon’tknowwewheredebatingwhetheritwas

15or20yearsorthelifeoftheturbinewhicheverisfirst.Lookfromafinancial

pointofviewtherewasahugebenefitfortheparishlike.Imeanitwasserious

Page 198: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

198

money like. Some of the initial objectors for the first phase have turbines on

therelandinthesecondphase.

I:AndwouldtheybethefewthatareovertherebypastMoyneontheroad…

T:Ontheothersideoftheroadyeah,yeah.There’s4or5ofthemIthinkonone

particular fellas land.Nowhewouldhavebeenonthecommittee.Nowhemay

havegottendraggedintoitIdon’tknow.ButImeantherehasbeenvideosdone

fromSWSandthenitwasownedbyBordGáisandnowitsBrookfield,itsbeen

soldafewtimes.ItwasactuallydonebySWSapromotionalvideodoneandsure

Iwasonit, Ihavenoobjectiontoit.Thisfellawasonit,andhesaidhehadno

issuessayinghedidobjecttothembutoncetheywhereup,youknowtheissues

withnoise(.)Ithinkisamyth(.)andtheflicker(.)yesitdoesexistandifyour,if

theyareverynearyou.It’sthefirsttimeyouseeityourwondering(.)itislike(.)

intense, its fucking intense like. But it comes and goes id saywithin a half an

hour,anhourmaxitwouldlast.Becauseyouknowthesunwouldmove.Flicker

canbeanissuebutthenoisething(.)Ithinkno,notabitlike.

I: So when you where being involved with the community part, did they

(development company) structure it? Did they help you structure it or was it

moreofyourcommunitysteppinguptoorganiseit?

T:Wewouldn’thave(…..)itwasaconditionofplanningthattheyhavetoengage

withthecommunitynow(.)thatprobablyindifferentareastookdifferentforms

because, is engaging with the community having an open evening and letting

themknowaboutitandcanyousay“rightwedidthisandsignedover”.

But because themineswhere goingdoing it, the forumwas set up though the

minestherewasacoupleworkingthey’reinvolvedinitandthenbasicallyallthe

(.) any organisation in the parishwas set a letter about it. Saying come to the

meetingforacommitteetobesetup,chairsetthewholelotandwecontinued

onthensince.

Page 199: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

199

I:Wouldyouthinkthat thewaytheydidtherightwedidthisandsignedover

withmeetingsandanyinformationtheyleafleteddoyouthinkthatwaseffective

or….?

T: Beneficial like? Yeah it was yeah. Look I’v been at that one iv been at the

extension,IwasattheBordNaMónaone.Lookit’sthesamethingImeanlike,

you can go in and seewhere they’re going, how its going to affectwhatever’s

aroundyouem:whatitsgoingtolooklike.There’snotmuchmoretheycantell

youreally.

I:Yeah()..

T: Now there are probably other places that went up that haven’t gotten the

colourofmoneywhere getting.Becausemaybe the committeewas setup in a

strongerway, thereasonwhyarecommittee isasstrongas it is (.)was itwas

directlyinvolvedwiththemines.Whereasthedevelopers(.)theBordNaMónas

theymightn’tput the sameeffort into it. I don’t know.Maybe theywillmaybe

theywont.

I:Anddoyouknowofanyfurtherplansoranythingthatwillcontinue?

T:Thereisaplanningpermissiongotforanother8or9,Lisheen3they’recalling

it.It’sthefarsideoftheBordNaMónaone.SowheneverthatgoesaheadIdon’t

know.Youknowwiththewindcapacity.

I:Butyouwheresayingthatbetweenstageoneandstagetwothattheprotesters

forthefirstphaseactuallybecamelessinthesecond.

T:Therewasnoprotestthesecondtime.Someoftheprotestershadturbinesput

ontheirland.

I:Ok(.)sotheyrealisedthebenefit.

Page 200: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

200

T:Wellthey(.)haha(.)theyrealisedthebenefitbutIsupposeyoucansay,they

realisedthebenefitandtheywerebenefitingfromitbut(.)Maybethewholefear

andstigmaandeverything(.)lookittheseturbinesareupthere.Lookwhenthey

wherebeingputupinitiallytherewasnearlyanaudiencewatchingthefirstfew

goingup.And the last12seemedto justspringup,youknowyou justbecome

oblivioustoitlike.Beforeyouwouldalwaysgetupandbelookingatthematthe

turnoftheday.Butsureyougetupnowandyoudon’tevenseethem.Youknow

and look it thepeople that turned fromobjectors tohaving it on their land (.)

maybetheyjustsawthemforwhattheywhereratherthenallthispublicityand

badpublicity.

I: Do you think (.) did they challenge it in courts or did they go to any of the

hearingsoranythinglikethat?

T:Idon’tthinktheydid.Itwouldbe(.)theyobjectedandIwouldthink(.)Ithink

theygotplanningpermissionthenandIwouldn’tthinkthat itwentbacktoAn

BordPleanalaoranything.I'mnot100%sureoranything.I’mnotsure.Butem:

itdefiantlydidn’tgoall thewayup.But they(.) I supposemaybe itwasn’t the

objectors but initially 18 went up. I think they would have been looking for

planningfor20.Therewastwoofthem(.)thenearesttwo,tosomeofthehouses

wheretakenoutofitandpermissiongivenforthe18.

I: So the interaction with the community did actually amend there plans

somewhat.

T:Wellwhetheritwastheinteractionorwhetheritwastheplanningsaidthere

house.Idon’tknow.Idon’tknow.Theywheredefiantlythetwothatwheregoing

tobenearanyofthose.

I:Soasacommunitymemberyouknewaboutthelegalstipulationsabouthaving

toparticipatewiththecommunity..

T:Yeah.

Page 201: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

201

I:butdoyouthinkeveryoneelsehadthatkindof..

T:Iwouldn’tthinksono.

I:No?

T:Well I only knew about it because themines approached us to set up this

committee like.Other then that I don’t know if there’s a development starting

wherever(.)downinClonmeentomorrow.Dotheyactually(.)istheinformation

evenenoughtosayyouengagedwiththecommunityordotheyhavetosetupa

committee?Idon’tknow.

(Relativeentersthekitchen)Hellowhereinvadingyourspace.Howareyou!?()

I:Yousaidthatinitialgroupwas30people,didthey(.)isitstillthesamenumber

decidingathing..

T:Well(.)weprobablyhad(.)howmanyhadwelastnight?Wemighthavehad

20.Wehadameeting(.)yousee(.)arecommunityforumwassetuptodealwith

anissuewiththisandthendoubledupasissueswiththemines.Sootherthen(.)

we would meet a couple times a year and we would met with the mines as

regards with the closure. Other then the dishing out of the money (.) there’s

probablynotingforthecommitteetodo.Inrelationtotheturbines.

I:Ahok.

T:Soitsortofservestwopurposesforus.Nowlookitifthecommunitygetsup

andgetsatit(.)andtheycanusethatcommitteeforotherstuffaswell.Likeyou

know.ButitdidservertwopurposesforusasIsaid.Ifitsonlytodealwiththe

dishingoutofthemoney.Itsonlyacoupleofmeetingsyouknow.Sendoutthe

applicationforms,giveoutthemoneyandputupwiththefightsafterthatlike(.)

Ha.

Page 202: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

202

I:ThatwillgoonfortheforeseeablefutureIsuppose?

T: Its either15yearsor20yearsor the lifeof the turbines. If they took them

downorwhatever,themoneywouldceaselike.Ithinkthere’s20years.Even20

years, the turbinesaren’tgoing togoawayhere.Theywillprobably take them

downanda4megawattwheretheyhada2megawatt.Likeyouknow.

I:Yeahthat’strueactually.Theykeepmakingthebetter.Yousaidthepeoplethat

disagreedatthestartthey(.)whatexactlywastheremainissuewithit?

T: I don’t know. I don’t know.Em:Sureyouhadeverything from.Theywhere

afraidthefactthatitwasgoingoverthemine,thatthegroundwouldn’tsupport

themand rubbish inmymind. Look theyhave thewhole flicker and thenoise

thingbut(.) itwasgoingtoruintheirviewsandthereparishandthisthatand

theother.Idon’tknow.Idon’tknow.

I:Becauseaesthetically,likeyouknow(.)youseetheminthedistanceandyou

don’tseemto..

T:Well look theydon’t botherme. Its like anything, if youhave an issuewith

themandyourlookingatthemeverydayitwillgiveyouapaininyourheadif

youthinkitsgoingtogiveyouapainintheheadlike.D’yaknow,it’sthesameas

if aphonemastgoesupover there.Youknow, “oh Ihaveanawfulpain inmy

headeverytimethatturnson”.Anditsnotevenpoweredlike.Youknow.Solook

alotofitcanbeintheheadlikeyouknow.

I:Yeah.

T:NowIknowlooktheremayhavebeenagendaswithpeople.Iknowonefella

up there. He was very staunch against it and he was looking for planning

permissionforahouseatthetime.Hehaditviewedbythecountycounciland

next thing the council gave himpermission for a turbinewhatever half amile

Page 203: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

203

fromhishouse.Looktherewasagendasallover.You’llalwayshavethatlike.You

know.

I:YeahIknow.

T:Sowhatwheretheirworries,Idon’tknow.

I:Sotheyweren’treallythatmajorIsuppose?

T:Welllookit,beautyisintheeyeofthebeholder,likeyouknow(.)haha.

I:Anotherinterestingpartofthisprojectwasthatitwentupsoquicklywithout

thatmuch..

T:Youknowitwasn’tmassivelike.

I: Across all of Europe you have groups of people protesting heavily, even in

countrieslikeDenmarkwhohavebeendoingitforalongtimeandtheystillhave

issues.

T:Wouldtheyasmuch?

I:Theystillhaveasmuchobjectionsyeah,Iknowanindividualthatworksinthe

parliamentsystemandtheygetcomplaintsallthetime.

T:Likethiswentupandthefactthatallotofitwason(.)Ithinktheinitialones

wason(.)noprivatelands.ItwaseithermineslandorCoillteland,forestry.So

non of themwent up on private land. And the mines then owned this big (.)

couple of thousand acres. So therewas nobody (.) and even the people living

nearest itwhereonthesunnysideof itso theywherenevergoingtohavethe

flickereffect.Andtheytookawaythetwothatwherenearestthem.

Page 204: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

204

Solikethemineshadthisbiglockoflandandyouhadabigstretchofbogthere

toTempletuohy.So that’swhytherewasnomajor(.)other thenthisgroupup

here like. It wasn’t the case that everyone all around them got together and

objectedtothemlikeyouknow.Itwasbecauseitwaswhereitwassituated.And

it’sthesameIthinkforanything.

BordNaMónanowarelookingtoputupaheapofthem.Butthereputtingthem

up in big areas where its sparsely populated. Like are they going to have

objectors.Youknowthiswholethingupthemidlandsthen.Theywheregoingto

export the power to the UK, there was what a one hundred or something

turbines.

I:YeahIthinkitwassledgedtobethebiggestinEurope.

T:Suretheywhereupinarms“wherenotgona”,“alltheseturbines”.ButsureI

sawtheplanningforitlikeandtheywhereinlittlepockets.Twasinfivecounties

fromKildare,Offaly,Laois,maybesomeofTipperary,WestMeath.Sotheywhere

goingtobepocketsof10and12therewasn’tgoingtobeonehundredturbines

uplike,youknow.Andyetpeoplegotthisbigthingof“oh::onehundredturbines

whatarewegoingtodo”.Look(.)Idon’tknowpeopleareentitledtoobjectlike.

ButarethelegitIdon’tknow.

I: I'mhoping to visit other people in the area and itsmostly about how there

experiencestuff likewhattheydid.Andit’s tryingtotie inall these issuesthat

areacrosstheboard.

T:Yeahwelltherewasreallyadifferencewiththefirstonesbeingputup.They

where being put up on a Sundaymorning or something, whatever way those

fellas work seven days a week but. There was an audience like. And the last

twelvejustseemedto,justlikeamushroom.LiketheyputthemupinIsuppose

threeorfourdayswhenthey’reatitlike.Itjustohthere’sanotheroneofthem.

Page 205: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

205

I:Sodoyouthinkthecommunityjustslowlybecamecompletely….

T:Ah:::they’reusetoit.

I:Justnormal,factoflife?

T: That’s it like. Then again youwill hear (.) the planningwas probably done

rightnow.There’snonofthemverynearhouses.You’llseeplaceswheretheresa

bigcableupbehindyeah,andthereaturbinespinningupthere.Youknowit’sat

yourdoorsteplike.Idon’tknowiftheywillmovetheminimumdistanceIthink

fromthe500mto700m.

I:Yeahtheguidelinesareunderassessment.

T:Yeah,solookit.Idsayiftheywenttomovingitoutto1000mitwouldsolvean

awful lotofproblems.Likeyouknow(.)even theone (.) Idon’tknowdidyou

driveintotheentranceofthemines?(.)intothemones?

I:Wedidyeah.

T:Yeahdoyouknowwhereyouturnintheroadandthere’sgatesandthereisa

turbine inon the left?Yougo ina little furtherandyourmeetinga turbineon

yourrightandtheofficeblockishere(gesturestoitslocation).Sothecarparkis

basicallythereinthemines.Allthetimesthatturbinethereisalwayshavebeen

onorwhateverandyouwouldwalk inacrossandscarcelyhear it.Thatone if

youwhere in the offices at 9 o clock in themorning, the flicker comes savage

now.Butinthespaceofanhourmeeting.IrememberthefirsttimeIsaidcorked

it.IwasinameetingIwasfacingthesunthereandIwaswonderingwhatwas

thatlike.Flicking(.)Flicking(.)Flicking(.)andnextthingIsaidokthat’s(.)and

wegotonwithitandthenIsaidtomyself“wheredidthatgo?”.Itwasgonelike.

Doyouknowitmovedaround.Butthatonecreatesflicker,theonethat’sjustout

theroad(.)anditsprobably(.)whatisitout?Itsprobably400,500or600mout.

Thatonecreatesnoflicker.YouknowandagainIwouldthinkthatit’sdownto

Page 206: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

206

thelowlyingland.Whereaviewofthemallonabrowofahillgoingacrossyeah,

therealwaysgoingtobeaboveyou.Ithinkifplanningisdoneright,andtheyare

putinareaswheretheyaren’timposedonhouses

I:Thattheywouldn’t..

T:Idon’tseeanissuewithitlikeyouknow.Maybeotherpeoplewillbut.

I:Soyoursayingiftheplanningbecamemorerobustthatmaybetheywouldn’t

havetoengageinasmuchparticipation?

T:No,nowell.Theywouldn’t..

I:Theystillwillbut..

T: They stillwill but eh: they needn’t impinge upon people asmuch like. You

knowthere’sjesushundredsofthousandsofacresofwildernesslikeyouknow.

Butthenagaineveryonehasdifferentopinions.Iwastalkingtoafriendofmine

who lives on the other side of the parish. And he would be a farmer and

everything else but he says there’s enough of them around. You know, many

morewoulddestroythelandscape.Yeahknowitsjustanotheropinion.

I: Iwasjustthinkingsoyoupersonally(.)whatdidyougetfromparticipating?

Areyouhappyor?

T: Em personally, sure im involved in a lot of different organisations and

everything from schools to the church to the GAA to the, you know they all

benefitfromit.Anditsfundraisingthatacluborparishdoesn’thavetodo.The

onlygainisthefinancialgainforaparishlike.Ifwedidn’tgetthecontribution,

youcan talkaboutgreenenergybut like,youknow,whocareswhere theyare

producinggreenenergy.Theydon’thavetobeinyourbackyard.Unlessthereis

afinancialgainforacommunitythereisnobenefitforthembeingthere.

Page 207: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

207

I:Soeveniftheycompletelyengagedwiththecommunitybutdidn’thavesome

financialyouwouldn’tgetanythingoutofit?

T:Givingyougreenenergy(.)surelikewhocareslike.Youknowlikeitdepends

onwhatpeoples(.)youknowiftheyarethereandtheyareimpingingonyou(.)

ifthereisagainforyouparishfineanddandybutifthere’snot.Youknowpeople

willobjectandjustwontwantit.

I:Yeahthisisoneofthebiggestissuesinthewholediscussion.

T:Yeah.

I:Engagement.

T:Againit’sthegainthenforthecommunity,whichisthethinglike.Ifthereisno

gainwhywouldyoubotherwithitlike,ifitiseffectingyou.Wellifthere’sagain

everyonewins.

Temporaryrecordingissues–startsbackafewminuteslater.Withadiscussion

aboutthethirdwindfarminthearea.

T: So when Bord NaMóna started then they had an information evening, are

committeewent as a group.Wewent andwe saw the posters and everything

else. We approached them as a group saying your putting up turbines in are

parishweasagroupwanttoengagewithyou.Andwegotnocontactwiththem,

zero.

I:Really?

T: Em: the development didn’t go as quick as itwas thought itwas so itwas

dragged out and dragged out. And we actually put in a submission in there

planning tomake themcontribute towhatever fundwhatever amountwe got.

But it actuallymissed the date. Or the dateswheremissed so are submission

Page 208: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

208

didn’tgoin.Butyetprobablysixmonthslatereh:therewasa(.)thisfellaImight

putyouintouchwithhimJohnHogan.HemetwithaBordNaMónafella.Iwas

on Tipp FM actually and your man accused the Bord Na Móna fella of not

engagingwithus.“Your justcominginhereanddoingwhatyouwant”.Shortly

afterthatthentheycamebacktousandtheycameupwiththiscontribution.So

thewaytheysetitupisdifferentoursis,ouroneis(.)wegiveoutthemoneybut

its administered by the county council. So the county council has to rubber

stampeverythinginregardstoplanning.

I:Thedecisions?

T:Yeahwell theycantchangearedecisionsbutyet theyhavetorubberstamp

them. Bord NaMóna is different Bord NaMóna are administering there own.

Nowtheywouldhavethesamecriteria,youhavetohaveplanningyoucantjust

putupstuffbutthetwofundsarebeingrundifferentlybutthesetuptheinitial

engagementrundifferentlyaswell.Theycameandtheyputthepostersandall

and then gone like. And until a bit of pressure went on them then there was

nothing.Now lookmaybe theywheregoing todo it anyway, Idon’tknow.But

youknowtherewasn’tahugeamount(.)hahaha(.)comingfromthem.

I:Yeah.

T:Yeahsoiftheyhadgottenawaywithit,maybetheywouldn’thavecontributed

likeyouknow.

I:Becauseitisreallyclose,itblendsintophaseone,Ithink.

T:Itdoesyeah.

I:Ithoughtthatwasphaseone(.)haha.

T:Noyouwouldn’tthinkthattheywheredifferent.

Page 209: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

209

I:ThenIthoughttherewastoomanywindturbinesthere.

T:Yeahliketherearethreedifferentwindturbinefieldsassuch.

I:Soundslikeyoudidwelloutofitanyway?

T: Wedidyeah,moneywise.There’sjobsaswellIsuppose.Therecouldbe(.)

there’sprobablyone,twofellasworkingthere,fourfellas,fivefellasworkingup

thereontheactualwindturbinesthemselves.That’sitthen.

I:Doyouthinkifyoudidn’thaveanysortofinvolvementinitthat,letssayyou

wherelivingorworkedinadifferentjobthendoyouthinkyouwouldhavebeen

annoyedseeingthemspringingup?

T:Em: Iwouldhaveseen them(.)as theywentup Iwouldhaveseen themas

possibilityofgettingajoboutofthem.Maybenotlike,buteitherway,eitherway

they never bothered me like. You know I think they’re elegant looking as

opposedtointrusive.Tisdowntoeveryone’sopinionisn’tit.

I:Yeahexactly.

T: Illringthatfellaandseehemightactuallyhavea littlemoreinformationon

theplanningendofit.

I:Yeahthatwouldbeagreathelp,oranyoneelsethatwouldbe(.)youknowI

only need a three or fourmore people and you know I could go knocking on

doors but if you knew anyone because your in the council. Even names and

contactdetailswouldbegreat.Italsohelpstohavelocalstotalktothembefore.

T:Yeahyeah,yeah.

I:BecauseIamjustsomerandompersontothem.

Page 210: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

210

T:Yeahthat’sityeah.

I: Iwasjustthinkingthatthereknockingonyourdoorthinkingisthistheright

door.

T:Hahahahaha.

I: And the directions where beside a house but not that house one with two

stories.

T:Yeah,yeah

I: Iwashoping to do something in this area. Iwas originally interested in the

bogs and the wind turbines. You know Bord Na Móna is not very

environmentallyfriendly.

T:Yeah.

I: Burning all the peat, industrial level turf burning you know. And also

destroyingcertainenvironments. Its interestingwhenyouhaveacompanylike

this thatgoes from that to renewableenergy I assume that’s going tobe there

endplan.

T:Wellitislike,thewholerenewable;theyhavethousandsofacresofthereown

landtoputthemin.ButasIseeituphere,uphereallthebogsarenearlycutout

but idsaywheretalkinginagoodyeartheytake(.) I thinktheylowerthebog

between a foot and 18 inches a year. So and I remember about 15 when we

where walking across those bogs and they where putrid wet. Now themines

havethewholeareadrainedattheminuetandyou’dwalkacrossthatbognowin

thewinternowinapairofboots.Whereaswhentheminesstoppumpingnow,I

recontheregoingtobeanabsoluteseaofwater.Theregoingtobefloodedlike.

Youknowso theregoing tohave (.)yousee therechanging the landscapeand

thensuddenlythereintogreenenergylike.Hahaha.

Page 211: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

211

I:YeahIwaslookingatthisarea,andalsothemidlandsofIreland.

T:Yeah,yeah.

I: Basically like part battle ground part (.) basically with out all these

developmentswewouldneverreacharetargetsandthenwouldendupgetting

fined.

T:Thatthenthewholeotherargument,likeit’sasubsidisedindustryyouknow

youtakeawaythesubsidiesdoesitstandalonethenonitsownlike(.)somesay

itdon’t.Sonowyourputtingthemupwouldyoubeaswelloffpayingthefines

insteadofspendingmillionstogetthemupbuttherestillnotviabletostandup

onthereownlikeyouknow.SoIsupposetheflipsideofthatisyoumayaswell

upthemupratherthenpayingfines.Don’tknow.

I:Butyeah(.)ifyoucouldputmeincontactwithanyonethatwouldbegreat.

T:Yeahilltrythemtwofellasandsureifyougetthemtwoofthem.

I:JohnHoganand..

T:YeahJohnandRichyDaly.Andsureyouraroundforthenextcoupleofdays?

Weekend?

I:Illbeherefortheweek.Sowheneveritsuits.-Interviewends:

Page 212: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

212

10.4.2In-DepthInterviewTranscriptions~LisheenWindFarmParticipants

Interviewee: RichardDaly-Farmer,landowner(Moyne)inwhich5windturbinesarelocated.FormerleaderofcomplaintsagainstLisheenPhase1.MemberoftheParishForum.

Location: 9thNovember2015–Moyne,Co.Tipperary,RepublicofIreland.

Qualityoftechnology: Soundqualitygood,enabledperfecttranscription

Legend I:Interviewer

R:RichardDaly

I:AsIsaidearlieronIdoingitonthewindturbinesbasicallyhereandit’sintwo

phases here. You probably had different experiences here with the different

phasesbutIdjustliketofirstlyaskyouasalocalwhoisinvolvedinthis,howdid

it(.)whendidyoufirsthearaboutit?

R:Whenwe firstheardabout it, right, asyouquite rightly said therewas two

phases.ThefirstphasewastheLisheenMinesthemselvesah,wantedtoputup

the turbines themselves. My recollection was that they wanted to put up 22,

initially(.)butahplanningcriteriaandwhateverahendedputtingup18.Soand

theywhereupIsupposefourorfiveyearsandtheyhadthecapacityonthegrid,

sotheysaidsurelook-it.Wemayaswell increaseit,sotheyputonanother12

and then I think there is a couple more, Bord Na Móna put up another 14

turbines. Theywould be quite larger, theywould be 3 kilowatts is it. Yeah so

that’sprettymuchit.

I:Soyou,didyouhearaboutitin2008orwasit?

R:Yeahaboutthatyeah,2008yeah.

Page 213: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

213

I:Anddidyouemdidtheygiveyou,didyoureceiveitthoughwordofmouthor

didyougetitinnoteintheletterbox?Howdidyoufindoutaboutit?

R:Ehhowdidwereallyfindoutabout it?Iknewitwasinthereplans,ehthat

theyhadextracapacity.Thatwasalways theway.Whentheyputuptheeh(.)

initialonestherewasalways,theycamedowntolocalinthe(.)Ithinkbypartof

thereplanningtheyhadtocontactlocalsintheimmediate(.)closetothevicinity

ofit.Soitwassittingdownlikethisinakitchenandweaskedthemthequestion

like ifyougetplanningpermission for the18or22at the timewill therebea

capacitytoputupmore?Andtheyquiterightlysaidyeah,becausetheminehas

degraded and itmakesmore sense like yeah. Itwas always in the back ofmy

headthattheywantedtoputthemup.Itsnotthatsomeonecame,“ohherewe

wanttoputthemuptoday”youknow.Itwasinthebackofmymindthatthey

wheregoingtoextenditlike.

I:Ok(.)butthenwhenitcametoitdidyougotoanyofthesemeetings,whenthe

engagementofthecontractors/developmentdidtheyrunanylocalinformation

events.

R:Wellnotthecontractors,Isupposeithastotakedifferentsteps.Alltheyhave

to do, you know look for planning permission. Get thewhole project together

rightandthenitgoesplanning(.)butbefore itactuallywenttoplanning(.)eh

duringpartsoftheplanningtherewasIthinkoneifnottwopublicmeetings.So

itwasat that thenwhenyouheardeveryoneelse’sviews.And Iknow initially

becausetherehandbeennoturbines,initiallytherewasallotofquestionswhere

asked because its something new. So there was a bit of ah:: I wouldn’t say

negativity but therewas certainly an awful lot of ah:: (.) questions asked that

neededtobeaskedandwhichwhereanswered.Itsnotuntilthereactuallyup(.)

youknowweallthoughtthiswasgoingtobeshockingandnoiseandtheflicker

(.)whateverbutnotheyslippedinhandyenoughlike.Itwaspartprobablythe

unknownreally.Youknowandthat’swhytherewassomuch..

Page 214: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

214

I: Sobefore theyhad thesemeetings youwould say thatmostpeople kindof

either(.)theywouldn’teitherbeprooragainstbuttheywouldbeabitworried?

R:Certainlyworriedyeah.Defiantlyyeah.Becauselookit,anyinformationisso

accessibleandit’ssoeasytogethereandreadaboutthebadnewsstoryofwind

turbinesbreakingorgoingon fireorwhatever likeyouknowwhat Imean.So

basically(.)it justneedstoknow.Theywherenew(.)newtotheareathereits

likeanywherewhentheycomeinnew.Becauseinfairnesstheyarequitetalland

youknowyou’llseethem..

I:Yeahyeah.

R:Afterlivinginherenow(.)ahsurewehavebeenlivingheresince2000right

sosay15years.Sowecansee(.)wewereherebeforetheturbinesandwewere

here for the construction of turbines and where here obviously when the

turbines are going. And look it (.) I’ve three children anddo you knowwhat I

mean, its not that I’m going to do anything thatwould be (.) that they’ll have

healthreasonsfromtheseturbinesorwhatever.Solook,surethey’reasgoodas

anyotherkitaroundtheplace.There’snoilleffectsbasicallyinregardstohealth

andthatbecausewewouldbe(.) theturbine in themines I think isabout600

meters fromthehouse.And I think themidposton theonehere isabout580

againorsomething like that.Like580or600. I think itsslightlycloser.Now it

couldbeopenfordiscussionaboutthatoneallright.Likeifyou’resittinghereas

welllike,bar…

I: I didn’t even notice it, hahaha. (he points out the 5 turbines outside the

windowofthekitchen)

R:No,no,illtellyeahyouhavetopinpointitso.They’rethereandthey’rethere

workingandtodayofalldaysifyouwanttohearit,it’saperfectdaytohearit.I

knowyouhaveothernoisesinthebackground.We’llsay(.)withwindandtrees

andwhatever.Butevenona calmdaynowyou’dhear thebirdswhistlingand

otherbits(.)naturewouldactuallycarryonasnormal,likeyouknow.

Page 215: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

215

I: I tried to listen tooneof themactually, theother field furtherover there to

hearitbutitwascompletelysilent.

R: In factnowyou’dhave togoanawful lot closer (.)with insay150m-80m

you’dhearawhooshnoise,butlookitthatit.

I:Yeah,Iwaswonderingthese(5turbines)arebuiltonyourlandthough,these

arethelandsyoufarmandworkon?

R:Yes.Yeah,yeah.

I:Oksodoyouthinkthatthey(.)thedevelopment,thatyouhadmoreofarolein

thekindof(.)whatwasyouactualroleifyouthinkaboutit…

R:Oksofromgreenfieldrightso,ifyoucouldtakeitthatyou’rethecontractor

andI’mthefarmer.Sooutofrespectyoucan’tjustcomeinandroaroverandtell

mewhat to do and all this. So there’s proper consultation and in fairness like

even the practical things when they’re saying where the road is going or

whatever.I’dhavewatertroughsandwaterfittingsandelectriccurrentsgoingto

stockcattle.Theyworkedwithme.Doyouknowif therewasanythingbroken,

they would fix it and I’d tell them where it was or whatever. But it was all

excellentwhere(.)becauseofthe5that’swereonthisfarmwewereabletojig

aroundthelayoutofthefields.Becauseyeahknowtheroadwaywascomingin

andtherewasactuallyacrossroaddownthereandtherewasanothercoupleof

bitsofroadwaybuiltonthisfarmsowewhereabletoworktogetheronit.

I:Soyouhadaroleinthedecisionmaking…

R: Yeah, Yeah.Definitely yeah. Yeah on the ground like. You know there was

alwaysgoingtobearoadcominginitsintheplanningpermissionbut.Justtojig

it around. Iknow theyhadan impact statementonabadger sett and the road

hadtobemovedoutfromwherethebadgerswere.Lookitwiththebestwillin

Page 216: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

216

theworldIwouldhavepreferrediftheroadwastuckedinniceandneatbeside

theditchbutlookitthere’sbadgersthereweworkedarounditandthat’sitlike

yeahknow.Soyeahlittlethinglikethattheywereverygoodlike.

I: Between like 2009 and the first phase and the secondphasewould you say

they did the same (.) well what was the participation level if there was a

difference between the two?Do you thinkmore peoplewhere engaged or the

communitywasengaged?

R:Youseeinthefirstphaserightpeople(.)itwastheunknownreally.Thiswas

somethingnewcominginright.Sosecondphasethenpeoplerealisedthatthey

whererunningforfiveyearsorwhateverfourorfiveyearsmaybeitwasmoreI

forget.Sotherewasmoreacceptancethenforthesecondphase.Becausepeople

(.) there was actually as far as I can remember I don’t think there was any

objectionat all for the secondphase.Therewasnothing thatwent toAnBord

Pleanála, no. I suppose the locals saw that at least there’s a couple of local

farmers (.) getting some benefit out of it,whichwould be going back into the

local(.)anywaybecausewherelivinginthelocalandallthisso.Yeahtherewas

no,very little ifanyobjectionatall tothesecondphasevs. the firstone.There

wasmoreconcernsbecauseoftheuncertaintyoftheunknown.Thatwasitlike

yeah.

I:You’dsaythattheyprobablydidtheparticipationinvolvingthecommunityto

thesameamountor?Youhadmoreofaroleobviouslybecauseofitbeingyour

land.

R:ButapartfromthatIwouldn’tlikeyoutoehhh:()(.)upsetanyoneeither!You

knowwhat Imean.We’re living in a community and as bestwill in theworld

we’d like to getonwitheverybodyaswell aswe could,wedon’t like toupset

people.Butinfairnesswehaveanotherfarmacrosstheroadbut(.)calleddairy

blockandwewhereapproachedtoputaturbineonthatfarmbutwithareview

wesaidlookitwethoughitmightimpacttomuchonareneighbours.Becauseits

morepopulatedover(.)onthefarmacrosstheroad.Wedeclinedonthatofferto

Page 217: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

217

putaturbineoverthere.Soweputupfiveturbineshereandbothneighbouring

farmersputuponeaswell.

I:Ok.

R: It didn’t interfere (.) its kind of a isolated block of land down here like it

wouldn’tbepopulatedbyanymeans.

I:Justyourselves.

R:Justourselveslikeyeahandneighbouringfarmers.Lookitsuitedtoputthem

upherewithoutanyhassleorwhateverlikevs.gettinggreedyaboutitifyoulike

puttinguponeonthehomefarm,itwouldprobablyberunningabittoocloseto

households.Sothatwasthedecisionwetook,thatwasit.

I:Youmentionedthebadgersetthingthere.Didyouknowaboutthefullimpact

assessment?Theenvironmentalimpactassessments?

R: See funny enough there was guys it was like dark () when they would be

coming in theymight come across something of reference orwhatever. To be

honest with you its not my area of expertise so who was I to question what

coursetheywouldbedigging.Butthatwiththebadges,Iknewtherewasalways

badgersthere.Butfunnyenoughtherehadn’tbeenbadgerthereatthatsettfora

good few years. But unfortunately id say I was unlucky enough, a rabbit or

somethinghadbeenliving in it thereora foxcleaneditso it lookedtotheguy

that (.) and the datewhen hewas doing he’s study he though that therewas

defiantlyabadgerinit.Andtherehasn’tbeenabadgertheresince.Therewould

beactually threeother identified settson this farm there.And thedepartment

monitorsthoseallthetimebuttheynevermonitoredthatonebecauseitwasa

deadset likeyouknow.But likethefact thatthewindcrowd,orwhateveryou

wanttocallthemsawthatitwasasettandthattheroadwascomingquiteclose

toitthat’swhytheydecidedtopulltheroad.NowthatwhenIsayitwouldn’tbe

Page 218: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

218

20mfromit,butstillit’saslightlyoutthenidlikebutlookwherefarmingsowe

workedaroundit.Itsfineyeah.

Em: there’s allot of other (.) I remembera coupleof times theydidbats.They

cameinIthinkitwas11o’clockatnightandtheysattheretillabout4,half4in

themorningorsomethinglikethat.

I:Listeningforbats?

R: Yeahitwasactuallyquitecoolnow.Butahjustmeetingthemandthat.But

thentheyalsoregularlydobirdwatching.WhenIsayregularlyitmightbetwice

ayearinallotofthesecomedowntothefarm.

I:Sotheysurveyit?

R:Theywould and theywouldbe (.) theyhave to studywhat birds are flying

aroundinthearea,buttheyarealsoseeingiftheyfoundanydeadones.Toseeif

abirdhitsaturbineanddiesorwhatever.AsfarasIknowasalaypersonlike

myself.That’sallthatIseegoingon.Thatupacoupleofyearsphasetwolikeyou

know.

I:Sowheretheygoingtocontinuetheremonitoring?

R: Idon’tactuallydon’tknow.As farasIknowtheyare. Ididn’thearanything

untoward.Ithinktheyare.Idon’tmind.

I:Itdoesn’tbotheryou?

R:Itdoesn’t.Oftensomedaysyouwouldbeherdingcattleorwhateverandyou’d

just pull up and have a chat “how are you getting on”. You would nearly

recognisefromthelasttime.Illbehonestwithyou,wewherehuntingcattlethe

otherdayandinfairnessoneofthegirlsactuallycameoutandgaveusahand.

The calves weren’t going are way. In fairness though I have to say they do

Page 219: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

219

respectthelandownerasmuchaswerespectthosepeopledoingtherejob.You

knowwhatImean.Andinfairnesstothemonservicescominginthewaythey

might be in once or twice the month at the most, you know what I mean

maintenanceisquiteminimalnow.Isupposeallotcanbedonefrominsideinthe

mainofficeintheminesorthesubstationorwhateverlikeyeah.

I: You know (.) I interviewed Tim Bergin and he was telling me about the

communitygroupthatwassetup.

R:Yes.

I:Following thedecision towell (.) thestipendof themoneyyouget fromthe

windturbines.Doyouhaveanyinvolvementinthat?

R:YeahI’mactuallyonthatcommittee,itscalledthe‘ParishForm’andwhenthe

moneycomesinitsactuallyfantasticbecauseI’minvolvedwithanathleticclub

hereinMoyneaswell.AndeventhelocalhallinMoyneandthenalsothemoney

would have helped contribute to the building of the GAA pitch and the

development of that. The hall in Templetuohy and the church. Look it there’s

50,000 coming in guarantied from these turbines and then there’s another

20,000comingintotheparishfromBordnaMónaturbinesaswell.Soit’squitea

nicechuckofmoneylike.Butinfairnessthemoneythat’scominginisbeingwell

spent.It’snotliketherecominginandpeoplearegoingonthepissorwhatever

youknowwhatImean.

I:Ofcourse.

R:They’rebeingused forgood fantastic jobs like.Andespecially (.) if youhad

time(.)itsgettingabitdarknowbuteventheathleticsclubinMoyne..

I:I’veseenit,itsreallygood.IvseenworstonesinDublin,itstentimesbetter..

Page 220: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

220

R:Ahyouwould,yeahitisyeah.Itsagoodcommunityspiritkindofeffort,that

gottothatlevel.Itwouldprobablyhavebeendoneregardlessofthewindfarmit

defiantlywouldhavebeendonebutcertainlyhavingmoneytakethestingoutof

it. You know, it cost €235,000 right.We had €60,000 of are ownmoney, the

athletic club. And we borrowed another 170,000 odd. But having that money

cominginatleastyoucanbudget.Wehavealottogoingaswell,itscoveredthe

loanbuttheplanistogetthisloadtobepaidoffquickly.Sobyhavingthisextra

few quid coming in from thewind farm (.) Look not one clubwill get the full

amount.Surewewheregetting10,000or15,000foracoupleofyearsandthey

wewould standback and let another club come in, youknowwhat Imean (.)

with therebitsandso forthandsoon. Itsspreadaroundand its its it’sagood

ideanow.Youknowwithgoodprojectsobviouslylike.

Beingonthatcommittee ifsomeonecameinandsaid“isthereanychanceofa

coupleofquid, Iwant toputsomenewwindows intomyhouse”, there’snota

hopeinhell(.)youknowwhatImeanitforcertaingoodprojectsandallotofthe

moniestoisforsayiftheyhavedonethejobthehavetohavethereceiptssosay

if something costs 20,000 at most they would get is 10,000. You know we

wouldn’t be seen to be funding the project 100%. So its an incentive for each

committeethentowork.DoyouknowwhatImean,butstill lookit itcertainly

takethestingoutofithavingthismoneycomeintotheparish.

I:Thisforum,diditexistbefore(.)inanyformbeforethatorwasitactuallythe

windturbinesandthecommitteesresponsetothem?

R: Yeah, it was (.) look it (..) there was always probably committees there I

supposeas regards tomanaging themoney itobviouslywas setupbecauseof

thewindturbines.ButwiththeLisheenMinesacrosstheroadtherewasacouple

ofprojectswheretheLisheenMineswouldhavecontributedheavilytoacouple

ofprojectsintheareaaswell.Sotherewasnearlyacoupleofguyssayathletics

stuff, GAA and another couple of committees that where all talking together

anyways. So itwas just amatter of putting a proper brand over (.) the parish

forum committee. Headswhere thinking before, you knowwhat couldwe do,

Page 221: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

221

something like that because. As far as I know the council in North Tipperary

wouldbeuniqueas(.)whentheturbinesstartedoffinitially,Ithinkjeezthisone

herecertainlycouldhavebeenoneofthefirstinNorthTipperary.Sothecouncil

were looking at us to see how we were reacting. And the pros and cons of

everythingelsegoingforward,sotheyactuallytookaleafoutofourbook.When

they saw howwell this, the communityworked quitewell together in getting

thesesumsofmoney.SoI thinktheyhaveput it, theyhavedefinitelybecauseI

knowI’vetalkedtothecountycouncillor;haveputitintoplacethatanyprojects

likethis,thattherehastobesomuchthat’sgivenbacktothecommunity.

I:Sothiswasoneofthelargest(.)orthetallestturbinestobebuiltin2009.So

youralsosayingthatthishasbeenaddedtootherdevelopments?

R:Yeahdefinitely,Iknowdefinitelythecouncilwaslookinginandseeingwhat

waywe(.) itwasmanagedbasically like.Andwhen theyactually (.) theyhave

givenusgreatcreditforthewayithasbeenmanagedlike.It’snicetoknowlike.

I: Itsoneof the reasonswhy Ivbeen lookingat this, Iwas lookingatdifferent

projects that theywheredevelopedbut thisone that itwasdevelopedso (.) it

justwentupsoquickIwasbetween1and2yearssincebeingbackandturbines

areeverywhereinanareathativbeenwellusedtowhenIwasachild…

R: Yeah especially years ago, I know for me it was allot of bog and peat

generated around the area you know so. Jeezwhen Iwas young the roadway

guys you know summer jobs going down to Bord Na Móna but that kind of

fizzled out. Then you had the Lisheen Mines and you seen the wind turbines

happening.There’snearly something comeseverygenerationorwherever like

youknow.Itshardtoknownowtheminesareontherelastlegswithnearlyall

the ore having been taken out so they’re (.) I know inside in there they are

kicking around the idea of using it as a kind of a (.) centre of pretty much

excellence. You know theymight bring on ah solar panels and all this kind of

think.Useitaskindanenergyhub,thisarealikedoyouknowwhatImean.Look

ittheyaretoyingaroundwithsomethinglikethat,anidealikethat.Ifithappens

Page 222: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

222

ithappens.ButifithappensIwouldn’tbesurprisedbecauseasIsaidsomething

happensnearlyevery20yearslikeyouknowwhatImeanso.Yeahit’suniquein

thisarea,whetherisgeographicallylocatedwiseorwhere(.)likethere’spower

(.)everyturbineisturningandthepowerisgettingused.AndasfarasIknowif

they hadmore power theywould still use it. Like you know. So it’s obviously

beenplacedforgoodcauses.

I: Sodoyou think,whatdoyou thinkyourem (.)personally,doyou feel your

participationhadanimpact,inthedevelopment?

R:Ahpersonallyphhhaa::

I:Youknowinyourexperience?

R:My experience look it. I'm from the area so like I suppose I’m certain look

maybe it hasmaybe it hasn’t. Somemight say it has somemight say it hasn’t.

Look it, id like to feel it has. Certainlywith local communities you know, and

being part of the ‘Parish Forum’, allocatingmoney every year is certainly you

know it’s nice to know there’s good jobs done and the moneys been spent

correctlylike,youknowwhatImean.Solookitidliketosee,I’mnotlookingfor

anycreditbutI’dliketoseeifitwasdoneahappreciatedlikeyouknow.Solike

yeah,Ahhlookit.Yeah.I'mtoomodest.

I:Hahayeahexactlyit’sthetypicalproblemwithIrishpeople.

R:HahayeahnowifIwasacountycouncilloridbeblowingitupohh::yeah::,

yeah::yeah.

I:Hahahayeah.

R:Lookitit’sasmallcommunityandidliketoseeitgrowandyouknowitsthere

forwhoeverinsistscomebehinduslikeyouknow.Idhatetoseeevenwiththe

minesthat,ifitwashandledwronglyorsomethingifwesaworheardthatthere

Page 223: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

223

wasabitof(.)damagegoingonthateffectedtheenvironmentthatwouldupset

me a lot more like do you know what I mean. Because it will effect the

generationstocomelikeyouknowso.That’swhyevenwindturbinesIknowyou

hearsomuchnegativeaboutthem,negativityaboutthembutlooktheydon’tkill

anyoneandit’stheyearwherein,wehavetobeproducinggreenenergiesyou

know.Youjustmovewiththetimesthenafterthat.

I:Justquicklyyoumentionedtheyreduceditfromwasit22to18

R:Ehyeah.

I:Orwasit20to18.Theyreducedtwoanyway.Theyreduceditdownto18from

theoriginalplansforthefirstphase.

R:Yes.

I:Sodoyourememberwasiffromahearingorwasitpeople…

R:Iknowthattheyhadfourdefinitelyinthereinitialplaneh:wellinitialdraft.

TheyhadfouronthewayintoLisheenMinesonthelefthandside.There’sone

therenow.ButIwouldsayfourwherenotgoingtoworkbecausetheywheretoo

close together. And so theywhere gigged around. And I know they looked for

anotheronedowntheroadthereoppositetheguy(.)PatCaseybuthehadgone

in looking forplanningpermission I thinka coupleofmonthsbefore thewind

turbineshadgoneinlookingforplanningsothatonewasknockedstraightaway.

Hehappenedtobejustinlookingforplanningpermissionforhishouse.Sothat

onewas eitherknockedor giggedaround. So I don’t know. It tooka coupleof

giggingaroundstobeforetheyactuallysettled.

I:Soitwasn’tnecessarilyanegativeresponseor..?

R:Ahcertainlyahh: jesusno.Ah id sayplanningyeah.Because Iknow its like

this,theyhadXamountoflandtoworkwithrightso(.)obviouslytheregoingto

Page 224: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

224

maximise it to the best of there abilities. So I suppose throwing in 20 or 22

initially they thought itmightworkbut thengigging it around fromwhatever

obviousreasonstheyprobablythought18wouldworkanawfullotbetterthen

22. I know from down here going through it if your turbines are too close

togethertheywilltakethewindoffofeachotherso.There’snopointinputting

toomanyintheonepoint.

I:Itsprobablyjustmorestressforthem…

R:Yeah,soIknowitwasthesamedownhere.Itwasgoingtobefourbutthen

theygiggeditaroundandfittedfiveincomfortably. Andtheycouldactually(.)

another one would have gone over there but we thought it might have been

comingtooclosetothehouseandthenitwasalsoimpedingonBordNaMóna.

Look it, just try the fiveon this landon this farmand then.. that’s thewaywe

workedit.

I:Doyouknowactuallyanyotherpeoplethathadasimilarexperiencetoyouor

thatdidIknowyouwheretheonlyonethathad(.)there’sanotherfarmerwho

hasanotheroneinafieldoverhereisit?

R:Thereisyeah,JimO’Gradyandathere’sanotherguySeanHayden.

I:Ahoksothereisafewmore.

R:Thereisyeah,ontheothersidethenthere’sJohnButlerandTomButler.Yeah

sowhatever five farms and then there’s three in Coillte. Thatwas the second

phaseandthenthefirstphasewaswhatwasintheLisheenMines.

I:Ok,sodoyouthinktheywouldhavehadasimilarexperiencetoyou?

R:Yeahprettymuchyeah.IknowcertainlywithJimO’Grady.Wellnotsomuch

with JimO’Grady ifyoucould imagineah:he’s justat theedgeofhis landand

nextthingtheyliterallycamein(.)putinaturbineandoutagain.Whereashere

Page 225: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

225

theywhere literally cutting right across the farm, like you knowwhat Imean.

Theyhadminimal impacton JimO’Grady.Ah JohnButler,yeahTomand John

Butler had a bit of impact I suppose alright yeah. But certainly yeah they

probablywouldhavehadsimilarexperience.Notasdetailedashereeitherlike

youknowbecausetheyjusthadoneeachlikeyouknow.

I:Soyougotthelionsshare?

R: Ah look it (.) pot luck, rightwe bought this farm in 1992 and grand we

developeditandwhatever.Andbackin2008anotherfarmcameupbesideitand

webought that and just in timingand the timingwasgood (.)webought it in

Februaryandbytheendofthatyearwewhereinnegationswithwindfarmsto

aboutputtingupturbines.Soitjustkindof.

I:Kindofsnowballedfromthere?

R: Yeahworked from there yeah.Well as there saying, if you could remember

backtotheCeltictigeryears.Youmighthaveheardthephraseorsaying“road

frontage”.Didyoueverhearthat“roadfrontage”.

I:Don’tbuyapropertyifitdoesn’thave“roadfrontage”haha.

R:Yeahexactly,exceptthisisthecompleteopposite.

I:Ok.

R: Becausetheturbinesdidn’twanttobebesidetheroadoranything.Soitwas

worthanawfullotmorebeingfurtherawayfromtheroad.Sothatwasit.

I:Doyouthinkthatyouwouldhavetheturbinesonyourfarmiftherewasthe

benefitsthatthecommunityhadandthebenefitsthatyou..

Page 226: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

226

R: See, ah:: where probably (..) we knew that there was money going to the

communityanywayandthiswasjust(.)Iknowtherewas30,000withthe..

I:Original..

R:Originalandthentherewasanother20,000itsactuallyincreasednowbutah:.

So is certainlyhelped like youknowwhat Imean. Look it youhave to respect

other people as well and you cant just steam roll and I don’t thing any one

individualcouldaffordtoputupfiveturbinesandIdon’tthinktheLisheenMine

(.)youknowtheywherethekey.BecausetheyhadthepoweroutfromThurles

out to the LisheenMines so the infrastructure was in place. Like for any one

individual to go solo he probably would need an awful lot of money. And if

anythingwentwrongatallhe’dgobrokeyouknow. Itwouldbe impossible to

start off on your own. Itwouldbeunthinkable really, like youknow.As Iwas

sayingtheoutletfrom(.)forthepowerhadcapacity.

I:Yeahtheyhadasubstationoutthere.

R: Yeah theyhad thebig (.)what is it a 110KV coming fromThurles inplace

alreadylikeandthatwaskeylike.

I:Overalldoyouthinkbetween2009–2013thewholetimenow,doyouthink

they participated well, with the engagement with the local people in the

developments?

R:Idsaysoyeah,yeahdefinitelybecauseevenattheconstructionstage,lookit

theguyscamein(.)whatwheretherenamesem:(.)Crawfordswasit?I forget

theconstructioncrowd.Ehhbut..

I:Icouldprobablyfinditout.

Page 227: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

227

R: I think it was Belford, Belford yeah they, yeah. They sub let’ed it out to

RossmoreEngineeringacompanyfromCo.Cork.ButIknowforafactthattheya

(.) felicitated buying diesel local and any problemswithmachines or anything

like that they availed of local mechanics and all. You know nice gestures so I

meanthere’sacertainbitofspinofflocallyfromityeah.Butyeahlookititslike

anybuildingwork,theyjustcomeinanditsdonetheyhaveatimeframetodoit

andthat’sitlikeyeah.Alotofthecontractors(.)there’saquarrylocallyandallot

ofmaterialswheresourcedlocallyaswelllikeyeah.

I:Sotheywentaboutittherightway?

R:Absolutelyyeah.Absolutelyyeah.

I:Sonoonefeltthat(.)youknowyouhearitinthepressandeverythingthatbig

firmsarecominginandtakingarelandandairandusingitforprofit.Itsnotthat

kindofmentalityorsentimentanyway?

R:NoIdon’tthinksono.No,lookititslikeacrosstheroadwiththeminesright,

Lisheenminesright.Theore isquiteexpensive.But itsalsoquiteexpensive to

bringitoutofthegroundandsentitoffinashiptoChinaorwhereveritsgoing.

LikeyouknowwhatImean.Youhavetoallowabitofleeway,youhavetoaccept

thatyeahfairplaythey’llmakeafewquidoutofit.Butthey’realsospendingan

awful lotofmoneyintheareatoget itout likeyouknow.Its likeprobablythe

windfarmsliketherewasahugeinvestmentintosoyeahtheywouldbeentitled

toafewquidoutofittoo.Butitalsocertaintyhelpsthatthelocalcommunityis

alsobenefitingoutofitwithsome,youknowwithsomelocalcommunitieslike

theathleticsandtheGAA,churchesandwhatever.Hallsandallthissortofcraic.

Soyeahpersonallyyeahidbelieveitwouldbeagoodnewsstoryyeah.That’smy

opinion.

Breakintheinterview:Personalinformationetc.

Page 228: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

228

Comes back with discussion about a promotional video used to display the

Lisheenwindfarmafterdevelopment.

I:ItwastheIWsomething,itwastheIrishWindFarmsomethingAssociation.

R: Yeah, because they wanted to put something together because they where

doing another project. I think itwas kind of involvedwithmainstream. But it

didn’tmaterialise anyway. But yeah no they needed this kind of a good news

storyaboutwindfarmsbecausethere’ssomuchnegativityanduproarinplaces.

I:Whatdo you think aesthetically, likewhat you think they look likeon there

own.Doyoucareatall?

R:Lookit,doesitbothermedefinitelynot.Notherewasatreethere(pointsand

remarksat themorevisible turbinebetween trees)and it felldownand I said

Jesusthetreewasnicetherebutsurelookit.They’rethere,itspartofit.

ThewayIlookatitnowisprogress.AsIwassayingeverycoupleofyears,Idon’t

knowifyouwouldrememberitbutBordNaMónawashere.Andtherewas(.)

duringthesummertherewasrowsandrowsofcarsgoingdowntoworkinBord

NaMóna.Nextthingthatdiedoff.AndtheLisheenMinescame.Sotherekindof

goingandIknowwehavewindturbinesandwhatever.Nowtheretalking,that

they might be using this site as an energy hub (.)kind of excellence. Because

there talking about solar panels and that sort of thing. Look I wouldn’t be

surprised if it happens and but if it does that would be progress. I think its

comingfromtheEUthatthe(.)they’llnearlygiveyouplanningpermissionfaster

nowforasolarpowerthentheywouldforturbines.

I:Theguidelineshaven’tbeenchosenyet.

Interruptionastheintervieweegetsteaready.

R:NalookitIdon’tmindthem.I'mrightbesidethehighestoneonarelandsso

whatever.

Page 229: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

229

Morepersonalinformation.

R: I know Martin Shanahan, he's a retired guy. Does tractors and cars and

whatever but ah. He has one (turbine) at the house thatwould never pay for

itself.Itsjustthetechnologyinitisn’tgoodenough.Hewassayingthatitwasa

purewasteoftimeputtingitup.

Morepersonalinformation.

R:Togobacktotheturbinestheengineeringisfantastic.Toactually(.)ifIwas

to tell you to dig it out. Took an average of 54 loads of concrete for each

foundation.Butwhenyouactuallyseetheholeandthenthegearboxattheend.

TheseoneshavegearboxesIthinkthepropellersandthegearboxiscarryinga

100 ton. On the top. Yeah it’smad. It’s like a bungalow on top of the poll. It’s

amazing.

Iwassayingearlierwiththeroadwaytheycameinthereandputinaifyousee

themonceortwiceamonththat’s it like. IfyouknowwhatImean. Ithasvery

little maintenance. If there is a problem it probably could be fixed in the

substation.Itprobablycouldbefixedonthephonelike.Technologyisfantastic.

Itsgreattoseetheengineeringhascomeleapsandbounds like forthegreater

good.

Page 230: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

230

10.4.3.In-DepthInterviewTranscriptions~LisheenWindFarmParticipants

Interviewee: PaddyDoyle-ChairpersonofMoyneAthleticsClub,Memberofthe‘ParishForum’,Memberoflocalhistoricalsocietyandlocalteacher

Location: November10th2015-Templetuohy,Co.Tipperary,RepublicofIreland

Qualityoftechnology: Soundqualitygood,enabledperfecttranscription

Legend I=InterviewerP=PaddyDoyle

Transcription:

I:Couldyou tellmewhenyou firstheardabout theplans todevelop thewind

farmsatLisheen?

P:Ah:: I can’t remember thedateor theexact time. Itwas justwhenplanning

permissionwasappliedforthatwordwentaroundtheparish,thenatthatstage.

ThattherewasgoingtobetheturbineserectedatthesightoftheLisheenMine.

I:Soyouhearditthoughwordofmouthratherthenthroughanysortofofficial

means?

P:Yes(.) I I I I thingtheinitialwordwasthroughwordofmouthnotthougha

meetingoraletteroranything.

I:Howdidyoufeelwhenyoufirstheardaboutthem?

Page 231: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

231

P:Em(.) Iwasn’t tooalarmedat the ideaof thembuteh:: I supposeanything

newlikethatyouhavetobecautiousyano.(.)Thefeelingatthetimewasthere’s

nopointaskingquestionslatersoehhh:::

Sopeople started to research the idea and look into if therewas anynegative

effectstoitbecauselikethemediahadsomenegativepress.ButIsupposeafew

peoplestartedtoresearchitandlookintoit.

I:Howwouldyoudescribeyourparticipationwiththeprojectitself?Ifyoucould

summarisehowyou..

P:Liketheturbinesthemselves?

I:Ah::noliketheparticipationwiththelocalcommunity,the‘ParishForum’

P:Wellatthetimewhentheturbineswherebeingmooted therewasanaction

groupwhereformedtokindofreallytoinquire(.)theyweren’tanantiturbine

group. But they where just set up to (.) em: (.) to find out more information

really.

I suppose Iwentdownouteh:of curiosity I supposeasmuchasanythingelse

just to seewhatwasgoingon there.And thenwhen theydidem: it turnedup

verylittlereallythattherewasverylittlenegativeaboutit

and then went planning did go ahead and we saw that this was what the

conditionseh:(.)

I’minvolvedintheathleticclubandthehistorygroupinMoynesoIIem:Iwent

downtothemeetingtoseeehwhatwouldwoulditmeanforthosegroupsI’m

involvedwith.

I:Ah:ok.

Page 232: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

232

P:Iwentdownandehacommitteeof17whereemwhereelectedIsupposeas

suchonthenight.

And itwas set up and then an annual generalmeetingwas formedwas called

after thatand itkindof justgraduallygrew the formatofhow itoperateswas

kindoforganicreallyit(.)emergedasneedsbekindof.

I:Ohokandwasthataround2008beforeconstruction?

P:YesitwouldhavebeenIsuppose.

I:Sotellmemoreabouttheclubandwhatyourroleisinthat?

P:Well in theathletic club I’m involved inasanathleticmyself and I’malsoa

coachI’vebeenacoachingtheclubforabout20years.Andeh:I’vealwayshelda

placeinthelast20-25yearsivheldanofficershipaswellandchairmanatthe

momentandwehaveallotof facilitiesandallotof capitalprojectskindof that

where carriedout in the last10 –15years sowewhere alwayshoping to get

moneyaswell.

And the history group we’ve em: (.) we’ve written a parish history that was

writtenin2002anditwasem.

I:Ohreallyyeah,

P:Yeah itwasa threevolumeahbooksabout1500pages in it (.) ithad tobe

dividedintothreekindofA4sizedbooks.ItwasasizableprojecttheMinehelped

usalittle(.)helpeduswitheh:printingofitIsuppose,theygavesomefundsas

well.

Buttheneh:inthelastfewyearsthenwewhereem:(.)therewasnoindextothe

originalvolumethreevolumessointhelast4or5yearsweputwegotanindex

andtheforumthenhelpeduspayforthat.

Page 233: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

233

I: So the community and your personal involvement has been helped by this

development.

P:Ohabsolutelyyesitsbeenagreatkindofwellitwasoriginally30,000ayear

totheparishandeh(.)withtheextraturbineshavebeenputupsoitsuptoeh:

50,000ayeartobedividedupbetweentheparish,(.)forbothendsoftheparish

forcapitalprojectsannually.

I: Do you remember anymeetings, informationmeetings or anything like that

priortoitbeingbuilt?

P:Eh:::Idoremembereh::(.)Idorememberoneyeah()asecondsetofturbines

have also been set up by Bord NaMónawhich are a secondwind farm but I

distantly that going aheadbut yeah () (.) I kind of vaguely remembermeeting

withthepeoplebeforetheLisheenturbineswheresetup.

I: I’m interested in findingout if theyhadaccess to theactualdecisionmaking

process?

P:YeahtheLisheenMinewouldhavebeen(.)sincethetimeIhadbeensetup

reallyhavebeenquiteopenwith..with…withthepeopleatallstagesof itsown

development, of what it was doing and what it intended to do. And that has

workedverywell.

But anothermine just in GalmoyMine less then 10miles away, set up before

LisheenMineand itwasoperatedona tell themas littleaspossiblebasisas it

seems to me. And everything seemed go work against them whereas, (.) the

LisheenMinekindofadapteda(MinorcoLisheen)thedifferentcompaniesthat

owneditsinceitwasfirstkindof(.)theorewasfirstfound.They’veoperatedon

amuchmoreopen basiswith the community and it seems to haveworked an

awfullotbetter.

I:Ah::ok::…

Page 234: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

234

P:And sowhen it came to the turbines theyadopted the samekindof system

really.Theydidinformusandtherewasmeeting.

I:Soyoufeltliketheydidactuallyengage.

P:Oh::yeahtheydidyeah::theLisheenMinehavebeenverygoodtoengage(.)I

feelyeah.

I:Doyouthinkthatmaybeitwastheminethatplayedthatroleorbecauseofthe

previous connections with the society or was it their interaction with the

communitybecauseofthedevelopment?

P:(Intakeofbreath)(.)Eh:::itshardtosayreally(.)idsayitwasthewaythey

hadoperatedreally.

I:I’mtryingtoteaseoutwhythese,howexactlytheparticipationwentbecauseit

seemstohavebeenasuccessfromnearlyeveryoneI’vetalkedto.

P:Yeahlikeopennessdefiantlyseemstohaveworkedlikethereare(.)likeI’ve

saidthattheGalmoymines(.)becausethelocalsbackedup(.)becausethethings

wheredoneand then they tried to explainwhy theywheredone. (.)Thenyou

know:: there’s no () andno goingback then and its veryhard to allaypeoples

fears afterwards when its too late.When the LisheenMine kind of seemed to

have(.)kindofgivenusthechancetoaskquestionsandthingslikethatandthen

(.)theywhereahh(.)youknow::itwasitwasquiteopenreally.

I:Didyouknowatthetimethattherewasanenvironmentalimpactassessment

donebeforetheconstruction.

P: I can’t rememberknow(.)with theminesandeverythingwealsometwith

themaboutthetailingspondandtheEPAandtherewasfromwecouldalways

feel(.)thefeelingwealwaysgotwasthattheywheredoingeverythingthingthat

Page 235: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

235

wasthatwasneededtobedoneandthattheywhere(.)Isupposeeh::theywere

askeenaskeepingthethingrightaswewere.

I: Do you remember any differences between the first phase and the second

phase, in regards tohowyouwhere informedabout itorhowtheparishdealt

withit.

P:Iremembertheparishdidn’t(.)em:::therenoactivereasonoranythinglike

that for the secondphase itwas just kindof (.) I suppose the feelingwas that

therewasn’tanytroublewiththefirstphaseso(.)therewasnorealissueswith

(.)frommypointofviewtherewasnorealissuewiththesecondphase.

I:Thesecondphasewasbuiltonmorefarms?

P:Itwasitwasonprivatelandreally.

I:SothediscussionswouldhavebeendealtwiththemIsuppose.

P:Yestherewasno(.)Icantrememberanymeetingtakingplaceforthesecond

phase.

I:Doyourememberanyonechallenginganyoftheinitialplans?Iknowthatthe

initialplanswherefor22windturbinesandthenreducedto18.

P:That’sright18whereputup.

I: I’m interested to know was that done by the community or was that just

planningrelatedissues?

P: I thought that they applied for 22 (.) turbines as far as I know but I think

logisticallyIthinktheyonly18wasmorepractical,Idon’tknowwhy.

Page 236: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

236

I:Gettingbacktoyourroleintheclub,doyoufeelthat(.)Iknowthatitsreceived

funding , iv actually seen itmyself and it looksvery good (.) it lookswell put

together.Doyouthinkthatyouwouldhavegottenthefundingordoyouthink

youwouldhavebeenmuchworstoffifthesewindturbineshadn’tbeenbuild?

P:Welleverybitoffundinghelps.Butem::yeswewoulddefiantlybeallotworse

off if theturbineshadn’tbeenbuilt.Becauseah:: likeit isbeencomingintothe

parisheveryyearassuchand it is forcapitalprojectssoem:: (.) itencourages

organisationstodevelopfacilitiesreally.

I: Andwhere youwithin the ‘Parish Forum’ for thewhole time, so youwhere

representingthesegroups?

P:Yesinfairnesslikemostpeople(.)acertainnumberofpeople,Isupposemore

thanhalfofthepeopleontheforumwouldhavebeen,em::haveavestedinterest

insomeorganisation,morepracticallyallofthemreally.

But ingeneralat themeeting therewasageneral fairnessandehakindofah

responsibility to the community asmuchas anything.The loyaltywouldn’t like

cometoavoteas inoneorganisationagainstanother,reasondoeskindofwin

outinyouknowtheend.

I:WouldyousaythatthiswouldbeagoodexampleofaruralIrishexampleof

howwindturbineswouldberolledoutinanarea.

P:Wellitsits(.)itisagoodsystem(.)butatthesametime(.)peoplemightsay

areyoubeingboughtoff?Itsem::Ipersonallydon’tfeellikeitslikebeingbought

offatthemoment. Idofeelthatgreenenergyisanimportantsourceofenergy

anditsmuchbetterthendiggingupthebogsandburningthingsthatcreateCo2.

YouknowlikeIdothinkit’savaluablewaylikesomepeopleprotestthesightof

themandeverythingbut.Itsonly(.)therenotveryintrusiveandtherenotthat

ugly I think. But I do think that the fact that money does come back to the

Page 237: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

237

community is very beneficial to the people that have to live in those areas.

PerhapshousevaluesmighthavedroppedIdon’tknowbecauseofthem(.)that

peoplemight find itharder tosellhousesor landorsomethingbut Idon’t (.) I

thinkthatem:thefactthatfacilitieshavebeenputbackintothoseparishesthat

areclosesttothembasicallystandstothoseparishes.

I:Keepingwiththat,doyouthinkbecauseyourcommunityseemstobeatight

knitcommunitythatcaresandlooksoutforeachother…

P:Yeahwellit’satypicalruralcommunityassuch.

I:Soyouwouldsaythatwouldbethetypicalstandardacrossthecountry?

P:YeahIwouldimaginesoyeah.

I: As I have been looking at participationwithin local communities, it’s a very

goodexample,IwaswonderinghowmuchIyoucouldgeneralisethisinregards

tootherplacesandcountieseven.

P:Yeahits()butforsmallcommunitiestosurviveyoudoneedtohavefacilities

andneed to have schools and you really need to have characterisation and all

thatkindofstuff.Likeinmoreruralareaswheretheyloosetheirschoolmaybe

andeven theirchurchand things like that (.) thatarea focalpoint.And if they

loosethosekindoffacilitiesthoseem::practicalfacilitiesforsportingeventsand

thingslikethat,theneh:theyareincentivesforpeopletogototownsreallyand

leaveruralareas.

I:Okyeah.Overalldidyouthinkthatthecompaniesengageinovereverything

really in theplanningphase, informationphases, followingupphases.Did they

doagoodjobinyouropinion?

Page 238: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

238

P: Yes they did. They where comprehensive and they had a follow up on the

work that, you know I think everyone is happy as they could be with it. You

know.

I:Justyourselfdidyourexperienceparticipatingintheiswholeprocessdidyou

getanythingfromitorwasitachoreorwhereyouveryhappydotoit?

P:WellIwashappyenoughtodoitI’mjust(.)I’malwaysinvolvedincommunity

projectsaroundheresoyouknowitsjustanother(.)justanother(.)kindoflocal

developmentIsupposeprojectreally(.)I’mjusthappytobeinvolved.

InterviewEnd.

Page 239: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

239

10.4.4.In-DepthInterviewTranscriptions~LisheenWindFarmParticipants

Interviewee: JohnHogan–Cahaoirleach(Councillor)Templemore/Thurles,PoliticalpartyFiannaFáil

Location: November11th2015-AlexanderHotel,

Dublin,RepublicofIreland.

Qualityoftechnology: Soundqualitygood,enabledperfecttranscription

Legend I:Interviewer

T:JohnHogan

I: I’vebeentryingtofindoutamoreusefulandinclusivewayofengagingwith

thecommunity…

J:Firstofallwhenthiswindfarmwassuggestedem(.) theycontactedme,the

LisheenMineswhichwastheirfirststep.AndI’mapublicrep,nowtheyasked

mehowIfeltandIfelttherewouldbeplentyofobjectionstoit.

Ipersonallybelieve in(.)greenerenergy, idbea firmbelieverthatweneedto

change thewaywe operate theworld andweneed to take a hard look at the

world around us. If we don’t where going to burn up and that’s the long and

shortofit.Globalwarmingisn’tajokeit’sareality.

But anyway so: I said id agreewith it so they said thatwhat they felt thatwe

shoulddoistosetupa‘ParishForum’,whichwasanexcellentideabecausethat

ParishForumwassetupfortodealwiththiswindturbinething,anditsworking

eversince.SowesetupaParishForumtodiscuss thewhole thingandhavea

formalparishstructureforsomethinglikethiscominginbecauseitcouldhavea

detrimentaleffectwedidn’tknowyousee.Theproblemisignorance(.)anawful

Page 240: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

240

lotofpeoplehaven’taclue.Theythinkit’sgoingtodothemharm,buttheydon’t

reallyknow.

SowesetuptheParishForumandweelected15or16people.Everyonecameto

themeetingeveryonewasallowedtosuggestsomebodyandthehighest16came

tothevoteandgotelectedwhatever.Sothenwestartedtodiscusstheissues.So

the first thingwe didwaswewent around and looked at variouswind farms

around the country. Now we found one negative guy from who lived below

RockchapelinCoCork.Shetoldustheysoundedlikeaeroplanesandhelicopters

atnight.

I:Okyeah?

J:Butshesaidshewasona lotofmedication for it.And then Iaskedherhow

longwassheon themedication?Andshesaid20years.And Iaskedhearhow

longtheturbinesup?2years…

I:Haha(laughter)

J:(Laughter)Funnythingaboutitis(.)onegirlgotthatintohearheadonourbus

and she went off and contacted national bodies who where opposed to wind

farmsandbroughtthemallbackandsaidtheywheregoingtodeafeneverybody

andallthethingsonthatthingIgaveyou.Theirgoingtodamagethewater,the

environment, landvalueswouldbedown40%.Landvalueshaven’tdropped (.)

onesinglecent.Thedearestpieceoflandeversoldinareparishwassoldabout

seven years ago under the turbines. 21,000(€) per acre forpurely agricultural

land.Fornothingelse.

I:Soit’salljustfalse?

J:Justrubbish.Ifafarmerwantsland,he’llbuyitsupposingthedevilissittingon

it.Theydon’t care. If there is sucha thing!They’llbuy it, theydon’t care. If its

besideanuclearreactorifafarmerwantsitthey’llbuyit.That’sthereality.Soit

Page 241: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

241

didn’taffectanythinglikethatbutem:butthenasthefourofusthensetupthen

westartednegotiatingprice.

WhathappenedwasIwenttothemines,andIsaidtothem,what’sinitforthe

local community?So this iswhat I think isgoodpractice.Theysaid “I suppose

there has to be something in it for them”. How do you envision giving us

something?Theysaid, “wecantgiveyousomething” (.) “are company isAnglo

Americanandtheywouldn’tgiveyouanything”hesaid.Doyouknow,theirstock

exchange(.)theywillgiveaslittleastheycan.

SoIsaidwhatwaywillweworkit.Themanagerofmineisacleveroldfella(.)a

greatmanforcorporatesocialresponsibility.Infairnesstohim.Hesaidthat“if

youcouldworkitthroughtheplanningprocess”.SoIwenttotheplannersandI

saidcanyouput inacondition, thattheyhavetogivesomuchperturbineper

yeartothecommunity.Theplannersays“Jesuswecantdothatunlesssomeone

askesustodothat.Ithastocomefromthepublicasasubmission”.SoIwentto

thelocalmeetingsanywayandIsuggested(.)Ishouldhavewaitedawhile(.)that

weshouldputinasubmissionlookingforsomethingfortheseturbines.SoIwas

booedandhissedasthelocalcouncillorputtingupthewhiteflag.Thefollowing

morningIwokeupandtherewaspostersattheendofmylane“localcouncillors

shouldsupportlocalpeople”.Nowmywifesaidtomeyoumadeamistakethere

Johnwhatareyougoing todo. I said theelectionwascomingup in twoyears

later,Icouldn’tgiveashitletthemvoteformeiftheywant.I’mnotgoingtotell

themIbelievethatturbinesarewrongif I thinktherenot. I’mnotgoingtotell

themtokeepburningcoalandpeat.AndsoIsaidIknowthisisthewayIseeit.I

knowwecangetsomethingoutofit.

SoIwenttothenextmeeting,anywaytheysaidtome“againyoucannotsendin

an application (.) they said you don’t represent us”. Even though I’m the only

councillorinthearea,there’snooneelse.SoIsaidwhorepresentsyou.Sowho

represents theparish?Theysaid theparishpriestrepresentsus(.) that’swhat

theysaid.

Page 242: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

242

I:Ok…

J:Theparishpriestisaveryquiteman,FrMurphy(.)veryquiteman.Sotheysaid

FrMurphycouldputinasubmission.SoIdrewupasubmissionandgaveittoFr

Murphy.HeaskedmewouldIworkwithhim.Butthedayofthe(.)thing(.)he

said hewas being bullied toomuch, he couldn’t sign it. Toomany calls to his

house toomuchpressureonhim. Soeventually I had to send in a submission,

andIdidit.Lookingfor40,000peryearfromtheturbines.

I:Andisthisbeforeeventheplanningwas…

J:Theplanningwasgranted.ButIknewitwouldbegranted.

I:Sofullygranted?SotheEIAandeverythingwasalreadydone?

J:Yeseverythingwasdone.Buttheplanningpermissionwasgoneinbuthadn’t

beengranted.Nowidspokenwiththeplannersandsaidyouknowthere’sallota

dis…of concernmaybe.But I don’t think there’s toomanywhere against it (.)

certainvoiceswherevery strong in the community. I think themajorityof the

community didn’t actually mind. A certain amount of voices where very

concernedandIsaidyaknowdoyouhavetogiveplanningpermission?Andthey

saidtheydon’tseeanyreasonwhytheywouldn’t.Thatitwasabsolutelysuitable,

thedensityofhousingwasverylow,itwasverynearBoglandandallatoneside

wasbog..

I: Did they getmany you know negative comments into the comment section

duringtheplanningstage.

J: There was 65. They where an organised group. Twas there selves their

mothersand there sistersand therebrothers.Agroupmanybeof the core15

whereprobablywheremostlyresponsibleforthe65.Andtheywhereallinthe

onetownsland.Infairnesstheyhadconcernsaboutthem.

Page 243: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

243

I:Sotheydidputthatinandtheyhadasay?

J:Theydidhaveasay,ohh:::theydidhaveasay(.)yeahandtheyhiredanexpert

tocomedownandtheygotontelevisionnational televisioncomplainingabout

thesethings.Theywheregoingtodestroyalltheirlivesandallthisstuff.Sothey

madenationalheadlines like (.)Butat the same timea silentmajorityweren’t

opposedtothem.IfyouknowwhatImean.

I:Yeah,yeah..

J:ButIthinktheLisheenMines,thedevelopers,alsoknewthat.Sotheykindof

rodethestormandlettheplanningprocesstakeitscourse.

J:Sowhenthatwasdoneanyway,theplannersputitintotheconditionthatthey

give 30,000 per year indexed linked to the local community. But the biggest

problemis(.)andIthinkivgotthatwithme(.)Whatwasthelocalcommunity?

Toestablishthatthen…

I:Yeahbecauseit’squiteconfusingwiththedifferent layouts,evenwithall the

differentturbinefieldsnexttoeachother.

J:Myselfandafewotherssetup(.)(takesoutadocumentandshowsme)this

every quickly to see what is the local community. The community could be

considered Abbeyleix. We considered it as the Parish of Moyne Templetuohy,

becausewewheretheonesupagainstit.Sowesetupastructureeveryyearwe

would(.)agetthis30,000thoughamechanismwhereyougetpound(.)eurofor

euro.Ifyouspendaeurooncapitalprojectforyourparishyougetbackaeuro

off this fund. Its not for day to daymaintenance of clubs or anyt.. a good few

peoplewhere very annoyed about that. But I thought itwas the onlywaywe

couldprogresstheparish,ratherthengiveitforthedaytodayrunningyougive

itforcapitalexpenditureand50%.Andthatworkedparticularlywell.

Page 244: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

244

What Ididafter thatwas thenandI felt itwaswrongof thecouncil tomakea

communitydothisthemselves.Butthatshouldhavebeenpolicy.Butyouseeas

usualthecouncilisamillionmilesaway.Somethinghastohappen,theirreactive

ratherthenproactive.

I:Yeah,Yeah..

J: So in the last countydevelopmentplan I got thedevelopmentplan changed.

Thateverydeveloperhastogive€4,500perturbinetoeachcommunity.Sono

matterwhereorwhenonesbuiltinTipperaryithastobeinthedevelopment.

I:That’sverygoodIwasgoingtoaskyouaboutthat.

J:IlookedforIcanvasedforthechangeinthecountydevelopmentplan.

Ithinkalackofunderstandingisthebiggestproblemoutofthesecases.People

feel likethena fewyearsagoTV3contactedme, Imighthavetoldyouthis the

other day. They where in the midlands doing a program all about massive

objectionstoaem:(.)bigwindfarmthatBordnaMónawheredeveloping.They

saidtheremustbeallotofpeopleupsetaroundyou(.)andIsaidno. Itsnotits

notIthatIwasinfavour.Iwasn’tactuallyinfavourofthematall,Ijustwasn’t

againstthem.

Sotheysaid“theremustbepeopledownthereveryupsetovertheseturbines?

Youknowarethereanyhouseswithin500m?”Isaidtheywhereopposedtoit

initiallybutnowtherenot.So theysaid tome“Doyouknowanybody?” and I

saidlistenilltellyouwhatilldo.Justsou’llgivefaircoverageinthemedia.Isaid

youcomedownandilldriveyouaroundareareaandanyhouseyousaystopat

ill stopand illgo inand introduceya. Illwalkawayand let themtellyouwhat

theirviewsareonwindturbines.Andthat’swhatwedid.

I:Youdidyeah?

Page 245: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

245

J:Wedid.Theywentintoaboutfourorfiveofthemandtheyplayedallofthem.

Everyoneofthemsaidthesamething.“Aw::Ohh:wewherekindofagainstthem

inthebeginning,wedon’tseethem,wedon’thearthem,wedon’tnoticethem.

Theyplaynonegativepartinarelives.”

I: So do you think that the information going back to when they first put in

(planning)doyouthinktheinformationgiventothem,thelocalcommunitywas

itadequate?YouknowthewayitsstipulatedintheEIAthatyouhavetoengage

withthecommunity.

J:Ifeelitwasminimal.

I:Soyoufeelitwasminimal?

J:Itwasminimal.Itwasgoodbutitwasstillminimal.Itwasbetterthanwehad

inalotofthingsbeforehand.Youknowthere’sallotofplanningpermissionsfor

various projects we hear nothing. At least the held open meetings in local

communitycentresandinvitedpeopleintohavealookatit.

I:Okanddidtheydistributeanyleafletsor…

J:Onthatnighttheydidyes.Theydid.WellIfelt(.)IshouldhavehadthosebutI

don’tknowwheretheyare.ButIfeltmaybetheyshouldhavemaybecontacted

individualobjectorsandtalkedtothemabouttheirconcerns.Maybegoonatrip

withthe(.)whenwewentoffwehiredabusandwewenttolookmaybecome

withus.Talktothepeople,bepartofus.

Itbecameathemandusratherthen,welllet’sjustdothisforeverybody,you’re

goingtogainoutof itandwe'regoingtogainoutof it.Everybodygains in the

finishthat’stherealityandwegainasanationwiththeuseofgreenenergy.

I:Andmeetingarequotas.

Page 246: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

246

J: Yeah andmeeting arequotas and avoiding fines from theEU that’s the long

andtheshortofit.

I: Another thing I’m looking at iswhether they had an impact on the decision

makingprocesswithintheplanswhentheywherebeingmade?

J:Nowedidn’thaveanyimpactinthenono.WellIsupposeinfairnesstothem

they initially looked for 22 and they got 18 (.) because the planning process.

Theydidhaveanimpactbecausetheplanningprocessagreedwithsomeofthem

maybetheywherealittletonearoneanother,apopulatedareaorsomethingso

therenumberswhere reduced.And in fairness to thedevelopers, theyweren’t

overly concerned over that. That’s fine they where willing to listen and they

didn’tobjecttothattheydidn’tappealit.Ifelttheywherereasonableaboutthat.

I:Didyounoticeachangeinthecommunitybetweenphaseoneandphasetwo?

J:Yes

I:Likeafterthefirstphaseobviously…

J:Firstphase(.) secondphasewas thecommunity.Thecommunitybuilt them.

Thechairmanoftheantiwindfarmgrouphasfiveofthemonhis land.Andhe

realised (.) you interviewedRichy, he realised that listen therenot asbadas I

thought.Andthat’swhathesays.Ihavetobelievehim.Hebuilt5ofthem.And

everyonesaidfine,grand.

The funny thing is, there was there was, actually more division within the

communityinthesecondphase,justsomepeoplewherejealousofothersgetting

them.Thatactuallydidn’tmind,somuch(.)idknowwhenI’mouttheirspeople

sort of saying “oh that fella, he wants it all, look at him now he’s getting the

turbines. Hewas against them last year (.) aw feckers theywant everything”.

Whereas they didn’t mind a multinational company getting them because we

Page 247: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

247

don’t know them butwhen your neighbour is being better then ya its often a

problem.

Ithinkthatwasthecaseupthemidlands,becauseIhadseveralseveralvisitors

in the midlands who use to call to me when this proposed one was up the

countryandallotofthemwhereaskingme“andhowmuchwouldamangetifhe

hasoneinafieldbesidehim”.Inhisfield.AndandIsaidwhydoyouask?“My

neighboursgettingtwoandimgettingnon.Andthiswasallotoftheissue.When

thereneighbourwasgoingtoendup(.)yougetapprox.€25,000perturbineper

yearifoneofthemgoesuponyourlandforrent.Andtheywhereworriedthat

theirneighbourwouldhave€50,000ayearandtheywouldn’t.Andthat..

I:Thatelementplaysintoit..

J: That plays into it and is that’swhat’s divisive about communities, suddenly

yourmakingonemuchwealthierthenanother.Whereastheywherealllivingin

harmony, peas in a pod for years and suddenly one becomeswealthy and the

otherdoesn’t.(.)Itdividespeople,that’shumannature.

I:Anditsprobablyverydifficulttoplanthesethings….

J:itisverydifficult..

I:tokeepthatinmindifyour..

J:it’simpossible,itspracticallyimpossiblehowwouldyoudealwithityoucant.

I:Butdoyouthinkthatthiscommunitycouldwouldbeagoodexampleofarural

Irishcommunity,foraslikeatextbookexample?

J:Where a text book local well knit community all maybe traditional (.) Irish

traditions.TheGAA,CatholicandalltheusualthingsthatgowithruralIreland,

Page 248: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

248

music running and all those things. It would be a very very tight knit local

community.Decentlivingpeopleyouknow..

I:Yeahyeah.Doyouthinkyoucouldtakethisexperienceandputitelsewh…

J:Ithinksoyoucouldputitanywhere.Ifyouusedtherightmodel.I’dsayifthe

LisheenMinewas back again theywould have learned from there experience.

Youknowprobably,moreengagement.Theymadeagoodstabat it.Maybeset

up the forum first and invite them in and saywhere thinking of doing awind

farm.Tellthemwhatthebenefitsofit.

AndIfoundaswellthatwhathappensis,thebenefitsofthatwouldbe.Whenyou

hold the first meeting there’s 120 people in the hall or wherever a small

community is, there’s20 roaring.Youholda secondmeetingand there’s80 in

thehallandthere’s10roaring.Youholdthethirdmeetingthere’s20inthehall.

Butwhathappensistheycometoclosetotheplanningpermissionandtheyall

get fired up.Whereas if you start holding themway out, by the time it comes

aroundtosay“is thatnotbuiltyet” theyhavegottenover the fearsandgotten

over.. (.) Iv found with communities (.) advanced warning is extremely

important.Ivbeendealingwithcommunities,ivbeenacouncillorfor16yearsI

knowiftheyadvancewarnthemthenyouhavetoeducatethem,itrelaystheir

fears.

I: Ifyou lookat it theEIAwascompleted in2006andtheconstructionstarted

around2009.

J:Yeahyeahsowhatdateisonthatreport,thatIgaveyouthere?

I:AhthereyougoMarch.

J:YeahMarch06,thatshouldhavebeengiventothepublicthenandthatshould

have been out there, such that would be inmy view. I suppose it was a new

process they hadn’t engaged previously. I suppose sometimes some people

Page 249: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

249

would (.) the old fashioned view would be to say as little as you can and

hopefullytheywontnotice.ButIfeelyourwaybetterofftoengagewith,talkto

themandgenuinelyrelay their fears.Youknowandtakethemawayandshow

themdifferentthings,talktopeopleotherpeoplewilltellya.Ifsomebodycome

toareparish,theretoldtogoawayanddon’tworryaboutit.Wegotnothingout

ofit,wherenotworriedaboutit.Theywilltellyoupersonallyanyofthemwent

thoughthefirstphasesaidIdidn’tgainpersonallytheparishgainedtherewas

noproblem.Ithinkthat’simportant.

Wellyoucouldusethatasamodel,averygoodmodel.

I:Allotoftheseacademicreadingsreallydon’tlookintothecontextualareathat

much, I know that they have to approach things on a grand level in a kind of

guidelinekindofway.

Youknowthecurrentguidelines(.)Iwasgoingtoaskyouthataswell,inIreland

with thealloweddistances for turbines.Theykindofhave tobesetup tobea

catchall….

J:What frustrates thepeoplemorehere in Ireland is there’smore, therewasa

windcharacterassessmentdoneallright.Buttheydidn’tactuallypickareasthey

actuallysaidnoto.Andthatannoyspeople.

There’s landmarks say like Slievenamon an important hill(mountain) in

Tipperary.Althoughtheyhaventputturbinesonitthere’snothingintheplansto

saytheycant.

I:Yeah.

J:AndtheresanareadowninFaugheenCarrick-on-Suirthat’shugeresentment

downtheretoproposedwindfarms.Vastresentmentanditsbecauseit’savery

scenic area people have always visited it as a scenic area. So I suppose their

Page 250: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

250

issues that the planning authority hadnt deltwith it, they feel that they havnt

beenprotectedenoughinthoesareas.Thatneedstobedone.Youknow.

I:Doyouthinkthefactthattheressomuchboglandintheareathatplayedinto

development,youknowitbeingasparslypopulatedarea..

J:Yes(.)yesithelped..

I:alsousedupindustrualarea

J: It is thepeatland is almostmilledout like. So it isunused landallotof it, so

peoplearesayingwhatharmisitdoinganybody.Andthebirdslike,therewhere

so many people on about the birds. Theres a guy called Shaun O’ Farrel, you

shouldlookhimupdoingyourthesis.ShaunO’Farrelheworkedonbehalfofthe

governmentmonitoringthebirdsthereforthelast7or8yearsaroundthewind

farms. Imet him resently, he toldme he had onlymet one bird dead under a

turbineinthelast8years.Andhesaiditwas(.)itwas(.)hedoesn’tknowif it

washitby(.)ithadamarkbuthedoesn’tknowitwashitbytheturbine.Itmight

havebeenhitelsewhereandmadeitasfarastheturbine.Hesaidtherewasno

evidenceanywherethatbirdswherebeingkilledbythem.Allthisstuffaboutthe

HenHarrier.

I:Ohyeah it causes about2yearsof a checking if it’s aHenHarrier area.You

havetohave1or2yearsofchecking,tomakesurethatitsnoahighlypopulous

area.

J: A councillor in are council, Mattie Ryan, he’s a real mountainy fellow near

Nenagh and he lives where (.) he lives with the Hen Harriers like up in the

mountains.Andhesaidinacouncilmeetingoneday,therewasafellagoingon

abouttheprotectingHenHarriersandtheseturbines(.)oh::sureMattiesays(in

anoverthetopaccent)“aHenHarriercanspotamouseinthegrassfrom200

yards and there going to run into a turbine 139m high” (Laughter)…. A Hen

Page 251: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

251

Harrierwouldneverrunintoaturbine(.)sureiftheywherethereforeverthey

wouldneverrunintoaturbine.Thereabletotravelatmassivespeedsandpick

outamouseat200m(.)butsurelook.Nowhavingsayingthat(.)youhaveto(.)

wecant(.)wehavetolookafterallarespecies.

I:Yeahwehaveover33.3%ofraisedbogsintheEU..

J:Wehave,andtherenotprotectedatall really (.)notatall (.) theyshouldbe

protected.

TheinterestingthingaswelliswhenBordNaMónabuiltawindturbinesbehind

our(.)LisheenMinesones.Theybuilt12of14more.BordNaMónahadmassive

rowswiththecommunity(.)theyhavenocorporatesocialresponsibility.They

felt like giving you a job was corporate social responsibility and they gave

nothingtothecommunity(.)Imeannothing,andwecontactedthemyouknow,

whatareyougoingtodowithyourwindturbines(.)liketheLisheenMineshad

givenus(.)anditwasn’tmandatoryinKilkennyandLaoiswheretheyhad(.)do

you knowwhenwe changed the county development plan? They hadn’t been

changedatthatstage.

I:Yeah.

J:Butthey,thefactthatLisheendidwhattheydid,gavethecontribution(.)there

(Bord Na Móna) doing the very same again. So there now giving a voluntary

donationeveryyeartothe localcommunities.Andpeopleareveryhappy,they

are hoping more will come up down there, around that area of Laois. Down

towardsyour(.)country(.)Clonmeenand(.)itgoesoffintheotherway.

I:Yeahitwassurefrommygranny’shouse..

J:Who’syourgranny?

I:MygrannywasMaryWhelan.

Page 252: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

252

J:MaryWhelan,who’sshenow?Ahsureillprobablyknow…

I: Sure you can check it up, but em:: sure iv been looking broading (.) to you

knowtheAarhusConvention?

J:Pardon?

I:TheAarhusConvention?

J:No.

I:It’sbasicallyoneoftheseoverarchingconventionswhereyouhavetohave(.)

withinEU law they are trying tomake it that youhave, access to information,

accesstodecisionmakingprocessesandaccesstojustice.Asapersoninregards

totheenvironment.

J:Ineversawthat?

I: Yeah that’s the thing, im looking into that as well, its suppose to be (.) its

Aarhus, that with two As. It’s the second largest city in Denmark, it was a

conventionthatwasdonein2008(.)1998,Ithinkitonlycameintolawherein

thelate2000s.ButI’mnotentirelysurehowfixedinthelawitis,itskindofone

ofthese(.)youknowit’saguidelineor…

J:YeahbuyyouseeinIrelandtheywillsayputupasignnoticeyouknow,then

youcangoifyouwishtotheplanningauthority.Butthat’sabitunfairbecauseif

someone…

I:Itsnotaccesstoinformation…

J:Itsnot,someoftheresidentsthatwerearoundthosewindfarmsah:wouldbe

inthere80s.Noideahowtouseacomputer.Wouldn’tbeabletotraveltogoto

Page 253: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

253

meetings.Sotheymightseethesignbuttheyweretotallyisolatedfromthattype

ofthing.

I:Youseethat’salsowhatI’mlookinginto,becauseyouknowyouhavewindows

torespondwithhearingsandeverythingbut(.)howlongdoyouneed,andhow

oftendoyouhavesomeonetoengagewiththesepeople?

J: Realistically they should (.) send a copy, make a copy of the planning

permission available in your local community centre. Full access. In those

situations I would believe that (.) and if you did that everybody would come

down.Everybody.Youknowtheywouldcomeandhavealook.Itshouldbethere

at all stages (.) if therewas further information there shouldbea copyof that

madeavailable.That,thatwouldbeaccesstoinformation.Thatsnotdone.

I:No. Itsnot.Theotherelements I’vbeenable togleamfromthe interviews iv

done is that there has been access to justice and there is access to decision

makingbuttoacertaindegree.That’swhatI’mresearching.

J:IdtellyouwhatengagementtheyhadbutIdon’tknow.

I:Thescoping..

J:Itprobablyhassome.Itprobablyhassome,Icantremember.

I:Ithoughtgettingmyhandsonthiswouldbealmostimpossible.

J:WellIgotmyhandsonthatasthelocalrep,soIheldontoit.

I:Howmanycouncillorsarethere?

J:I’mtheonlyone(.)imtheonlyonearoundthatarea.

I:Sowhatareaisthat?

Page 254: The Aarhus Convention and the Experience of Public ...stud.epsilon.slu.se/9827/1/devane_d_j_161117 (1).pdf · to Justice in Environmental Matters (European Commission, 2005). It set

254

J:It’sMoyne/Templetuohyandallthatarea.

I:Andhowmanycouncillorsarethereoverall?

J: There’s 9 in the Thurles/ Roscrea municipal district but I’m the only one

betweenMoyne/Templetuohy, Loughmore, Castleiney, Drom and Borrisoleigh.

Allthatarea,AnGharraí,Littleton.Itsabout12or14ruralparishes.Imtheonly

onaroundthatarea.

I:That’sgreat,wellitlookedlikeyouhelpedyourcommunityanyway.

InterviewEnd.