Seasonal plants, Water and the craziness of Fracking.

Rhubarb season is in full swing now. Jam has been made, chutney recipes are being searched out and crumbles are on the menu. Last night I made a Strawberry, Rhubarb and Sweet Cicely crumble. Delicious! In our haste to eat it I forgot to take a pic to tease you with.

The Daffodils have lasted such a long time this year. They are starting to lose their vibrancy now but they’ve been flowering for about 6 weeks. Usually the Spring brings lots of rain and wind which flattens them pretty quickly, but this year we have actually had a Spring with proper Spring weather.      Huge areas of England are already in drought conditions with hose bans in force in many areas. I find it crazy that in midst of their water shortage the English government have given the go ahead to the resumption of hydraulic fracturing for gas in Lancanshire. This destructive process using millions of gallons of water each day to fracture the rock which then releases the gas.  This water is then poisoned with chemicals and naturally occuring heavy metals and radioactive elements. So poisoned that it is not reusable by man or beast. It does’nt make sense to me. We need to remember that all the water that will ever be is already on the Planet. It is not a renewable resource.  Here in Ireland the fight continues to make our government see sense and not allow hydraulic fracturing in our country.

In the back field the big Sycamore is in full leaf . I really love this tree and how it’s branches have taken the shape of outstretched arms…reaching to the heavens in it’s daily worship of Mother Nature.

Underneath the kitchen window this little Azalea is about to burst into full bloom. It never fails to give a great display year on year.

On the lane Primroses are giving their annual display. All parts of the plant are edible and a few of the flowers look lovely decorating a salad. An infusion of the fresh plant can be used to make a cough remedy and a mildly sedative tea. It is however protected in the wild so unless you have a profusion of them in your own garden it’s best to admire them and leave them to Nature.

A  plant which you can pick to your heart’s content is Sorrel. It gives a lovely lemony kick to a mixed salad and can be cooked as a vegetable. The succulent leaves are pleasant to eat raw and are a great thirst quencher. It grows in abundance here as it likes the damp, acidic soil. Mother Nature provides.

A Black Day for Ireland.

Today, February 14th, is a Black Day for Ireland. A year to the day when the previous Government issued preliminary licences to 3 companies to explore for gas in several counties, it is the day when Tamboran, an Australian company who have licences for the north-west, are allowed to “brief” the TDs (MPs) in Dail Eireann(Irish Parliament). Members of the public are not allowed to attend this “briefing” and it will not be broadcast.

Whilst the companies do not yet have licences to drill, people are worried. The gas is sitting in shale rock. To release the gas from shale a process called hydraulic fracturing is used. Commonly called fracking this process has proved controversial wherever it is used. The next stage of licensing would allow exploratory drilling using fracking. We here in the north west do not want this to happen. Why? Just look at the photo above. This photo, taken just outside Drumshanbo, shows our beautiful river Shannon. This river, the longest in the country at 214 miles, is precious to us. We do not want it contaminated with escaping methane and chemicals.

I’m not going to try to prove the case against fracking here. More qualified and able people than I have done that…many times over . If you want to read and listen to the evidence go to www.whatthefrack.org.  This area is known for it’s beautiful scenery and tourism. Tamboran have promised many jobs… up to 1,500. The question is…how many farmers and tourist industries will be out of business if this abomination comes to pass? It does’nt make sense!

In America many wells and aquifers have been destroyed by escaping gas and chemicals. There is no reversing this damage. I have seen heartbreaking footage of people whose health has been destroyed forever. Cancer, respiratory diseases and damage to reproductive and nervous systems are just some of the problems people are left with. All to line the pockets of the already rich. Is this the destiny of Ireland and it’s people? This is’nt just the concern of the people here in the north-west. Licences have also been issued for Clare, Limerick, north Cork, north Kerry and over the border in Fermanagh. The Shannon runs from Cavan to Limerick, it touches on many counties along the way. Dublin is expected to be taking some of it’s water supply from the Shannon in the near future. Do the million or so people living there matter? Of course they do! We all matter! This is our land, our water, our air, our future. Why destroy it for short-term gain?

What can you do to help stop this happening?  Get informed, then inform others. Tell your TDs and councillors that you want a ban on fracking throughout Ireland. Highlight the issue with local and national media. Help spread the word on social media.

Recently Enda Kenny, our Taoiseach (Prime Minister), called on us all to “put on the green jersey” in the face of current austerity measures. Now I believe it is time for Enda and the rest of his cronies (sorry I meant government) to wear the green jersey.

Stop this madness…BAN FRACKING NOW!

(Black Day for Ireland logo designed by Tracey Jean Yappa (Tatty).

Artists against Fracking.

Last night I attended an exhibition in Carrick on Shannon which was a collabaration between 5 artists using various media working to create an awareness of the issue of hydraulic fracturing.The Engage Collective is made up of Stephen Rennicks, David Spense, David J, Brigitta Varadi and mentor David Michaelek.  Regular visitors here will know that the threat of hydraulic fracturing has been a worry for the people in counties Leitrim, Cavan, Sligo, Roscommon and Donegal since our Government (in their infinite wisdom) give preliminary licences to 2 companies earlier this year. Whilst these licences do not permit drilling…desktop studies only…the next step would permit test drilling. These licences could be applied for in 2012. I won’t give info on hydraulic fracturing here…or fracking as it is more usually known…there are lots of websites with info available. One of the most informative is www.what-the-frack.org . The most striking exhibit last night…for me anyway…was a series of portraits of people living in the area. Beautifully captured by David Michalek the pictures were starkly displayed around the white painted brick walls.

The portraits were also available as a set of postcards free to take home…that’s what I have shown above. On the reverse of each postcard each person…children, farmers, artists and students to name but a few expressed what aspect of their lives they felt was threatened by the threat of hydraulic fracturing. Air, health, water, family and land were a few of the things people thought at risk. So much at risk and for what? To continue to line the pockets of  rich men in high places who don’t care about us here on this little island…don’t care about the last wilderness left in this country…don’t care if we become ill…don’t care if our air is destroyed. All to continue to line the pockets of already rich investors and provide the energy that could be obtained from solar, wind and wave power.

 If the companies get the go ahead for test drilling that will be the beginning of the end of all we hold dear. Agriculture and tourism…our 2 main industries will be destroyed. Who would want to tour the fracklands? The diagram above shows the possible scenario for North Leitrim if this madness goes ahead. The red squares show frack pads with the tentacles of the rigs fracking the earth reaching underneath the beautiful Lough McNean. Crazy? I think so. A huge campaign has been mounted to have a ban on hydraulic fracturing applied to Ireland. Hopefully the politicians will awake from their stupor of ignorance and not allow this to go any further. If not… well…we’re not called the fighting Irish for nothing!

For more info on the project and the artists involved check out www.engagecollective.wordpress.com

Meet The Frackers!

Regular readers of this blog will know that our lives here in the north-west of Ireland have not been the same since May of this year. It was then that we discovered that the traitors that formed the last government had given licensing options to two companies to explore for gas in the Lough Allen Carboniferous Basin, an area that covers 432,000 acres of the most beautiful landscape imaginable, some of the last remaining wilderness on this island.

I won’t give info on fracking or to give it it’s correct name hydraulic fracturing here, there is lots of information widely available on the internet on the topic. I will say that it is  a process that damages health, of humans and animals,  brings large amount of heavy traffic, causes light and noise pollution, uses vast quantities of water which after being used to frack wells is highly toxic. These are just a few of the problems fracking brings with it.

 This week Tamboran, one of the companies issued licences by the aforementioned traitors, decided to meet with the public and councils in our area. On Monday they gave a presentation to our local council in Carrick-on-Shannon outlining what wonderful benefits, (facetious, Moi!), they will bring to our communities. Tamboran’s most debated claim is that they will not use chemicals in their fracking operations in Ireland. This has not been trialed anywhere on the planet but they want us “put our trust in them”. They want us the Irish people to give our approval to basically being guinea pigs. Even if chemicals were not used can you picture the above landscape with drilling pads every kilometer.

A small section of the demonstration at the Council Offices in Carrick-on-Shannon on Monday.

Last night they gave a public presentation in Enniskillen. They also have licences in Northern Ireland. The large audience there were not receptive to their plan nor did they believe their sales patter. The message was “WE DON’T WANT THIS, WE DON’T TRUST YOU”. Tonight there is a presentation in Carrick-on-Shannon. I am certain the message will be the same. WE LOVE OUR AREA AS IT IS, LEAVE IT ALONE! Last week there was a public information meeting in the same town. The 600 people there were highly informed already on the topic and the consensus was “NO! NO! NO! 

If you wish to help us in this looming battle please to go www.what-the-frack.org and sign the online petition there. If you are living in Ireland please start lobbying the government, especially Pat Rabbitte who is the relevant Minister. Inform yourself, this should concern everyone. Don’t be silent. Look what happened in Rossport.

Thoughts from Prospect Cottage on Solstice Eve.

Here we are again at the Eve of Solstice, the time of great abundance , the time when Mother Nature’s gifts are so plentiful. For me it is a time of stillness, a time to contemplate, a time for an increased awareness of the vibrancy of the surrounding nature. I love to just be here on our place at this time. To work outdoors, be quiet, be aware of the power of the Sun as it reaches it’s zenith.

This year in the north west of this little island of Ireland, for me there is a poignancy. About 6 weeks ago now we found out that our government has given exploration licences for gas in the Lough Allen Basin, an area that covers 204,000 acres of beautiful unspoilt countryside. If it goes ahead it will involve the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing commonly known as fracking. It will not go ahead without a fight that’s for sure. But still I ask myself , WHY? How can a government be stupid enough to even contemplate the permitting of  the rape and violation of some of the last wild places left on this island?

Why are they bowing down to the powers of globalisation, the exploiters, the perpetuators of greed that are once again being allow to invade, unimpeded, this country which fought so long and so hard for freedom? It is beyond my comprehension.

So, at this Solstice, this time of abundance, it feels for me, like the calm before the storm that is rapidly approaching. But,  like all great battles, it must be fought.

Happy Solstice to you all. Do join me early tomorrow morning in rising early to observe the Sun as it rises to it’s highest, most powerful position.