The proposed ban on the sale of turf was roundly condemned by councillors in the Ballina Municipal District this week at their monthly meeting.
Councillors of all political persuasions were unified in their condemnation of the proposal by Minister for Environment, Eamon Ryan, with the Cathaoirleach of the district, Cllr Annie May Reape, offering an open invitation to the Minister to come to the bog with her for a day to do some work on it, to see how good it is for your health and to put in a hard day's work.
Fine Gael councillor John O'Hara opened the debate saying: "I'm very disappointed with Minister Ryan to come up with such a thing, people in rural Ireland live with their own ways and means. All houses can't be retrofitted tomorrow morning and I think it should be done over 20 years." He added: "Turf, I know it does a bit of damage, but I can assure you the planes in the sky going over and back does a lot more to the atmosphere."
Independent councillor Mark Duffy said: "A lot of government measures that are introduced especially in the west are slightly out of touch with the life on the ground, the carrot approach is more than the stick approach. We have huge challenges when it comes to climate that do need to be addressed, we need more incentives and supports for people to retro-fit their homes."
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Loftus added: "The expression 'to hell or to Connacht' now is really showing to be true, what the Greens are proposing - I can assure you that one thing we will be doing is expressing our dissatisfaction to our TDs.
"I think they want us to be like a museum, they don't want anything, but to grow flowers and this that and the other and be in a cave, and show the visitors when they come down from Dublin and then go back."
The Cathaoirleach of the district, Cllr Reape, told the meeting: "We have lobbied, there is no sense or rhyme or reason to any of this decision made. Obviously Minister Ryan knows nothing about rural Ireland. If he does like fresh air, maybe it is somewhere he should be for a day (the bog ). In fairness, all the TDs in the other parties did not agree and have condemned it, I hope it doesn't happen. The invitation is open to him to come to Kilbride bog with me for a day."
