Kilkenny village says ‘no’ to communication mast

A rural Kilkenny community has issued an emphatic ‘no’ to the location of a communicatinos mast in their village.
The community of Kells is united and determined in their mission to prevent a telecommunication mast being re-erected in the centre of their village.

People living in Kells have held two public meetings in recent weeks to discuss an Eir mast that is being erected in the village, and they say they do not want the structure. The second meeting had to be moved to a larger location to accommodate the growing numbers.
The public meetings are the latest move by locals to prevent the mast being allowed to remain in the village.
Community members say they are “determined to maintain that their historic village is not sabotaged by an ugly mast.”

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Permission was refused by Kilkenny County Council in November 2020, but appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Eircom Ltd.
In June 2021 An Bord Pleanala granted permission for the development with conditions, despite a planning inspector’s recommendation it be refused.
Construction on the mast began in April this year, however, according to local residents, that was halted and it was removed in October “never having functioned, on foot of community  complaints/ actions.”

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Local residents now hope they can prevent the re-erection of the mast in the coming weeks. 
“We are the custodians of our village and its 12th Century Priory, that is the oldest monastic settlement in Europe. We have an obligation to look after our historic past and also the health of our young folk for future generations to come,” said a community spokesperson.