Mayo councillors unanimously oppose wind farm development near Céide Fields citing impact on tourism and heritage
Councillors have unanimously supported a report from Mayo County Council's planning department recommending against granting planning permission for the proposed Tirawley Wind Farm.
The application, submitted by Constant Energy Ltd to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), is seeking permission to construct 16 wind turbines, a 110kV substation, and associated underground cabling and infrastructure in the Lacken area of north Mayo.
The planning department recommended that permission be refused, citing a range of concerns, including archaeological, environmental, tourism, and road infrastructure impacts.
Particular concern was expressed for the integrity of the Wild Atlantic Way, the Céide Fields, and Downpatrick Head, with planners noting that the scenic views along Mayo's north coast would be significantly affected.
In its report, the department stated that while Mayo County Council is generally supportive of renewable energy projects, the proposed location is not appropriate for a development of this scale.
The application was assessed against Mayo's current Renewable Energy Strategy, which found that the proposal did not align with county policy.
Of the 16 proposed turbines, only three are located on land designated as "preferred" for such development, and eight fall within areas "open for consideration." The remaining five are situated in "open countryside," where such development is considered unsuitable.
The planning department's report was welcomed and endorsed by councillors, and an amendment proposed by Cllr Jarlath Munnelly was also unanimously adopted at the meeting.
Cllr Munnelly's amendment highlighted that Mayo's Renewable Energy Strategy is significantly out of date, and called for it to be urgently revised.
He described making planning decisions based on outdated policy as "reckless" and stressed the importance of making future decisions in line with updated policy.
He also urged the Government to put the draft Wind Energy Development Guidelines on a statutory footing, noting that the document has been in draft form since its publication in 2019.
Cllr Munnelly proposed that the council write to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, requesting that the draft guidelines be enacted, as current planning decisions on wind energy are being made without any up-to-date national policy in place.
The amendment put forward described the Tirawley Wind Farm application as "highly speculative" and "not rooted in any logical interpretation of policy created by Mayo County Council," and highlighted that the application has no local community support.
Cllr Munelly said that the proposal appeared to be driven by where agreements could be reached with landowners, rather than by scientific, engineering, or social considerations.
He noted that the dispersed layout of the proposed turbines supports this view, as do the inconsistencies within the application, which sometimes refer to 16 turbines, other times 18.
The amendment stated that the development would seriously compromise the visual and residential amenity of north Mayo, impacting iconic landscapes such as Céide, Downpatrick Head, Lacken Hill, Kilcummin, and Killala.
Cllr Munelly said the development would significantly undermine this stretch of the Wild Atlantic Way and conflict with the tourism development work being carried out by Fáilte Ireland in the region.
The amendment warned that, if permitted, the wind farm would "destroy the tourism offering of north Mayo" and compromise years of community and council investment towards enhancing the area with walking and cycling routes, beaches, and harbour developments.
It was also noted that the proposal would compromise Mayo County Council's stated objective, as outlined in the current County Development Plan, to seek UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the Céide Fields complex.
Cllr Munnelly criticised what he described as "zero sincere engagement" with the local communities in Ballycastle, Lacken, and Killala, saying there has been no meaningful effort to consult with residents in the areas affected by the proposed development.
Unlike other energy projects in Mayo, for example, EirGrid's North Connacht 110kV Project, which was praised by Ballina Municipal District councillors for its strong community engagement.
"Aside from picking off individual landowners with agreements, in contrast to other developments in Mayo, it appears that the promoters of this project have not engaged with local community groups, have not held open evenings in the vicinity of where the project will be located, or employed a worker to engage with the sincere concerns of people in the area," he told the meeting.
Cllr Munnelly argued that the accompanying Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) "should be ignored," criticising it for containing "inaccurate and false information" and for failing to consider significant archaeological research previously published on the area where the turbines are proposed to be developed.
Further concerns were raised about the project's potential negative impact on Palmerstown Bridge in Killala, a protected structure.
Lastly, the amendment raised concerns about the project's reference to connecting via an underground electricity link to the proposed Killala hydrogen plant, which was said to be "not permitted in Irish law."
A decision by An Coimisiun Pleanala is due by September 28, 2026, on whether to grant planning permission to the Tirawley Wind Farm.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.