News
Farmers penalised over National Park blaze
By Sean Moriarty
Local farmers’ grants are being cut as a result of fires on their lands last April.
Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae has hit out at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine after a number of farmers had payments reduced following a huge fire in Killarney National Park earlier this year.
A Garda investigation revealed that the fire was started accidently in the National Park.
It destroyed over 20,000 hectares of upland vegetation and it spread to adjoining farm lands before being brought under control.
It is illegal to burn farm land between March 1 to August 31 and farmers who do so are subject to heavy penalties including a cut in funding from the Basic Payment Scheme.
Healy-Rae said this was unfair on the farmers.
“I find it beyond belief that the Department of Agriculture is cutting those farmers of their farm payments saying that they have burnt ground, considering it was the State’s land that the fire came out of, the farmers did their level best to fight the fire and to keep it out of their property, and now they are being hit with a financial penalty,” he said.
Killarney breaks national May temperature record
Killarney became one of the hottest spots in the country this week as Ireland’s nationalmaximum air temperature record for the month of May was officially broken.
According to data issued by Met Éireann on Tuesday, the weather station at Muckross House recorded a blistering 29.1°C on Tuesday afternoon.
The extraordinary reading comfortably surpassed the previous county May record of 28.4°C, which had stood for nearly three decades after being set in Liscahane Ardfert, on May 31 1997.
The historic warmth came as Northwest Europe was trapped under an intense high-pressure system, frequently referred to as a heat dome.
The unseasonable weather pattern began pushing temperatures toward record levels on Monday when provisional records were initially breached across several nationwide monitoring stations.
Among Met Éireann’s 25 primary synoptic stations, Shannon Airport in County Clare also surpassed the 1997 milestone by reaching 28.6°C.
The Climate and Automatic Monitoring Program (CAMP) network captured the peak of the heatwave, with three independent stations eclipsing the old record on Tuesday and Wednesday, led by the historic high at Muckross House.
Pauline Healy-Reen and her sister Frances at the Gap of Dunloe on Tuesday,
Cars & Coffee for Jack & Jill Foundation
Ballymac Vintage Club will host a Cars & Coffee morning on Bank Holiday Monday, June 1, at Glenduff Manor (V92 YH32).
The event runs from 10:30am to midday, with all proceeds raised on the day going directly to the Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
An optional short local road run will take place immediately after the meetup, with participants returning to Glenduff Manor afterward. All vintage, classic, and modern interest vehicles are welcome to attend.
Ballymac Vintage Club members launching the upcoming Cars & Coffee morning at Glenduff Manor. Left to right: Tom Glover, Kian O’Connor, George Glover, Joan Glover, Brian Glover, Paul Ahern, Mary Lynch, Ivan Groves, Michael Horan, Trish Horan, and Philip Blennerhassett.
Killarney breaks national May temperature record
Killarney breaks national May temperature record Killarney became one of the hottest spots in the country this week as Ireland’s nationalmaximum air temperature...
Cars & Coffee for Jack & Jill Foundation on Monday
Cars & Coffee for Jack & Jill FoundationBallymac Vintage Club will host a Cars & Coffee morning on Bank Holiday...
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