Michael Healy Rae, TD organised a meeting between the Minister for Culture, Heritage and The Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan and representatives from the Turf Cutters of Moanvenlagh Bog in North Kerry.
Go Back Cutting Turf
The meeting was productive and the ultimate aim is to ensure the turf cutters, if they wish, will be allowed to go back cutting turf in areas of the bog to be agreed if at all possible.
Deputy Healy Rae thanked Mick Looney, John Looney and Denis Scannell for coming to Dublin today to put forward their case.
The Focal Point
Moanvenlagh Bog found itself the focal point of a bitter ‘land war’ type of conflict which had its protest centre in Listowel.
The town centre office of then Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan and later Minister of State for the Diaspora also became a focus for the turf-cutters’ campaign and they placed pickets on the office on any strategic occasion open to them.
2016 General Election
Many claimed that the dispute, and the issue around water charges were central to Deenihan losing his seat at the February 2016 general election.
The Moanvenlagh Bog protesters attracted a huge swell of support from up along the west coast with groups from Galway, Roscommon and Tipperary regularly attending the mainly Saturday protest gatherings.
The results of this meeting will be watched with great interest locally and through the turf cutting parts of the country.
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