An Ennis man is expressing his fury and upset at what he’s described as the ‘crude amputation’ of Clare’s version of the Dark Hedges.
Kilcurrish, a townland near Fountain in Ennis, was home to a tunnel of interwoven hazel trees and hedging, which this week was cut back by Clare County Council.
Clare County Council insist the hedgerows and trees were severely overhanging on the existing roadway and were impacting on the safe passage of heavy goods vehicles and school buses as well as farm machinery, pedestrians and road making equipment.
However, local resident John O’Connor, believes a middle ground could have been found rather than cutting the hedging back completely.
Listen back to the full interview here:
Clare County Council Statement:
‘Clare County Council as a Roads Authority is obliged to inspect and maintain roads throughout the county. Roads and road surfaces are inspected on a yearly basis.
The road at Kilcurrish, Fountain, was inspected in 2022 and was found to be in sub-standard condition and, as a result, has been put forward for restoration maintenance for 2023.
Upon inspection it was noted that the hedgerows and trees were severely overhanging the existing roadway and were impacting on the safe passage of heavy goods vehicles and school buses as well as farm machinery, pedestrians and road making equipment. It was necessary to rectify this issue in advance of carrying out restoration works to the road surface. Under Section 70 of the Roads Act 1993, individual landowners are responsible for trees, hedgerows etc. on or inside their boundaries adjacent to public roads. Notwithstanding this, Clare County Council has a policy of carrying out hedge and verge-trimming in certain circumstances where there is a significant safety issue or where a requirement is identified for road strengthening and surfacing works. Therefore, Clare County Council engaged a contractor to carry out these works.
Where possible Clare County Council endeavours to retain as much hedge as possible. However, we must be also cognisant of the potential for rapid re-growth due to the species present and the subsequent impact on the safety and welfare of all road users. This assessment determines the quantity of cut back to be undertaken.
Under Section 46 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000, hedge cutting is restricted between 1st March and 31st August. This is known as ‘bird nesting season’. Though Clare County Council is an exempt body under the legislation, where possible we strive to carry out all hedge cutting and similar work in advance of bird nesting season in to minimise the impact on the wildlife and habitats.’
