This is a very old photo of my father and me, up on Hungry Hill. He was taking air samples. If I remember correctly, he then flew to America with them, and there was some amusement at US Customs about containers filled with "fresh air from Ireland".
Hungry Hill is a marvelous mountain to climb, made of Old Red Sandstone, the slabs of rock often at just the right angle so that you can run up them. From the summit you can see both of the adjacent peninsulas and you feel as if you are on top of the world.
On the right is the bungalow that my parents bought in the 1960`s. It looks out on Bantry Bay, and has Hungry Hill behind it. It was during the long summer holidays back then - when not climbing Hungry Hill - that my father started looking for industrial tracers in the haze that came from Europe. His electron capture detector was so sensitive that it discovered CFCs not only in the haze but in the clean Atlantic air.. Eventually the bungalow became an atmospheric monitoring station, run for many years by Michael O`Sullivan, who lived next door and had originally built the bungalow. I carried on handling the data from it until 1986.
Michael and Teresa O`Sullivan were very special friends. They are sadly no longer alive, but their daughter Anne and granddaughter Caira came over to Barnstaple for John`s 50th birthday party last year.
As a family, we have all loved Ireland very much, most especially the West Cork area that we know best, and it was with great sadness that I learnt that the wind turbine threat had reached this remote and beautiful area.
On the left are links to two groups set up quite recently, and I do recommend them very strongly to all those who care about the wonderful Irish landscape.
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www.kladea.com
An action group formed to oppose the proposed development of 8 gigantic wind turbines near Knockraha village.
Website includes news of All-Ireland Group, and many important documents about noise, etc..
An action group formed to oppose the proposed development of 8 gigantic wind turbines near Knockraha village.
Website includes news of All-Ireland Group, and many important documents about noise, etc..
www.savekilbraney.com
The campaign against the inappropriate siting of 17 wind turbines in the Kilbraney area of Co. Wexford, SE Ireland.
The campaign against the inappropriate siting of 17 wind turbines in the Kilbraney area of Co. Wexford, SE Ireland.