The growing use of LED street lights, floodlights and security lighting is raising serious concerns about the impact of artificial light on bats, migratory birds, insects and the wider natural environment. Recent court proceedings have highlighted why these concerns cannot simply be ignored.
Modern LED lighting is widely promoted as environmentally friendly because it consumes less electricity, reduces carbon emissions and lowers maintenance costs. However, an important question is increasingly being asked; Are we saving energy at the expense of our wildlife?
Scientific research confirms that artificial light at night can interfere with the natural behaviour of wildlife, disrupting feeding, migration, reproduction and essential biological rhythms.
For thousands of years, wildlife has depended upon the natural cycle of daylight and darkness. Today, that delicate balance is increasingly disturbed by powerful artificial lighting.
Bats Are Particularly Vulnerable.
Ireland’s bats are legally protected, yet many are highly sensitive to artificial illumination. Bats depend upon dark hedgerows, rivers, woodlands and countryside corridors to travel between their roosts and feeding grounds. Bright street lights can discourage certain bat species from using established routes, effectively creating barriers across otherwise suitable habitats. Lighting near roosting sites can delay bats emerging to feed, reducing opportunities to catch insects during the important hours after sunset.
Although some bat species feed around street lights, others actively avoid them. Consequently, installing additional lighting may benefit a few species while seriously disadvantaging others.
Migratory Birds Also Face Serious Risks.
Artificial lighting can disorient birds migrating at night, drawing them away from established routes and increasing the risk of exhaustion and collisions.
Floodlighting near wetlands and feeding grounds can also discourage protected birds from using habitats essential to their survival.
This is especially concerning where conservation measures are intended to restore declining bird populations.
Insects.
Insects, meanwhile, are attracted to artificial lights, which can interfere with their feeding, reproduction and pollination activities. The consequences extend throughout the food chain.
An Important Irish High Court Decision
In May 2024, the Irish High Court found in favour of environmental organisation Dark Sky Roscommon in a challenge concerning planning permission for 21 floodlights at Tarmon National School, County Roscommon.
The case concerned potential effects on the nearby Bellanagare Bog Special Protection Area, associated with the protected Greenland white-fronted goose.
The Court found that An Bord Pleanála had failed to properly address reasonable scientific concerns regarding the development’s possible impact on the conservation objectives of the protected area, including the potential return of the geese.
The ruling demonstrated that planning authorities must take potential ecological impacts seriously and comply with European environmental assessment requirements.
Importantly, this was not a general court ban on LED lighting, nor was it a confirmed order permanently switching off the installed floodlights. Nevertheless, it provides a significant legal warning against overlooking wildlife protection when approving lighting developments.
Why This Matters in County Tipperary
This issue has direct relevance to Tipperary. Tipperary County Council is undertaking a substantial programme of converting public street lights to LED technology.
According to its 2025 Climate Action Progress Report, the Council maintains approximately 19,000 public lights, with more than 10,000 converted to LED by September 2025. Further upgrades were expected during 2026.
Energy efficiency and cost savings are important public objectives. However, the ecological consequences must also be considered.
Tipperary contains extensive rivers, hedgerows, woodlands, wetlands and countryside habitats supporting protected wildlife.
The River Suir and its associated habitats are particularly important examples of environments where inappropriate lighting could affect wildlife movement and feeding.
Significantly, Tipperary County Council’s own Public Lighting Policy, adopted in December 2022, recognises the need for special consideration of lighting near bat roosts, dark-sky areas and environmentally sensitive locations.
The question is whether these safeguards are being consistently implemented as LED lighting expands.
Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary Shows Another Way.
There is encouraging news from Tipperary itself. In April 2026, press reported that Cloughjordan Ecovillage had introduced an innovative wildlife-sensitive lighting scheme.
Ecological surveys recorded eight of Ireland’s nine established bat species foraging in the ecovillage, along with an impressive diversity of moths.
The community responded with carefully directed, warm-coloured, dimmable LED lighting, designed to preserve darkness while allowing residents to move safely at night. Representatives of Tipperary County Council and Bat Conservation Ireland welcomed the initiative. Cloughjordan demonstrates that public safety, modern lighting and biodiversity protection need not be mutually exclusive.
Time for a Countywide Approach?
Surely it is reasonable to ask that all new and replacement public lighting in Tipperary be assessed for potential ecological impacts, particularly near rivers, hedgerows, mature trees, bat roosts and protected habitats.
Practical measures could include:
Using warmer-coloured, lower-intensity lighting where appropriate.
Directing illumination downwards and preventing unnecessary light spill.
Dimming or switching off unnecessary lighting during quieter hours, where safe.
Maintaining dark wildlife corridors.
Undertaking appropriate ecological assessments before installing lighting in sensitive locations.
None of this requires abandoning energy efficiency or compromising essential road safety.
It requires thoughtful planning, appropriate technology and recognition that darkness is itself an important natural resource.
Sadly in Thurles Co. Tipperary, street lighting remains lit both day and night for the past 4 years.
Protecting the Night Is Protecting Nature
Ireland has rightly invested considerable effort in protecting biodiversity, restoring habitats and addressing climate change.
Yet these objectives risk being undermined if artificial lighting continues to expand without sufficient regard for nocturnal wildlife.
The High Court decision in Roscommon should encourage planning authorities throughout the country to examine the ecological consequences of lighting carefully. Tipperary already has an excellent example of what can be achieved at Cloughjordan Ecovillage. Perhaps the time has come for Tipperary to lead by example, ensuring that the drive towards energy-efficient lighting does not leave our bats, migratory birds and other wildlife struggling to survive in an increasingly illuminated world.
Saving electricity matters. Saving wildlife matters too. We should be capable of doing both.
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