Politics « Thurles Information

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement.

Ireland Faces EU Court Action Over Peat Cutting Enforcement And Why It Matters for Our Bogs.

The European Commission has referred Ireland to the Court of Justice of the European Union over what it says is a failure to properly enforce EU environmental rules on peat cutting.

The case centres on Ireland’s obligations under the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive, which requires projects likely to have significant environmental effects; including peat extraction, to be assessed before they proceed.

According to the Commission, there is still “significant peat cutting activity” taking place without planning permission or environmental impact assessment, particularly on sites under 50 hectares. While Ireland has made legislative changes over the years, Brussels says those changes have not been matched by effective enforcement on the ground.

The issue is not new. It dates back to EU environmental rules first introduced in 1985, with Ireland previously brought before the European Court of Justice in the late 1990s. Although Irish laws were later amended, the Commission says follow-up enforcement remained inadequate.

Since 2020, Ireland has taken major steps to halt peat cutting by Bord na Móna, and rehabilitation of former industrial bog sites is now underway, with support from EU recovery funding. The Environmental Protection Agency has also pursued enforcement against private commercial operators on sites over 50 hectares, leading some operators to cease activity.
However, the Commission says illegal or unauthorised peat cutting continues, and that local-level enforcement has not been sufficient.

This issue is also relevant to Co. Tipperary, where protected raised bog habitats form part of the county’s natural heritage. Sites such as Kilcarren-Firville Bog highlight the importance of safeguarding peatlands from extraction, drainage and habitat damage.

It is also worth noting the political sensitivity of this issue. Ireland currently has public representatives in both Leinster House and the European Parliament whose political careers were strongly shaped by the turf-cutting and bog-rights campaigns. Mr Michael Fitzmaurice TD, now a Roscommon–Galway TD, was previously chairperson of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, while Mr Luke “Ming” Flanagan MEP has long been associated with defending traditional turf-cutting rights in rural Ireland. Their continued presence in national and European politics shows how deeply this issue remains rooted in rural communities, livelihoods, tradition, conservation, and EU environmental law.

Peatlands are more than traditional landscapes. They store carbon, support biodiversity, help regulate water, and form part of Ireland’s environmental identity. The EU court referral is therefore not just a legal matter — it is a reminder that protecting bogs requires clear rules, strong enforcement, and real action on the ground.

Ireland’s Alumina Loophole – Neutrality Cannot Mean Supplying Russia’s War Economy.

**Russian-owned refinery, Aughinish, County Limerick**.

Ireland says it stands with Ukraine. Our politicians speak about democracy, freedom, sovereignty, and the right of a nation to defend itself against invasion.
But there is now a deeply uncomfortable question Ireland can no longer avoid; why is a Russian-owned refinery on the west coast of Ireland still sending alumina to Russia?

The refinery at Aughinish, County Limerick, is one of Europe’s largest alumina plants. Alumina is not a harmless by-product. It is the key raw material used to make aluminium, latter a metal that is essential across modern industry, including military production.

Recent investigations have raised serious concerns that alumina exported from Ireland is entering Russian supply chains connected to arms manufacturers. The evidence does not allow us to say that Irish alumina has been directly identified inside a specific missile or drone. But it does point to something almost as alarming; Irish-refined alumina appears to be feeding a Russian aluminium system linked to companies supplying Russia’s war industry.

That distinction matters, but it does not make the situation acceptable. There is also an unavoidable comparison with Ireland’s attitude towards Israel. Irish politicians have often been outspoken in condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling for accountability, sanctions, and a tougher international response. Many of those criticisms may be justified on humanitarian grounds. But that only makes the silence around Russia-linked alumina exports more striking. If Ireland is willing to take a strong moral position on one conflict, it must be prepared to apply the same standard to another. Selective outrage weakens Ireland’s credibility. Human rights, civilian protection, and international law cannot depend on which country is easier to criticise.

Russia’s war is not sustained by tanks and soldiers alone. It is sustained by finance, logistics, raw materials, shipping routes, shell companies, legal structures and loopholes. Every supply chain that keeps Russian industry moving deserves scrutiny, especially when that industry is connected to the weapons used against Ukrainian civilians.

The Irish Government argues that sanctioning alumina could hurt Europe. That may be a real concern. Jobs matter. Energy security matters. Industrial supply chains matter. But so does moral consistency.

Ireland cannot claim to stand with Ukraine while allowing a Russian-owned company here to continue exporting a critical raw material into Russia without the highest level of public scrutiny.

The question is not whether workers in Limerick should be protected. They should be.
The question is whether protecting jobs should mean protecting a supply chain that may benefit Russia’s war economy.
If the Government believes these exports are safe, then it should show the evidence. Where exactly is the alumina going? Which smelters receive it? Who buys the aluminium produced from it? What due diligence has been done to ensure it does not reach sanctioned arms manufacturers? And why has it taken so long for Irish politics to confront this issue openly?

Neutrality should never mean looking away.
Ireland’s position should be clear; no Irish-based industry should help sustain Russia’s capacity to wage war on Ukraine. If this trade cannot be proven clean, it should not continue.

Minister O’Callaghan To Visit Czechia And Poland Ahead Of EU Presidency.

The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, will this week undertake a series of bilateral engagements with EU Member States ahead of Ireland assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1st July.

Minister O’Callaghan will travel to Prague for meetings with his Czech counterparts, Lubomír Metnar, Minister of the Interior, and Jeroným Tejc, Minister for Justice.
He will then travel to Warsaw, where he will meet Waldemar Żurek, Polish Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, and Marcin Kierwiński, Minister of the Interior and Administration.

**Leinster House, Seat of Ireland’s Parliament.**

While in Poland, the Minister will visit the EU’s eastern border with Belarus, where he will receive a briefing on the current border security situation.
Discussions during the visit will focus on preparations and priorities for Ireland’s Presidency, as well as areas of mutual interest including migration, organised crime and the rule of law.

Speaking ahead of the meetings, Minister O’Callaghan said: “I look forward to meeting with my Czech and Polish counterparts and building on the already strong relationships Ireland has with both nations. During Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, our relationships with other Member States will be crucial to advancing our priorities of competitiveness, values and security.
This visit will also provide an opportunity to hear first-hand how Belarus has instrumentalised migration, unacceptably exploiting human beings for political purposes.”

Minister O’Callaghan will conclude the week in Luxembourg at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on Thursday and Friday, where he will continue bilateral engagements with a range of other Member States.

This Is Not Activism. This Is Intimidation.

Activism: The use of deliberate, vigorous action to promote, or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change.

Intimidation: The act of making someone feel fearful and powerless. It involves using threats, pressure, or aggressive behaviour to control or influence behaviour. Key aspects are to compel compliance, silence a person, or deter them from taking an action.
The legal implications in Ireland, identifies same as a civil or criminal offence.

Actress Dame Helen Mirren, an 80-year-old Academy Award-winning actress, was verbally abused in the street and called an “Evil Zionist” after publicly defending Israel’s right to exist and opposing the idea that Jews should be made targets for who they are.

There is no moral cause advanced by screaming abuse at an elderly woman in public. There is no justice in intimidation. There is no humanity in treating support for Jewish survival as something shameful.

Reports indicate that the initial confrontation involving Dame Helen Mirren was not a new incident, but resurfaced footage from November of 2025. The video, reportedly filmed near Tower Hill in London while Ms Mirren was walking with her husband, (Mr Taylor Hackford), was originally shared by Antifascist Action UK, before re-emerging in wider media coverage in May 2026.
Yes, that timing matters; the abuse itself was already disturbing, but its resurfacing now shows how quickly hostility toward public figures perceived as sympathetic to Israel can be revived, amplified, and normalised.

People can debate politics. They can criticise governments. They can protest policies. But when the response to someone’s support for Jewish existence is harassment, misogynistic abuse, and public humiliation, the mask slips.

Sport politicians Mr Patrick O’Donovan and Mr Charlie McConalogue, should also take note. When two sports ministers refuse to attend a football match involving Israel, the message travels far beyond the stadium. Whatever they intend, such gestures risk giving legitimacy to the idea that Israelis and, in practice, many Jews who are made to answer for Israel, should be singled out, shunned, and treated as untouchable. That does not lower tensions. It feeds hatred Ministers.

The Irish people, as a whole, care little whether politicians get free tickets to attend sports games or not, but expressing views or verbally attacking people for refusing to accept Jewish murder or erasure, does not help your cause.

Well unless, of course, that is your cause.

Hopefully, people will continue to behave at any planned future football protests. But yesterday I suppose, was a slow news day for political journalists.

EPA Projections Show Ireland Remains Off Track For 2030 Climate Targets.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its greenhouse gas emission projections for the period 2025-2055.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions could achieve a reduction of up to 25% by 2030, compared to a national target of 51%, with full implementation of a wide range of policies and plans across all sectors.
Ireland will be close to meeting the first carbon budget, but nearly all sectors are on track to exceed their sectoral emissions ceilings for the second carbon budget by 2030.
Ireland is projected to exceed its EU Effort Sharing Regulation target of 42% reduction by 2030. EPA projects a maximum reduction of 23%.
With less than four years left to 2030, there must be a strong focus on implementation of policies and measures to meet climate targets which will deliver wide-ranging benefits from environmental protection, supporting public health and wellbeing and reducing Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels.

EPA analysis shows that Ireland’s planned climate policies and measures could deliver reductions of up to 25% of emissions by 2030, compared to 2018 levels. Assessment of the latest information provided by Governmental bodies and sector representatives indicates that the gap to target is widening in some sectors of the economy, while narrowing in others.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to be close to meeting the first Carbon Budget (2021-2025) of 295 Mt CO2eq. The second budget is projected to be exceeded by a significant margin of 53 to 82 Mt CO2eq.

Transport, Industry and the Buildings (Commercial and Public) sectors are projected to be the furthest from achieving their sectoral emission ceilings in 2030. Agriculture emissions are projected to reduce by up to 19%.

Dr Eimear Cotter, EPA Director General, said: “The EPA’s projections show that the current rate of delivery of the Climate Action Plan and associated policies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 – only half of the reductions needed. While greenhouse gas emissions are declining, European and national emission reduction targets are projected to be missed. There must be a renewed focus on delivering the actions to meet Ireland’s climate targets which will be a significant challenge given the short timeframe to 2030.”

Dr Cotter added: “Meeting these targets will deliver multiple benefits. These include reducing Ireland’s reliance on fossil fuels in electricity, transport and heating and strengthening national energy security and resilience. Achieving these emission reductions will also improve public health, provide green employment and protect our environment. Overall, these trends demonstrate that progress is achievable but accelerating delivery is critical. Renewable energy is now expected to provide nearly 60% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030. It is imperative given the increasing demand for electricity across several sectors, that renewables are delivered at the pace and scale required to meet this demand.”

Agriculture.
Depending on the level of implementation of measures outlined in Government policies and plans, total emissions from the Agriculture sector will decrease between 4% and 19% over the period of 2018 to 2030. Changes in nitrogen fertiliser usage, switching to different fertilisers and lower anticipated livestock numbers contribute to projected emissions savings. A direct comparison of the Agriculture sector against its absolute Sectoral Emission Ceiling is no longer possible given recent scientific updates to baseline historical agriculture emissions.

Transport.
Emissions from Transport are projected to reduce by up to 28% over the period 2018 to 2030, if the measures set out in plans and policies are implemented. These include at least 751,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, increased biofuel blend rates and measures to support more sustainable transport.

Residential Emissions.
Emissions from fuel combustion for home and hot water heating are projected to decrease by up to 18% by 2030. Lower uptake of home energy improvement measures, including planned heat pump installation in existing dwellings, has lowered predictions for emissions savings by 2030.

Industry.
Fuel combustion in manufacturing is the primary source of emissions in this sector; emissions from mineral, chemical and metal industries contribute the next largest portion. Emissions from this sector are projected to reduce by 12% over the period 2018 to 2030.

Energy.
Continued rollout of renewable electricity generation to provide 52% – 59% of Ireland’s electricity by 2030 as well as increased importation of electricity from interconnectors, are contributing to reductions in Ireland’s emissions. However, delayed delivery of planned renewable energy projects such as offshore wind have lowered potential emissions savings by 2030.

Land use.
Emissions from this sector are projected to increase between 4% to 72% over the period of 2018 to 2030 as Irish forestry reaches harvesting age, and shifts from being a carbon sink to a source of emissions. Planned policies and measures for the sector, such as increased afforestation, water table management on agricultural organic soils and peatland rehabilitation are projected to reduce the extent of the emissions increase.

Commenting, Dr Conor Quinlan, Programme Manager said: “The shortfall to our 2030 targets is narrowing in some sectors, for example emissions in the Transport sector are now projected to reduce by up to 28%. Encouragingly, projections for electric vehicle uptake has improved, reflecting growing confidence in the transition to cleaner transport. In contrast, the gap is widening in others such as the Residential sector which is projected now to reduce by up to 18%. It is imperative that ambition and action is maintained across all sectors if we are to meet our targets and realise the benefits of decarbonisation for our society.”

For further detail on these figures, see the EPA report Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections 2025 to 2055 and EPA Greenhouse Gas web resource on the EPA website.