Hopefully by now you will have heard of Teresa Treacy in the news. If you haven’t you should as this 65 year old women is currently inside of Mountjoy Prison. Her crime…..standing up for her rights to protect her land from the corporate bullying of ESB.
The ESB (Electricity Supply Board) are seeking to construct high voltage powerlines overground through Teresa’s land. The ESB are in the process of destroying 12,000 trees on 12 acres of woodland in order to construct double woodpole and steel tower masts. Teresa has objected to this plan since it was first proposed in early 2006. When the ESB consulted with her she objected strongly and offered a compromise of putting the powerlines underground, which is standard best practice across Europe. The ESB pressed on regardless and when Teresa blocked them from her land the ESB asked the High Court to jail her. Judge Daniel Herbert obliged. The day after Teresa was jailed the ESB moved in on the land to fell the trees, however supporters arrived in order to protect her land and the ESB have backed off temporarily.
Ironically ESB are ‘supporters’ of Age Actions Positive Aging Week 23rd September to 1st October, 2011.
Age Action’s Positive Aging Week is a festival to highlight the positive aspects of aging and celebrate the contribution older people make to their communities.
The actions of the ESB have brought about support and protests on Teresa’s land, deserved negative publicity for ESB all because Teresa is a 65 year old woman who has spent many years planting and managing native Irish trees in order to maintain and improve the natural habitats on her land and refuses to see them destroyed further.
If on reading this you want to offer your support please follow the link and make her voice even louder……
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-teresa-treacy-the-woman-who-stood-up-to-eigrid-an.html