The Glenasmole Concerned Residents and Farming Group have expressed their disappointed with South Dublin County Council this week on their refusal to install cattle grids around commonage grazing lands at the foot of the hills. Sheep, cattle and horses have grazed on these lands for many generations.

According to local farmer Donie Anderson, the roads in and out of these lands were gated. However, he says the gates were removed 40 to 50 years ago, with no alternative introduced.

The group presented a 45-page proposal to the council for the installation of four cattle grids on public roads. Despite their campaign receiving both local and national support, the council refused the proposal because it jeopardised the safety of cyclists:

"The responsibility for fencing in the animals in the first instance lies with the owners/users of the commonage. The installation of cattle grids is not considered safe for cycling on hilly areas where the cycling are travelling downhill at speed. Therefore it is not intended to install cattle grids," the official refusal read.

Sheep grazing

Donie Anderson is disappointed with the council's decision. He spoke to the Irish Farmers Journal about the problems these farmers have to face.

Listen to an interview with Donie in our podcast below:

"We're basically looking for South Dublin County Council to install cattle grids on the public roads where the commonage meets 'the fence land', as we call it, but they don't want to do it.

"When the farm gates were removed, there was always enough people around to keep the livestock on the hills, but as times changed there was less and less.

"My sheep are grazed on the hills, and when they get a bit of fresh grass down on the roadsides they want to come down off the commonage. They don't want to stay, so somebody has to be there a couple of times a day to keep them up on the hill," he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Livestock controls

Since the 1980s, requests have been made by the community to re-install livestock controls, with no luck. Donie said it was just getting harder and harder for farmers, and that many were "getting out of sheep" because of the hassle of trying to manage them.

"We have done a good bit of research on this, on cattle grids on commonage roads elsewhere. With the support of Tallaght Community Council, who are backing us on this, we put together a 45-page document detailing cattle grids in other areas, like the Comeragh Mountains, The Curragh in Kildare, and around Mount Leinster in Carlow.

"Clare Island put in cattle grids not too long ago. Up around the Cooley Peninsula have just got approval to put them in up there as well. I don't see why South Dublin County Council think we're so different," he said.

The proposal is being supported by a broad range of local interest groups. According to Donie, the council have agreed to do an audit.

"There point is that its not safe for cyclists and walkers. They said that the designs we had weren't good enough.

"As I said, none of us are architects so its up to them to use the best available technology to come up with best designs for whatever grid they want which is effective," he said.

Odile Evans contributed reporting for this story