Online petition sinks Trump’s Doonbeg sea wall plans

Published by David Hayden on December 7, 2016

7 December, 2016

The proposed 2.8km sea wall to be build at the International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, Co. Clare has been scrapped. According to a press release from the Friends of the Irish Environment, revised plans for coastal defences were displayed at the opening of the Public Consultation on December 5. The revised plans include sheet metal piling and rock armour for 650 metres at one end and 200 metres at the other end of the dune system. Two holes are to be relocated inland.

The current proposal will require detailed analysis to ensure compliance with conservation objectives, including the protected snail according to Friends of the Irish Environment.

[x_blockquote cite=”FIE Director Tony Lowes” type=”left”]The threat of Trump’s Irish wall has hung over Doonbeg like a dark cloud for more than two years. There is no doubt the original proposal would have stopped the development of the dune system and scoured the beach, leading to a loss of one of the finest amenities on the west coast.[/x_blockquote]

Local Surfing groups and Irish Environmental NGOs An Taisce and Friends of the Irish Environment were among those who submitted objections to Clare County Council over Donald Trump’s proposed sea wall.

Save the Waves, who sponsored a petition that now has more than 100,000 signatures opposed to the original wall, described this recent development as “a good news story”. The director of programs at Save the Waves said that this is “a defining milestone for the campaign”.

It heartening to see that collaboration between Irish Environmental NGO’s, Save the Waves and news media were able to raise public awareness of this important conservation issue and garner mass support for a petition. This is proof that online activism works and that sharing environmental stories on social-media platforms can bring about real-world change. Keep the faith.

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