Mulranny scheme has been ‘a huge success’

The selection of the West Mayo village of Mulranny as a decarbonising zone for the purpose of illustrating the potential of climate action is proving hugely successful.

Presenting a second-year overview to members of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District at their April meeting, Mayo County Council Climate Action officer Laura Dixon said the programme came about after the Government called on every local authority to choose a decarbonising zone within its jurisdiction, adding that the programme was not just about reducing carbon emissions but also about building community resilience and promoting biodiversity.

“We had a competition and out of ten applicants, Mulranny won. The vision for Mulranny is by 2030 to have an empowered local economy living in a low carbon biosphere.” 

Listing a series of climate action achievements in the village to date, she said these included the delivery of 16 A-rated houses; the installation of 64 solar panels across St Brendan’s High Support Unit, Mulranny Community Centre and the Old Irish Goat Centre (worth €45,000 and reducing CO2 emissions by six tonnes per year); bulb swaps to LED lights and energy surveys for upgrades on 17 supported housing units at St Brendan’s; and the launch of the local transport Anseo scheme in Achill.

Other initiatives include the FARM-Up agri-environment scheme for upland commonages; a food forest development on Mulranny Church grounds; the launch of the People’s Transition and its Share, Care and Repair hub, alongside a plan to gain recognition of the wider areas as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve, aimed at enhancing the relationship between people and nature.

Cllr Paul McNamara acknowledged the success of the venture.

“Mulranny is a marvellous community and one of the big benefits is it is on the N59 and thus qualified for an upgrade of the road, while the greenway there plays a big role also. Mayo County Council also played its part in cutting the ribbon for 16 A-rated houses in the village and with all the various things going on, it is a great success.” 

Cllr Sean Carey described Mulranny as "a great community involved in everything, especially when it comes to the environment", while Cathaoirleach Cllr Peter Flynn said the decarbonisation project was one of the best initiatives to come out of Mayo in recent years, adding that similar community groups had since set up in Louisburgh, on the Clew Bay islands and in Westport."

Ms Dixon said it was hoped to extend the scheme with over 30 other communities showing an interest.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.