Local Notes: Ballyhaunis hosts vigil in support of Gaza
Some of the attendees at a recent vigil at The Square in Ballyhaunis in support of Gaza.
One of the largest group water schemes in the Ballyhaunis area could be switched over to the Uisce Éireann (Irish Water) supply from Lough Mask by the end of August.
The Johnstown Lavallyroe Group Water scheme, which drew from a well in Lavallyroe near Cloonfad, is set to be supplied by the state-owned water supplier, Uisce Éireann after several years of preparatory works.
Works are due to be complete by Friday, August 15th, an Uisce Éireann spokesperson told this column.
“Should that date be met, it is intended to transfer onto the Uisce Éireann supply by the end of August, dependent on commissioning,” said the spokesperson.
The wider Ballyhaunis area and Ballinlough are served by water pumped from the Lough Mask water reservoir by a network of pumps.
The switch-over to the Uisce Éireann supply will be welcome by the users of the Johnstown Lavallyroe scheme, which was frequently subject to boil-water notices in recent years. New piping was installed by Uisce Éireann in 2023 and 2024 but technical issues delayed the switch-over.
A fascinating walk and talk on August 15th will introduce locals to the abundant bat life in the town.
Organised by the biodiversity office of Mayo County Council, the event from 9 to 10pm on August 15th will focus on the bats living in the tall trees and structures of the Friary.
Booking for the event is required at biodiversity@mayococo.ie. The event is being promoted by Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns which last year published a Biodiversity Action Plan.
A solar power company that has installed panels at several locations in the Ballyhaunis area is seeing a boom in non-residential installations while domestic levels off.
“In terms of our own business, we are growing albeit at a slower rate,” said Paddy Hagan, CEO of Blackwell Energy. “Residential installations are pretty much flat on last year. We have seen solid growth in non-domestic installations with the continuation and completion of the Schools Solar PV programme where all primary and secondary schools in Ireland have had solar PV installed on their roof. We have installed a number of data centres this year for the likes of Google and Echelon who are acutely aware of their own demands on the grid.”
Mr Hagan said sports clubs and community groups are availing of the likes of the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) non-domestic solar PV grant as well as the Community Climate Action Programme (CCAP), which is funded through the Climate Action Fund and administered by local authorities across Ireland. Also, he explained, farmers have been able to avail of various options such as the SEAI non-domestic grant and alternatively the TAMS (Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme), which is applicable to many farmers.
Ireland reached the milestone of one gigawatt (GW) of solar in early 2024 and this has since reached 1.76GW with utility-scale solar farms now accounting for about 50% of all solar produced in Ireland.
“Unfortunately,” said Mr Hagan. “The domestic solar PV grant has been reduced from €2,400 per house to €1,800 for all installations over four kWp [kilowatts produced by the installation at peak power generation]. This will continue to reduce and will drop to €1,500 in January 2026.
"As solar panel prices have fallen in the past 12 to 18 months, it has meant the payback on residential solar remains around five years on most installations especially as all installations continue to be exempt from VAT. Currently, around 750 houses per week are installing solar nationally which is broadly consistent with 2024.”
Local beef farmers may be seeing high prices for the foreseeable future given how American beef prices are at their highest levels in decades as the US herd shrinks due to droughts exacerbated by climate change. Irish cattle prices have doubled in the past decade while the size of the national herd has fallen for three years in a row, according to Department of Agriculture data.
As one of the world’s leading beef producers and consumers, the US meat industry has a major impact on global markets, impacting on prices and demand in markets to which Irish meat processors also have exposure. Less American beef means higher demand and prices for Irish exports.
In Texas and the southwest of the country in particular – in places like California’s San Joaquin Valley - drought has exceeded historical expectations over the last quarter-century, according to the US Department of Agriculture. With reduced water and forage supplies, farmers are bringing their cattle to the slaughter earlier, and unable to restock, thus shrinking herds further. The Trump administration has pulled the US out of global efforts to limit the worst impacts of climate change.
Ballyhaunis remains attractive income-wise for immigrants from Latin America who in the past decade have become a key component of the local labour force as previous waves of Eastern European migration slowed.
Members of Ballyhaunis’ large Brazilian population explained that higher wages are a major draw for workers coming to Ballyhaunis. An average wage of €390 a month in Brazil – the level varies across regions in the vast country – makes the long journey to Ireland economic sense, several Brazil migrants explained to this column.
There is an appetite for emigration because the minimum monthly wage is about €200 a month in small towns, one Brazilian worker explained. Skilled workers earn maybe twice that. But that’s still only the same as one week in a factory in Ireland.
High housing and food prices can be offset by informal jobs on evenings and weekends, explained one, a butcher by training who makes €550 on a good week from his Ballyhaunis factory job.
“I do gardening, painting, farming, everything. My wife also works as a cleaner and dish washer.”
A growing Latino population in Ballyhaunis shares similar stories of seeking higher wages and economic opportunity. One man from Colombia, where monthly salaries average €300 a month, is earning nearly €500 per week in a Ballyhaunis factory. Likewise, his colleague from the Dominican Republic, where the monthly salary averages €550 a month, came to Ballyhaunis via Madrid on a Spanish passport and intends to stay long term working in a local factory alongside his wife who is also learning English and studying for a certificate in elder care with a view to changing jobs.
Growing numbers of South Asian immigrants in Ballyhaunis, which has a long-established Pakistani population, are also drawn by economic and income opportunity. Data from the Asian Development Bank shows net salaries in Pakistan averaging €140 a month, with the figure averaging €220 in Bangladesh. While local wages stretch further at Pakistani consumer prices – something measured as purchasing power parity – the disparity with wages in East Mayo is striking. Wages are less likely to rise in the medium to long term in Pakistan given the country has one of the fastest growing populations in the world due to comparatively high fertility rates.
The most populous country in Africa meanwhile, Nigeria, is also set to see its population grow substantially in the coming decades. Workers from the country of 230 million have become key for nursing home and home care companies in Ireland. While wages in the country are hard to calculate due to the largely informal nature of the economy, various sources suggest it’s as low as €60 a month.
A list of invasive plant species endangering native plant species in Ballyhaunis has been compiled by a team of ecologists.
Japanese knotweed remains abundant in Ballyhaunis while over planting of cherry laurel has led to the plant outcompeting more native species, according to a study of invasive species in the town.
Compiled for Ballyhaunis Tidy Towns by ecologist Dr Karina Dingerkus at Giorria Environmental Services, the report outlines a range of other invasive species present in Ballyhaunis town. Among them is snowberry, a plant once popular for hedging, which bears a distinctive white ‘snow ball’ berry each summer and autumn. Snowberry’s ability to spread aggressively has it regarded by many as an invasive species.
Japanese knotweed, which spreads quickly via its rhizome root system, is being treated at various locations around the town. Its aggressive growth smothers other plants which it out-competes.
A similar risk is borne by gonorrhea, frequently referred to as “giant rhubarb” for its large leaves and stems. The plant is present in one site, the Friary grounds, cited in the report which warns against cutting or digging near the plant lest fragments of its roots allow the plant to spread elsewhere.
The report also notes the presence of another invasive species in the grounds, Spanish bluebell. However as there are no native bluebells present the removal of the Spanish bluebells is “not a priority,” notes the report.
Government is required to act on invasive species by several pieces of legislation, among them the National Biodiversity Action Plan, the fourth iteration (2023 to 2030) of which calls for action to control eight listed invasive species.
Ireland is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, transposed into the Wildlife Acts, while the EU’s Birds and Native Habitats Regulations 2011 lists Japanese knotweed, giant rhubarb, Himalayan balsam and rhododendron as invasive species that endanger native species.
A raid conducted by several state agencies in Ballyhaunis early this year could result in tax bills for some local premises visited during the inspections. The press office of the Revenue Commissioners - one of the agencies involved in the raid - told this column: “[We] can confirm that Revenue took part in a multi-agency operation on Thursday, 20th February, as part of our ongoing work to combat and monitor shadow economy activity. Revenue tax compliance interventions, resulting from information gathered during the operation, have been completed and no further information can be provided.”
Several Ballyhaunis business premises were visited on February 20th by a group of officers from multiple state agencies including the Gardaí, Revenue and welfare authorities. Personnel from the Workplace Relations Commission also joined the raids.
Another of the agencies involved, the Department of Social Protection, declined to comment on the follow-up to the inspections. Immediately after the raids, the Department told this column: “Information gathered by social welfare inspectors during the operation will be subject to review and further action as appropriate.”
