Feathers fly over Mountshannon airshow

Organisers of the Lough Derg Air Spectacle have said it will not take place this year due to the nesting White-tailed Sea Eagles and their new chicks, which have been attracting upwards of 1,000 spotters a week to Mountshannon.

 

This is the current situation as feathers fly between Harbour Flights Ireland Ltd and the Golden Eagle Trust on how they can both protect their interests in the Mountshannon area.

CEO of Harbour Flights Ireland, Emelyn Heapes, who organised the airshow last year, said it’s disappointing the air show will not take place. He said the people of Mountshannon should not allow these birds of prey or the Golden Eagle Trust to dictate their futures and claimed they had “lost their voice”.

Mr Heaps claimed the reason for the airshow being cancelled was as a result of Dr Allan Mee of the Golden Eagle Trust, who is in charge of the White-tailed Sea Eagles project, saying the event shouldn’t take place near the island where the eagles are nesting.

“He [Dr Allan Mee] stated that his preference would be to hold it [the airshow] some miles from Bushy Island to protect the birds. In my opinion, the people of Mountshannon have lost their voice in relation to their future and it is now being run by Dr Allan Mee who is deciding on their tourism fate, which they appear to be placing on two birds of prey,” he said.

In response, Dr Mee stated, “I have no influence on whether the airshow goes ahead or not and its location.”  He said the Golden Eagle Trust did suggest moving the show five kilometres up or down the lake and it would not be an issue. “It’s just the fact that it is right there. this year, not only do we have the adults but we have the two chicks,” he said. He added that there is no conflict between the nesting eagles and the seaplane operation.

Addressing comments regarding people in Mountshannon having no voice, Dr Mee said, “Perhaps Mr Heaps should have been present here on Tuesday last when Mountshannon Community Council showed off all that is best about Mountshannon, when they were chosen to represent Clare in the national Pride of Place competition, to the competition judges. The Mountshannon White-tailed Eagle group has also put a great effort into monitoring the birds and talking to the many visitors both local, national and international.”

Mr Heaps claimed the airshow was highly beneficial to the local economy last year and brought in the region of 7,000 to 9,000 visitors.

“That day the weather was awful and we went head-to-head with the All-Ireland final but it still achieved a big amount of visitors. We wanted to put it on this year and thought it would be hugely successful. We are disappointed. It is a shame.

“It cost Harbour Flights a lot of money to put this on, and we raised €11,000 locally; there was tremendous support from the environs of Mountshannon. I think the people of Mountshannon have to take their destiny back into their own hands, it is their village,” Mr Heaps said.