'Lovely Leitrim' anger over Climate Change Scheme

My thoughts turn to Leitrim and a mountain top and my late wife saying as the road along which I was driving suspiciously turned into two ruts down an incredibly steep hill: ‘Do you know where you’re going?’. I averred snappily that I did but was only reassured of my own certainty when about 15 minutes later a discernible road appeared again. Anyway we certainly got views not found on your normal ‘tourist trail’.

Leitrim is a great place - of all the Counties in 'the 26' its at the top of my list and now its mired in controversy with allegations of climate change inspired ‘ethnic cleansing’ (link):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-44808651

As usual with these afforestation schemes its conifers (fast growing) that are preferred to more indigenous types of trees - so will the unique countryside with its loughs and mountains be changed forever.

Turning up unexpected at a holiday cottage I was renting in the County some years ago my eldest son who lives in the North of Ireland said; ‘What ARE you doing in lovely Leitrim Dad’? ‘Lovely Leitrim’ it was and is. I hope that climate change inspired poorly planned afforestation does not scar it forever!

Bernard Moffatt