Lugnaquilla zig zag route closed due to assault by dog owner

Viscount Aggro

Its Ireland - theres a healthy disrespect for rules.

Like with the Bray - Greystones cliffpath, a sign saying a route is closed.. it doesnt work.

People still climb over the gate, with kids too.

This man needs to secure his property, put in a big mesh gate, backed up with a few big fridges to block it fully.

topal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391178#Comment_120391178

I can't blame him for doing so one iota after the way he was treated.

It does however raise the issue of how precarious the access to some of our national parks and amenities is.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390882#Comment_120390882

Exactly!

And these farmers whinging about sheep being "bothered" and "worried"... oh yes let me get my tiny violin out for them.

These chaps only pretend to care about animals. They're quite happy to murder little baby lambs for the dinner table, but whinging about the occasional sheep getting harassed. There should be CPO's for these lands to create national parks. They know full well that this could become a possibility in the future, which is why they give conditional access to hikers.

And I'm not defending bad dog owners either btw. Most dog owners I see, even with dogs off leash, are not causing a problem for anyone. As usual it's a small handful of careless idiots giving everyone else a bad name.

Responder XY

Two separate issues at hand here

1) assault is wrong. I hope the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice. There is simply no excuse.

2) this country needs to move forward when it comes to maintenance of and access to areas of national beauty. Frankly the sheep do far more damage than dogs. Government needs to work with farmers to remove sheep and agriculture from sensitive areas like this and pay them to maintain and support the natural environment. Access should always be allowed to those who behave responsibly. That would include walking the dog once it's under control (for most that's permanently on a lead)

Drifter100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390882#Comment_120390882

There is a distinction between common land and private property. My brother in law has land in the Dublin mountains where he lives with his family. There is no end to the amount of people walking through his property, some even looking in windows and so on. If you even ask these "hikers" can I help you, generally the answer is " No, I`m just going for a walk " and they carry on with this entitled air about them. He is fairly laid back but if it were me I would be telling them to get lost, its my property and you cant be here

The common land is a separate issue, that is owned by the state and a farmer can have grazing rights which is all part of the law of our land. While you can walk on this land and use right of ways you cannot walk across private property

SuperBowserWorld

Summary of the countryside code from across the water.

It's not complicated.

Until some people make it complicated for everyone.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120389112#Comment_120389112

There are sheep killed every week by dogs off leashes. Often 10 or 20 at a time, the surviving sheep are never good again after the ordeal.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390986#Comment_120390986

They are hiking in pure wilderness usually and there are plenty of issues there as well.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390882#Comment_120390882

A very simple solution. Pure simple.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391349#Comment_120391349

This is nonsense. What do you think would happen if there weren't hill farmers managing the land? Walkers wouldn't be long complaining when the undergrowth is waist high, they be used to having nice handy hillsides to walk across.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391509#Comment_120391509

Such as?

Here I've seen the remains of parties at beaches incl broken bottles. Broken bottles. On a f**king beach.

Campsites in national parks, rubbish strewn all around, whatever about it not being allowed and the risk of a wildfire, zero effort at cleaning it up.

Tourist towns, during school hols and good weather, pavements are plastered afterwards with dog sh1t. Bagged and unbagged dog sh1t going in and out with the tide.

A layby where people just fcuked their rubbish over the ditch, there was a calf in there, chewing on a dirty nappy.

A way marked trail up a mountain. Someone brought a coffee cup up with them and just left it after them, and not just dropped it, purposefully shoved it into a hollow in the moss in the forest.

This boils my piss. We are a lazy shiftless race.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391511#Comment_120391511

Nonsense, you know and I know it's never going to happen.

Whatever about 'hobby' farmers, wasn't this man up to recently accommodating what is a 'hobby'?

Tabnabs

An image of the "alleged"(!) assault is doing the rounds on twitter for anyone who wants to see the person.

thehairygrape

Don’t know this route but it’s such a shame. Seems like a nice man. Can’t blame him for stopping access. Shame on that attacker.

A guide told me years ago he was always friendly with the local farmers, not least because they were the ones who knew the land and would rescue them if they got in to trouble.

Working class heroes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120391349#Comment_120391349

What a wonderfully ignorant post. Well done.

mikethecop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392443#Comment_120392443

i assumed it was parody , surely no one is like that in real life .

or maybe they are

Furze99

Who would have taken that? Don't look like no 'traveller' anyway as alleged above here. Just some pig ignorant thicko.

Stallingrad

Now that the photo is doing the rounds online hopefully he will be caught and prosecuted for assault and trespass.

Like the woman who tripped and fell on the boardwalks a few years ago and tried to sue, these people don't seem to appreciate that we share the mountains, and thoughtless actions like this can impact access for thousands of people.

The Continental Op

There was a proposed new footpath very near where I live one of the things the farmers were told was if they allowed the footpath they would have to have insurance to cover it. If the state covered it fine but why pay to allow people to use your land?

Glencarraig

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120389026#Comment_120389026

You have obviously never tried walking over the farmer's land that borders the Horseshoe in Gleniff Co. Sligo.

fillup

How did they get the photo does anyone know?

Must've had a camera mounted near by

Yer man's a great example to whom I'm guessing is his kid in the photo

Shocking stuff

Mo Ghile Mear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392907#Comment_120392907

Must be the landowner’s own CCTV. I doubt yer man would have been so brave if there had been other people (with phones) on the trail. Great to have such clear footage. But the way things are in the courts recently even if he’s charged with assault it will probably be just a case of having some judge wag a finger at him and send him off with a warning ☹️.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392692#Comment_120392692

Oh my heart breaks. You do SFA subsidising, the European taxpayer carry's that load.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393707#Comment_120393707

No, we are a tiny proportion of same.

Run Forest Run

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392692#Comment_120392692

They're pointless and impossible to enforce. Bin the rules!

It would be an excellent investment on behalf of the government to buy up land in some of these areas of natural beauty, rather than having them destroyed by overgrazing and farming. Re-wilding them and planting more forests would be great for the ecosystem and environment too.

Topgear on Dave

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392907#Comment_120392907

He said his wife was with him when he was interviewed on the radio. I assume she got more too.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120394026#Comment_120394026

Consumers need to lead the way and stop eating food.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120394026#Comment_120394026

Keep talking. This is the agenda you advocate on a thread where a man, allowing access to his families private property for recreation, was assaulted. Well done you and your agenda.

I've met Pat, have you? He's a decent, honest, genuine man.

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120392577#Comment_120392577

We can only hope.

There is a selfish streak running through modern Irish society, people doing whatever they feel like to the detriment of others and knowing they can get away with it. Compo culture is part and parcel of it.

All this farmer hating and in one case someone trumpeting their veggie lifestyle choices are really besides the point.

getoutadodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120390683#Comment_120390683

Agree. Vast tracks of the country are deemed commonage but this is not state ownership. The term is misleading. Beauty spots like Lugnaquilla and Croagh Patrick, Ben Bulben etc should be national parks with no pasture rights for what is a very destructive and dying industry. Vast tracks of the country are a wasteland due to overgrazing.

That said the scumbag who assaulted the farmer in this case should be jailed. I wonder was the shooting case last year in a nearby area a similar dog related incident that went off the rails. It has yet to come to court.