‘Bird-brains’ blamed for seasonal hedge-cutting saga

ANGRY Cllr Gerry Ginty has branded the annual calls for out-of-season hedgecutting ‘a cheap shot at wildlife’, pointing out there would be no need for it if the cutting were done at the correct time.

 

Anton McNulty

PEOPLE with ‘bird-brains’ and not birds are to blame for the seasonal argument over hedge-cutting in the county, according to a county councillor.
There was another lengthy discussion on the subject of hedge-cutting and verge trimming at last week’s monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, even though it was not listed on the agenda.
Last week, the DΡil passed the Heritage Bill, which eased restrictions on hedge-cutting in August, to allow for roadside hedges to be cut if they are a road safety hazard. Hedge-cutting has been a bugbear of many councillors who say that unmanaged hedges cause damage to lorries and coaches.
Ballina-based councillor Gerry Ginty told the meeting he was ‘sick and tired’ of listening about hedge-cutting, saying it was ‘a cheap shot at wildlife’. He added that if the hedges were cut properly at the right time of the year they would not be overgrown in the summer.
“I have seen places where hedges have been cut and you would be better off going around with a stick and giving them a belt. They are not being cut back [between September 1 and the end of February]. If they were cut back properly we wouldn’t be here year in year out listening to people about birds.
“Birds aren’t the problem, it’s people with bird-brains who are the problem. If somebody used the intelligence God gave them and got the hedges cut back at the right time of the year, there would be no need for this ‘us versus the birds’ saga that goes on and on every year,” he claimed.

Coaches being damaged
The matter was first raised by Independent councillor Christy Hyland who said that coach operators were refusing to go to some locations because trees and hedges were damaging their coaches and that this was impacting on local tourism.
“The Wild Atlantic Way is a fantastic success but there are coaches whose drivers will not go down [certain roads] due to access and overgrown verges and trees and grass margins. We are not benefitting from the Wild Atlantic Way as much as we should because there is a huge problem of access to beaches and beautiful scenery. Tourists cannot go there because the coach driver won’t damage his coach. The people trying to develop their businesses along the Wild Atlantic Way are being stymied by overgrown bushes and grass margins, trees, it’s ridiculous.”
Claremorris-based councillor Richard Finn complained about the state of the verges of the N17 ahead of the Pope’s visit in August.
“We have a world event taking place in about five weeks time and if you travel the approach roads along the N17 you have two foot of grass growing on either side. We have media coming from all over the world and we want to give the impression that Mayo County Council are doing their job. We want our landscape to be presented to the world in a proper fashion and the way to do this to immediately start the verge trimming process around the N17,” he said.