Banna Residents In Battle To Save Their Homes From The Sea

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Banna resident, Pat Lawlor, stands over sand dunes that are being blown away by the wind. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.

HOMES in a part of Banna are facing evacuation within years if nothing is done to counteract the effects of coastal erosion in the area according to local residents.

Due to a number of factors the sand dunes which act as a barrier between the coast and residents at Carrahane are being decimated.

The natural erosion of high winds from the Atlantic, grazing of cattle in the area and the extraction of sand for building purposes many years ago has harmed the eco-system in the area say residents.

Speaking to Banna resident Pat Lawlor on Wednesday, he described the issue as a potential “humanitarian disaster” and is campaigning for something to be done.

On Monday, Pat made a special presentation to county Councillors urging them to take action so that residents and wildlife can be saved.

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The erosion is mainly felt around Carrahane near the Roger Casement Monument. Beachgoers will know it as just past the Banna 3 car park.

During high tide, the road regularly floods, cutting off residents and potentially putting their lives at risk should an ambulance or fire brigade be required.

Due to the depletion of marram grass, there is nothing to stop the wind blowing the sand off the dunes. This has an adverse effect for residents who will have no protection from the sea.

For years, construction firms came into the dunes and hauled away vast amounts of sand for building use. Residents got a court order to stop this in 1995 but the damage had been done.

On the left hand side we see effects of marram grass being striped from the dunes. On the right, we see a healthy area, lush with marrim grass which acts as a wind barrier that protects the sand dunes from being blown away. Photos by  Gavin O’Connor.

“It still can be saved, it just needs protection,” said Pat.

Basic protection, he said, can be achieved simply by putting ordinary pallets on the coast side of the dunes to give newly-planted marram grass a chance of growing and surviving.

“We need to start with something to stop the blowing sand that’s exposed, so the marram grass can rejuvenate” he said. “On a stormy day you can see the sand blowing away, the wind has taken away thousands of tonnes of sand away in the last few years.”

Pat describes Banna as “Tralee’s National Park”. It is a designated Special Protection Area (SPA) as it’s home to 14 different varieties of birds who are also under threat.

Pat said the first priority in battling the erosion is a 1.2km defence embankment behind the dunes near the road to protect houses from the tide. The 1.5 metre high embankment would act as a last line of defence between residents and the tide and stop the flooding of the road.

Earth has been pledged for free from Ardfert quarry and Pat has estimated the total of the defence embankment to be €50,000.

“The council must look at the bigger picture here, are they going to sit back and watch a a part of Ireland disappear? A lot of people have given up hope here and are moving out. A lot of the old houses here are not being prepared because people can’t justify putting money. This is too serious to ignore,” said Pat.

Council Management has agreed to look at short-term measures to curb the coastal erosion, but said it’s hands are tied as regards the proposed embankment as it is a Special Area of Conservation. Councillors present at the meeting on Monday expressed great concern and said they would do all they can for the residents’ plight.

Banna residents, Donal Dowling, George Flaherty and Pat Lawlor in front of the eroding sand dunes. Photo by Gavin O’Connor.