A Mayo GAA club is appealing plans by Coillte to plant 30 acres of forestry beside its grounds.

Ballycastle GAA in the north of the county is submitting its appeal to the Department of Agriculture after hundreds of locals signed an online petition to “stop commercial forestry in Ballycastle”. The club believes the plan will have a “detrimental effect” around Tom Langan Park which was upgraded in 2022.

“It will be a danger for all the underage teams with huge increase in truck movements on the roads,” the petition read.

“Not only is this proposal adjacent to our club grounds, it is on the main route to Downpatrick Head which sees thousands of tourists visit each year which is hugely important to the economic viability of Ballycastle, which is an area that is economically challenged and dependent significantly on tourism.

“We view this proposal as a serious threat and undoubtedly will have a significant potential negative impact.”

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