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Pro-life group says the 'No' on Ben Bulben was 'vandalised' and removed

Pictures from this morning show only remnants of the sign remaining.

Updated 3.12 pm

PastedImage-25330 Ben Bulben this morning. Twitter / anniewestdotcom Twitter / anniewestdotcom / anniewestdotcom

THE 100M TALL ‘No’ banner that was placed on Ben Bulben in Sligo has been removed overnight.

The sign had been placed there by the Sligo for Life group in the early hours of yesterday morning but it provoked controversy in the 24 hours it was up.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service had called for its removal, stating that: “The insinuation of alien materials such as this onto a special area of conservation is insensitive  to its conservation status and incompatible with the habitat.”

An Taisce also submitted a legal complaint to Sligo County Council regarding the sign.

This morning, a number of Sligo locals have posted images of the mountain showing that most of the lettering has been removed.

Tommy Banks of Sligo for Life said yesterday that the letters were made of cladding and pictures from this morning show only debris remaining.

Speaking to local broadcaster Ocean FM this morning, Banks said that the No sign was “vandalised” and that that Yes campaigners had threatened to remove it.

“A threat was made from some of the Yes people, one of them came to me and said: ‘That will come down’. So that was reported to the guards. It was private property,” Banks said.

image1 (1) This is what the sign looked like yesterday. Daniel Horvath Daniel Horvath

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    Mute stopit
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 7:39 AM

    this whole “my bill is bigger than your bill” malarkey is pathetic.

    I read as far as the first line of the Green Party bill (after the definitions).

    It says “No person shall sell or manufacture products containing micro-beads or add micro-beads to cosmetics, soaps or similar products.”

    the rest is just clarification on this ban and how to monitor it.

    what more do we need?

    237
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    Mute scoop delivery
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:03 AM

    @stopit: “Billy waving” i think is what they call it ….

    58
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    Mute HOTBank
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:39 AM

    Don’t know why this is taking so long and FF attitude is appalling. Must be because the lizards use the microbeads to get rid of loose scales.

    236
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    Mute Drew TheChinaman :)
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 7:04 AM

    The only reason these exist is because of marketing… plenty of natural exfoliants, silicon, quartz, cellulose that are just as effective. But they just don’t look as attractive as bright blue or orange in the animated representation of the product in use during ads and give it that something extra to make it seem different.

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    Mute Derek Walsh
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 11:33 AM

    True, and there’s absolutely no doubt that when these were dreamed up by some marketing genius, they were fully aware of the completely pointless environmental destruction they would cause. And they did it anyway. Ban them immediately. Then introduce “more robust” legislation later.

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    Mute Rory Gibney
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 2:02 PM

    I wouldn’t give marketing execs that much credit, microbeads are far cheaper to produce than exploiting natural exfoliants; environmental impact is often overlooked when taking an existing material in a new application. BTW, unless you’re work in Intel or something I think you mean Silica ;)

    53
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    Mute Christopher Doyle
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:59 AM

    Typical FF new politics my arse

    123
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    Mute William Roche
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 9:01 AM

    FF – “Oh gosh no, we can’t make a decision for ourselves! Lets wait and see what Europe tells us to do”

    106
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 10:39 PM

    @William Roche: You mean Merkel lol.

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    Mute Aengus O Corrain
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 9:32 AM

    What a bunch of lies FF are telling the greens bill is as comprehensive as it’s possible to be more so than most countries that have enacted bans. The only sense it is restrictive is restricting the further pollution of our Environment pity FF don’t seem to value that.

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    Mute eastsmer #IRExit
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 10:16 AM

    Surely this should be a worldwide thing if not an EU thing to get this excess plastic out of the environment?
    What sort of conscience do these manufacturers have to make this stuff in the first place

    57
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    Mute Brendan McGill
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 5:36 PM

    ***Profit***

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    Mute Philip Kenna
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:07 PM

    Those coffee pods are also an environmental time bomb that nobody talks about!

    56
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    Mute Paddy Moretti
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:59 PM

    @Philip Kenna: Who cares about the environmental impact? George Clooney’s gawjus…

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    Mute Mrs M
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 5:21 PM

    The ban should be at European level , you can exfoliate just as well with shower gel and salt or oil and salt mixed together .

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    Mute Kinsaleable
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:47 PM

    Here’s an idea d1kheads in the oireachtas. Why not sit down together and draft legislation that will work instead of the usual one upmanship..

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:28 PM

    Manufacturers don’t need time to adapt, just stop putting that shit in their products.

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:29 PM

    Boycott them all until they remove the beads

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    Mute kingstown
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 6:28 PM

    Shame on Ireland

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 5:54 PM

    When will they discuss puppy farming and animal abuse???

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    Mute joe o hare
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:50 AM

    I am more worried that something that goes down thee same hole as my faeces and urine ends up in rivers and seas.

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    Mute Daisy Chainsaw
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:42 AM

    Great to see our political parties tackling the urgent, important issues.

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    Mute Revolting Peasant
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 9:40 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw:

    I sense sarcasm, maybe if you took time to understand the issue and the incremental effects these beads can have over time you’d see it as an important issue worthy of government time. You might also see that what’s being reported is a snapshot of why ordinary citizens are disgusted with politics.

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    Mute P.J. Nolan
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 11:41 AM

    @Daisy Chainsaw:
    Couldn’t agree more!!!

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    Mute Jimmyjoe Wallace
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 8:31 PM

    This is an important issue

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 10:38 PM

    @Daisy Chainsaw: It is killing the wildlife that other wildlife feeds on, it is polluting our environment and killing wildlife.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 10:37 PM

    A bulking agent to make a profit on goods, god knows what they are made from but they end up in the rivers and sea as well then in the wildlife.
    The type of plastic used in them might effect the hormones in wildlife and in people as I do not think they care what the plastic might be made from. Can you imagine if it was recycled farm plastic waste lol.

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 10:40 PM

    I think salt would be better for you than these plastic beads?

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    Mute Conor Brady
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    Nov 23rd 2016, 8:06 AM

    Why would they do that?

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    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 5:25 PM

    Darn we’ll be sweating beads of plastic sweat.

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    Mute Patricia Cautley
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    Nov 22nd 2016, 7:09 PM

    I am SO angry about that political fudging. Microbeads are getting into the food chain via seafood/fish. They were recently found in Plankton. No debate, they are a known toxin. Big pharma HAVE to stop their production NOW – end of.

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    Mute #knowingitall
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    Nov 23rd 2016, 8:40 PM

    Would some one please tell the Greens to politely F off. They did nothing in power they will do less put of it

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