Pictures: South Kilkenny residents protest against plan for 18-metre mast in village

A protest has taken place in Piltown over plans to erect a new 18-metre high mast in the village.

Local TD John McGuinness and Cllr Pat Dunphy both attended to hear the concerns of residents and parents of schoolchildren, who say they have concerns about the 5G mast due to be put in place around 200m from  the local primary school and close to some houses. They believe the mast will be an eyesore in the village and say there has not yet been any long-term studies on the effect of 5G on people and the environment.

The group say they are not opposed to technological advances but would rather mast be put somewhere away from residents and school. They also point out that Piltown will have its own award-winning broadband in the village, thanks to Broadband 4 Our Community (B4OC).

B40C saw the local community, supported by Kilkenny Leader Partnership, come together to set up its very own fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) network. It will deliver future-proofed, high-speed broadband in the area, after it was left out of the National Broadband Plan.