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They are giants, massive white giants towering into the sky, dazzling behind the heavy mist that hovers about the top of the mighty Slieve Rushen . These giants are powerful. Their enormous turbine blades rotate at 20rpm and produce a full capacity 3 mega watts of power at 690 volts, enough to provide electricity to over 2,000 homes. They are the Windmills at Airtricity's Corneen Wind Farm.
In August 2001, Airtricity opened its second wind farm in Ireland on the Slieve Rushen mountain near Ballyconnell in County Cavan. Why Ireland? Simple. Ireland is one of the windiest countries in Europe, and this resource is much greater in the colder months of the year when energy demand is at its highest. Wind power does not produce dangerous waste, nor does it contribute to global warming. Wind energy is fast becoming one of the most popular technologies, especially among farmers. Because the resource does not require the destruction of farmlands (wind is generated from atop mountainous areas), farmers can continue to use their land for growing crops and grazing livestock. Sheep, cows, and horses are not disturbed by the wind turbines. The average wind farm will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within three to six months, and so far, no one has been injured or harmed by wind energy anywhere in the world.
The adventurous tourist will not be content merely to glimpse these magnificent giants from afar, and will choose, instead, to drive up the steep road to the top of Slieve Rushen, park the car, and behold the beauty of Ireland. In a walk around the Corneed, the view is breath-taking.
From atop Slieve Rushen, the giant in all of us emerges.
How to get there:
From Dublin: N3 to Belturbet then N87 west to approx 2km before village of Bawnboy. Turn right up the mountain (you can see the giants in the distance) on straight paved road. Corss intersecting paved road and continue to Corneen sign and turnaround at summit of Slieve Rushen.
From Belfast: A3 to Cavan Town, then N3 north to Belturbet. From Belturbet, same as above.
Address:
Headquarters, Airtricity House, Ravenscourt Office Park, Dublin
T: +353 16556 400
Written by Joy Davis - Summer of Travel 2007