Print media coverage of Irish farmer John Ryan

With an Irish General Election taking place on Friday, June 11, and the promises of desperate-for-votes Irish politicians becoming increasingly reckless, the mast issue here has elbowed its way into the limelight.

Con Colbert, Dublin, current secretary of our Irish EHS support group, IERVN (Irish Electromagnetic Radiation Victims Network, founded in August, 1999), has alerted me to the following.

There is big media focus right now on the Irish EHS farmer, John Ryan, of Cashel, Co. Tipperary, who had to flee his farm due to the severe bioeffects he suffers from the mast he allowed to be erected on his land. You have posted Klaus on 5/12/2003 (Citizens Initiative Omega) a report I sent you of John and his wife Rosie being interviewed by a prime time Irish T.V. farming programme.
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/omega051203.htm

Last Sunday (May 30, 2004) John's tragic experience with masts featured in three Sunday newspapers:

SUNDAY WORLD (news@sundayworld.com , Journalist: Karl Hanlon);

THE STAR (firstname.lastname@thestar.ie also: Karl Hanlon);

NEWS OF THE WORLD (news@news-of-the-world.co.uk) also:
Karl Hanlon.

I will transcribe the NEWS OF THE WORLD article.

Please note while reading it the similarity of John Ryan's obervation that the signal power appeared to be turned down while official testing was in progress on his farm with that made by Cathy Hawk about the Doe farming family official testing in your entry "Occupational Exposure to RF/MW and Microwave Sickness" of Citizens Initiative Omega, dated 13/2/03.
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/omega144.htm

And a vital fact in the second last paragraph for ALL mast-affected farmers, wherever they reside, is this:

"THE IRISH FARMERS' ASSOCIATION IS BACKING MR. RYAN, AND HAS CALLED ON VODAFONE TO CEASE TRANSMISSION FROM THE MAST."

I am including toward end key email addresses for making supportive contact with IFA (Irish Farmers Association) and IFJ (Irish Farmers Journal). I have also listed above email contacts for the three newspapers. John and Rosie Ryan have asked that similarly affected people contact those newspapers for max support on the issue. There may be more Irish media accounts appearing shortly.

Best, Imelda, Cork


From: NEWS OF THE WORLD 30/5/04

"Phone mast 'wrecks my life' by Karl Hanlon

Farmer John Ryan puts a silver-plated mesh on his head when he strides off to work. And in the middle of the night he gets up and drives away from home to sleep in his 4 by 4 vehicle.

He claims a mobile phone mast on his land in Daingean, Tipperary, is giving him headaches, nosebleeds, dizzy spells and burning sensations.

Mr Ryan said: 'As soon as the mast went up I started to feel the effects. After putting serious pressure on Vodafone it was switched off for three weeks and everything was fine but the minute it was switched back on my symptoms returned.' His wife Rosie and daughter Linda get similar symptoms when working outside. Mr. Ryan wants the mast shut down and has offered to return the 10,000 euros Vodafone paid him to erect it. But the firm won't remove it unless he pays the 50,000 euros it cost to put up the mast.

Medical tests support Mr. Ryan's claim that he is being exposed to some form of microwave radiation. He wears the headnet to block out 99 per cent of microwave emissions. He said the net is 'like a pair of ladies' tights.'

Vodafone says its equipment complies with current limits on emissions set by the International Radiation Protection
Association.

REJECT

They reject Mr. Ryan's claims that the mast causes his problems. Tests have been carried out at the site, but Mr. Ryan insists: 'When the tests were done you could hardly get a single bar of signal on a mobile phone even when standing right next to the mast. In dry weather, the problems are not too bad but when it rains the power on the mast is turned up to make up for the loss of the signal.'

The Irish Farmers' association is backing Mr. Ryan, and has called on Vodafone to cease transmission from the mast. A spokesman said: 'Mr Ryan is unable to stay on his farming premises. His farming is being neglected and dairy cows are going unmilked.


IRISH FARMERS ASSOCIATION

KEY CONTACTS

The Irish Farmers Association,
Irish Farm Centre, Bluebell, Dublin 12.
Telephone: 00 353 (1) 4500266 Fax: 00 353 (1) 4551043
Fax: 00 353 (1) 4565146 Email : postmaster@ifa.ie

Below are contacts for REGIONAL IFA representatives

Teresa Curran
FBD House, Fels Point, Dan Spring Rd, Tralee,
CO. KERRY
kerry@ifa.ie Tel: 066-7123279
066-7127149


Una Keane
Livestock Mart, Athenry,
CO. GALWAY
galway@ifa.ie 091-844268
091-844902


Brenda Ryan
40 Kenyon Street, Nenagh,
CO. TIPPERARY
tipperary@ifa.ie 067-32213
067-32936


Noelle Rogerson
Stonecourt House, Roscommon.
CO. ROSCOMMON
roscommon@ifa.ie 090-6625235
090-6625419


Denise Wilson
The Diamond, Raphoe,
CO. DONEGAL
donegal@ifa.ie 074-9145658
074-9145693


Barbara Martin
Farm Centre, Mill Park Road, Enniscorthy,
CO. WEXFORD
wexford@ifa.ie 054-33090
054-33807


Emer Barry
Unit 2A (Rear), University Technology Centre, Curraheen Road, Cork.
cork@ifa.ie 021-4545944
021-4545736


Ann Rose
Barrack street, Kilkenny.
CO. KILKENNY
kilkenny@ifa.ie 056-7763404
056-7763815


Teresa Walsh
Harbour Street,
Tullamore,
CO. OFFALY
offaly@ifa.ie 0506-41447
0506-41082


Sinead Hoare
1 Church Street,
St. John's Square,
CO. LIMERICK
limerick@ifa.ie 061-314196
061-317135


Geraldine Duffy
Main Street, Ballybay,
CO. MONAGHAN
monaghan@ifa.ie 042-9744870
042-9741660


Maria Meegan
Bective Street, Kells,
CO. MEATH
kells@ifa.ie 046-9240436
046-9241270


Reception
Irish Farm centre,
Bluebell,
DUBLIN 12.
postmaster@ifa.ie 01-4500266
01-4501935



IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL

KEY CONTACTS

Staff Contacts
Irish Farmers' Journal Contacts
EDITOR: Matt Dempsey
Tel: 01-4199500
Web: http://www.farmersjournal.ie
Email: mdempsey@farmersjournal.ie

EDITORIAL OFFICE: Lena Doody
Tel: 01-4199530
Fax: 01-4520876
Email: ldoody@farmersjournal.ie

NEWS: Pat O’Keeffe
Tel: 01-4199539
Email: pokeeffe@farmersjournal.ie

NEWS: Paul Mooney
Tel: 01-4199527
Email:pmooney@farmersjournal.ie

NORTHERN EDITOR: James Campbell
Tel: 048-91-812054
Fax: 028 9182 0946.
Email:jcampbell@farmersjournal.ie

Northern Diary email: morrow@farmersjournal.ie

AGRI-BUSINESS AND EU NEWS: Eric Donald
Tel: 01-4199528
Email:edonald@farmersjournal.ie