In light of a recent $670 million Dupont settlement in America we unearthed some information on pollution and chemical spills in and around Lough Foyle including a 1990 Irish Times' article, on carcinogenic chemicals found in Lough Foyle salmon, an 1992 Independent article on an unreported chemical spill from DuPont (UK) Ltd. Both are followed by an Irish Government debate at the time, such as it was. Finally we include a 2016 Derry Now article on a suppressed 2014 study on effects of pollution on Derry residents.

Du Pont (UK) Ltd jetty at Maydown on Lough Foyle. **Coolkeeragh power station - centre**

Oireachtas Debate December 1991 on BIM report

This is the only Irish Government debate on the above report that we managed to get. It is interesting to see the difference in emphasis between the BIM report and the response from the Irish Minister for the Marine Mr Wilson.

Oireachtas Debate October 1992 on above toxic discharge.

Minister of State Dept of Marine Mr. P. Gallagher"What disappoints me is that there was a structure in relation to the Foyle and there was no reason why the company could not have informed their Department of the Environment, who in turn could have informed Donegal County Council and the North-Western Health Board. "

2014 Pollution Report Suppressed

by James Quigley

It is now almost twenty years since the Good Friday Agreement or (Belfast Agreement). It came into effective in 1999 after, what some might say, was an ultimatum presented to the war weary people of Ireland, especially British colonial north - either sign or continue with the oppression, murder and mayhem.

It involved the Irish Republic amending it's constitution giving up territorial claim on the whole of Ireland and reassuring unionists that a united Ireland would not come about without consent of a majority of the Northern Ireland electorate.

The British Government of Ireland Act 1922 was amended to declare "that Northern Ireland in its entirety remains part of the United Kingdom and shall not cease to be so without the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland."

For Republicans it was presented as a victory. Deals were done behind the scene between IRA leadership, Britain and Ireland for release of political prisoners and the Republican propaganda was that a United Ireland was around the corner. Little was mentioned about the reality that the IRA campaign had reached it's end, the movement rife with informers and infiltrated with British agents.

The above link describing the Good Friday Agreement says"the vague wording of some of the provisions, described as "constructive ambiguity" (Arthur Aughey), helped ensure acceptance of the agreement and served to postpone debate on some of the more contentious issues."

No doubt one of these contentious issues is the unresolved ownership of Lough Foyle and Carlingford Lough, a major ambiguity but somehow we can not describe it as 'constructive'.

In this article we are continuing the series of articles on the sovereigntyof Lough Foyle, a rich vein which gets bigger and bigger the more we dig into it. The following article appeared in Irish Republican News, June 19, 2009. It clearly shows how Sinn Féin knew all along about the problem, about the Crown Estates' claim and that the Irish Government was paying rent to them. It looks very much like all sides were economical with the truth which goes on even to this day, 'constructive ambiguity' indeed.

It is interesting to compare present day Sinn Féin's more political correctness with the more firebrand attitude in the article. It could be viewed as an analogy of Sinn Féin's role in Stormont today.

This comparison can be made between what Pádraig MacLochlainn, Sinn Féin, statement on a recent RTE Prime Time programme and the following article. There was no admission that Sinn Féin knew anything about the Irish Government paying rent, about the Crown Estate ownership, or the rent being paid. The change of direction is interesting, from attacking the Irish Government to putting the blame fully on the British Government. Of course no blame fell on the shoulders of his own party, signatory, as they were, to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Mr MacLochlainn said

"Somebody is at fault here and the Irish Government, in my opinion, aren't at fault. I think they should call out the British Government and say the difficulty is on the British side and the British Government should be honest and open about why they won't resolve ownership of this Lough"

The following Irish Republican Article Colonial rents paid for Irish Lough from http://www.epa.ie/licences/lic_eDMS/090151b28054b885.pdf Use side bar to scroll down

Other sources:

http://www.derryjournal.com/news/anger-as-british-force-inishowen-ferry-to-pay-taxes-1-2138317/amp

http://buncranatogether.com/home/2016/12/8/northern-ireland-fisheries-minister-michelle-mcilveen-on-lough-foyle-jurisdiction-dispute?rq=lough%20foyle

http://buncranatogether.com/home/2016/11/18/brexit-revives-territorial-dispute-between-uk-and-ireland-over-lough-foyle?rq=lough%20foyle

http://buncranatogether.com/home/2016/11/18/uk-claim-on-lough-foyle-has-never-been-settled?rq=lough%20foyle