News
Claddagh holds its breath as smelly whale carcass removed
People living in The Claddagh are holding their breaths – in the hope that the removal of a whale carcass near Mutton Island may rid the area of a pong that has been annoying them for weeks.
The strong pungent smell prompted a barrage of complaints to City Hall that the Mutton Island sewage treatment plant was to blame.
The smell got particularly bad during the recent fine spell, when people were out enjoying the benefits of living by the sea. However the odour stopped many from venturing outside.
“The smell was absolutely nauseating,” said local resident and City Councillor Catherine Connolly “When I cycled out to Mutton Island my stomach turned. It was coming from the edge of the causeway. Halfway across it, you could no longer get it,” she revealed.
She got onto officials in the council who made contact with engineers on Mutton Island. After a cursory examination of the sewage treatment plant, they could find no reason why there would be an odour coming from the facility.
An engineer suggested that the smell was emanating from the carcass of a whale, which had been washed up beside the causeway for a number of weeks.
“I went back out and saw the carcass myself. When you’re there beside it, there’s no smell. But when you approach it or go past it, the smell hits you. I got back onto the council straight away,” she revealed.
The council arranged for a private company to collect the remains of the whale and dispose of it last Thursday afternoon. By Friday Cllr Connolly said the smell still remained and she was forced to close all windows. She vowed to keep her nose to the wind.
“That should have gotten rid of it. Today there’s certainly an improvement, it’s not outside my house but it’s very windy,” she said yesterday. “We’ll monitor it for now and if it’s not gone we’ll be back onto the council to get to the bottom of it.”
Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel