Mobile phone coverage in Hackballscross raised in Seanad

The issue of mobile phone coverage in Hackballscross in north Louth, was raised in the Seanad just before Christmas by Senator John McGahon, on behalf of his Fine Gael colleague, Cllr John Reilly.

Cllr Reilly says he has received numerous complaints regarding the coverage and signal at the site. The underlying issue behind this, she says, relate to the ownership of land behind the Garda station. He adds that mobile phone companies will not take action until this is cleared up.

Speaking in the Seanad, Senator McGahon said that "Cllr Reilly has done a huge amount of work in north Louth and the Cooley Peninsula to make sure that mobile blackspots have been improved. He has done that by ensuring mobile phone companies are able to upgrade their masts throughout the north Louth area.

He continued: "The one area he is having a problem in is in Hackballscross. As is the case with some Garda stations around the country, there are legacy issues about who owns the land beside the Garda station. We do not know whether it is owned by the OPW or the Department of Justice.

"We do not know whether the phone company has the right to upgrade the mast. As a result of the triangulation of no one taking responsibility, people in that part of County Louth have a terrible mobile phone signal, and will continue to have it because no one has the ability to upgrade the phone mast."

Senator McGahon requested "clarification from the OPW and Department of Justice about where mobile phone masts can be upgraded to get people up to the proper level of service."

Welcoming the Senator's intervention on the matter, Cllr Reilly said that "the equipment needs to be updated as soon as possible, especially with the rollback of 3G signal in 2024. "