Royal Interference in Irish Affair
Donegal County Council in Ireland wants to build a sewage plant on the shore of Lough Foyle, which is located between the UK’s Northern Ireland to the east and south, and Ireland to the west and north. But it turns out that the foreshore of the Irish side of the lough right up to the high water mark is claimed by the British as its territory with the foreshore owned by the “Crown Estate”. The Estate charges rents to aquaculture businesses on the Irish as well as the UK side of the border.
“Donegal County Council would have no rights to access the foreshore and seabed without the permission of the Crown Estate,” a source told the Belfast Telegraph. The newspaper also reported that the Estate might take legal action to stop the building of the sewage plant.
The Londonderry Sentinel has reported that Lough Foyle is a disputed border region and for that reason it has not been possible to lay a communications cable in the Lough.
Whatever the merits of the sewage plant it would be wrong for the outcome to be decided by a foreign monarchy rather than by the democratic and legal processes of an Ireland that paid a high price to be free of British rule.
The Crown Estate is a controversial real estate holding that since 1760 was recognised as the property of the British people despite Windsor clan claims that it belonged to them. However, since 2011 the clan have been allowed to take 15% of the Estate’s profits in a major concession to its arrogance.