Mayo - a most favourable place to live

COUNTRY FILE

WE never thought we'd see such a time, when our own little corner has become one of the more favourable places in all of Europe to live.

Yes, the rustic charm of Mayo has become more desirable than the glamour and glitz of St. Tropez or the sophistication of Monte Carlo.

Even as I sit at my desk, the sky is wonderfully grey with hardly a patch of blue visible all morning. Remember how we longed to see such a thing? Yes, a patch of blue big enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers – then we would know fair weather is on the way.

Now, blue sky in summer means torrid heat and has us gasping for breath in pools of perspriration. Mid 20s we can deal with, but any more and we're in trouble.

So do spare a thought for our friends on the continent, who already have nearly double that to contend with and must be dreading the next few, warmest weeks of the year.

That searing heat has spawned a multitude of wildfires. Not only have these caused great inconvenience to millions, they have brought a terrible death to some and have left vast regions of once profitable land largely uninhabitable.

Almost every news report we read or view reminds us we are beginning to reap what we have sown. Yes, climate scientists have been warning for decades, telling us that this day would come if we failed to change our ways. And here we are.

As we already said, this country is fairly well insulated from such events. We are not immune though, and even as cooler, damper weather has allayed our own threat of fire for now, we are still going to feel the effects of widespread drought, water shortage and reduced harvests.

Some local farmers are already digging into stocks of winter fodder to carry livestock through the next few weeks while overheads and living expenses continue to spiral.

Yes, it looks as though tough times might lie ahead. There are many things we cannot change, but if we have any sense at all we will learn from events presently unfolding overseas and do our utmost to prevent them happening here as well.

That includes being vigilant when it comes to the threat of fire. Our bogland and our woodlands remain in tinderbox condition, despite the small amount of rain that has come our way. Two or three dry days, should we get them, will quickly dry everything out again.

Banning portable barbecues from our National Parks is just a small step toward protecting valuable habitat. The prospect of being fined €1,000 should prevent most folks from firing up.

More could be done. A ban on smoking in vulnerable areas is another obvious step, with equally weighty fines to be dispensed.

And as for the reckless few who seem to take delight in setting dry vegetation aflame? Surely they must be aware there might be children at play in rural areas. Their behaviour constitutes reckless endangerment and should be dealt with accordingly.

No, it's not just vegetation that burns. Our wildlife suffers, too, and it is unfortunate that we have restricted most of our animals and birds to areas that are more vulnerable to wildfire.

Our forests, bogland and heathland presently act as repositories for nature and if what exists within them is destroyed, our present biodiversity crisis will become a truly critical issue.

For now, the prevention of wildfire is a pressing issue across much of Europe, one which will shape environmental policy for years to come.