September 25th, 2018
A football-pitch sized sinkhole opened up across a local GAA pitch in Co Monaghan on Monday morning.
The land subsidence event damaged two football pitches at Magheracloone GAA club, as well as the car park and the club building.
Monaghan County Council yesterday closed off several roads in the Magheracloone area and shut the local National School as a precautionary measure.
Update 18:45
Some new pics that shows the damage caused by the collapse of the Gypsum mine Magheracloone Gaa club grounds Co Monaghan and BRTV would like to thank our followers for sending in their pictures to us pic.twitter.com/ku9XB6tlSy— Border Region TV (@BorderRegionTV) September 24, 2018
Disused mine shafts
The area of land affected covers disused mine shafts. Gyproc, which owns Drumgossatt mine, confirmed that the subsidence occurred at the mine that ceased operations in the late 1980s.
The plaster and plasterboard manufacturer said that it is currently investigating the case with the assistance of geological teams to determine both the reason for and the extent of the subsidence.
The company said that it is working with residents at five properties located at the perimeter of the affected area to assess the potential impact of the incident.
Thank you to #TonightVMT for having me on to discuss the subsidence in @MitchellsGAA_ @MclooneLGFC grounds earlier today. Very quick interview and didn’t get the chance to mention that a preliminary investigation report will be presented to @MonaghanCoCo tomorrow afternoon.
— Colm Carthy (@colmcarthy) September 24, 2018
“Our assessment indicates that all areas outside of this zone are unaffected by the incident. We will continue to liaise with local residents and authorities in the area to keep them updated,” a company statement reads.
“Our main priority is the safety of local residents, our employees and ensuring no significant environmental impact. Our teams will continue to work diligently to investigate the issue and implement a solution from there.”
According to Sinn Fein Councillor Colm Carthy, a preliminary investigative report is set to be presented to the Council this afternoon.
As a result of the sudden closure of our Club grounds we are unable to access any of our training equipment. We still have teams in competition who need to train. We don’t have any footballs, cones, bibs or water bottles. Please support our club
— Magheracloone GAA (@MitchellsGAA_) September 25, 2018
Business Affected
In a statement released via social media, Magheracloone GAA said that the club is “truly devastated” by the incident and has started a GoFundMe campaign to source and set up temporary facilities.
“As a result of the sudden closure of our Club grounds we are unable to access any of our training equipment,” the club said.
“We don’t have any footballs, cones, bibs or water bottles. Please support our club.”
Several businesses in the largely industrial area are also affected by the local road closure, cutting them off from suppliers and customers.
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