Helicopters killed sheep
By Peadar Whelan
Farmer Henry McIlroy has accused a British army
helicopter pilot of deliberately killing sheep and
lambs on his South Armagh farm and of cross border
incursions during a mission on Friday evening 13 March.
Speaking to An Phoblacht Mr McIlroy said that between 8
and 8.30pm on Friday a British army Lynx helicopter
flew over his land as low as 30 feet from the ground
scattering the sheep below. The heavily pregnant sheep
panicked and died due to the stress.
Five sheep that were due to lamb died with their lambs
while another five sheep also lost the lambs they were
carrying.
Mr McIlroy estimates that he has lost upwards of
£1,000.
Regarding the cross-border incursions Mr McIlroy said,
``at 8pm on Friday a Lynx came in over Glassdrummond,
down the valley through my land and over the border at
Castle Roche which is clearly in the 26 Counties''.
The chopper flew almost as far as Dundalk then along
the main road to Hackballscross and over into the
North. It then flew a second sweep that took it right
over Hackballscross. A motorist driving along the road
also told An Phoblacht that the helicopter came right
down over his car, to about 30 or 40 feet, while a
farmer living just over the border claimed it hovered
over his house at between 100 and 150 feet.
``It was there for a few minutes'', said the man, who
wishes to remain anonymous.
``They were over the `State' for about 15 minutes'', said
Henry McIlroy, who is a member of the South Armagh
Farmers and Reidents Group which is campaigning for the
demilitarisation of South Armagh.
A spokesperson for the USPCA told us that one ewe had
been sent away to be tested for an exact cause of
death.
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