ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEST ACTION IN IRELAND: THE BOYNE VALLEY CASE STUDY.

Currently in Ireland, the building of waste management facilities (under the 1996 Waste Management Act) has led to fierce local opposition. Citing a case study drawn from recent fieldwork undertaken in the historic Boyne Valley, this paper seeks to gain insights into the nature of environmental protest action. Firstly, the mobilisation strategies of the local protest group will be examined in terms of their efforts in stalling the siting of a large landfill facility. Particular attention will be paid to the effect such a dispute has had on the social fabric of a sparsely populated community. Secondly, the NIMBY label within the context of an environmental dispute involving technical controversies. Utilising the social constructivist perspective of social movement framing processes, the paper seeks to explore the emergent and negotiated character of NIMBY claims. Particular stress will be paid to the difficulty of framing processes in technical disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]