Description
In the summer of 2023, the people of the UK and Ireland were stunned when a foul-smelling green algae bloom blanketed the surface of Lough Neagh – the largest freshwater body on these islands – suffocating aquatic life and signalling an unprecedented environmental disaster.
Troubled Waters is a damning exposé, which uncovers the shocking destruction of the lough, source of almost half of Northern Ireland’s drinking water and a place steeped in historical and cultural significance. Award-winning journalist Tommy Greene delves deep into a gripping tale of greed, corruption, ineptitude and environmental catastrophe that has unfolded in plain sight against a backdrop of governmental instability and systematic cover-ups.
With a cast of characters ranging from aristocratic landowners to locals who have fished the lake for generations, Greene exposes the fierce battle that will determine the future of this once-thriving ecosystem which now teeters on the brink of ecological collapse.
Contents
Prologue: A Lament for Lough Neagh
1. ‘Ireland’s Cradle of Civilisation’
2. Going for Growth
3. The ‘Greening’ of Growth
4. Earl of Extraction
5. The Sand Empire
6. ‘Black Hole’
7. ‘Dying in Plain Sight’
8. ‘Drowning’
9. New Chapter
10. Turning the Tide?
About the Author
Tommy Greene is an award-winning journalist and writer, regularly contributing to The Guardian, The Irish Times and Al Jazeera. He has received awards from UCD Smurfit School and the Law Society Ireland for his investigative work on environmental issues. His work on Lough Neagh has been widely recognised, and he is currently collaborating with the Field Day Theatre on a short film on the subject. Tommy lives and works in Belfast.
