Smoke pollution is so bad in one Shannonside town that a dog sneezes when passing houses with 'thick smoke' pouring out of chimneys.
The claim is made in a series of emails sent to the Minister for the Environment in the weeks following the announcement of plans to ban the cutting and sale of turf.
The row over plans to ban turf cutting in communities across the Shannonside region caused a serious split in the government and a very strong public reaction in April.
The depth of public feeling is reflected in emails and letters sent to the Government from people across the region released to Shannonside FM under Freedom of Information.
An email dated the 15th of April to Eamon Ryan suggested that an elderly mother and father had been "left in tears" by the plans to ban the sale of turf and that "their parents have worked hard all of their lives paid taxes all of their lives and asked the Minister "how dare you deny them "this one" simple thing."
It also added that the emailer could not wait for the next general election when they hoped Mr Ryan is "voted out of any little bit of power you have or ever have had or you having any say in any decisions in the way that our country is run."
An email to Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, from a person who described themselves as a Fine Gael supporter, stated that a ban on turf cutting would have a huge negative impact on rural Ireland and that as party leader he needed to intervene.
An email dated the 14th of April from a resident of a town in the Shannonside region, was in support of the turf ban - and claimed that the air quality can be so bad in their town that "that even my dog will begin sneezing when passing houses with thick smoke pouring out of their chimney's(sic) and I myself must cover my mouth to breathe".
It also wished Minister Ryan good luck in his efforts.
Westmeath County Council wrote to the Minister in late April, highlighting their opposition to the plans and asking him to withdraw his proposal
The letter claims that "the feeling among the electorate in Westmeath is that there will be a lot of very cold homes over the next few winters due to the ever rising costs of all types of fuel until such time that all houses are retrofitted as planned."
Leitrim County Council also wrote to the Minister outlining they hoped Bord Na Mona would allow cutting on bogs again to combat the fuel crisis.
It's not clear when the regulations around the sale and commercial distribution of turf, which were due to be published in the summer will now be made public.
Eamon Ryan today told the Dail he expects they will be published before the summer recess.
