Noise Pollution in Ireland: What Can I Do About It?
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Noise pollution in Ireland is a major factor for people when it comes to deciding where to live. If you’re looking for a quiet place to settle down, avoiding the noisy areas is likely to be a top priority, and even if you’re living in a city. In our complete noise pollution guide, we’ll walk you through how to deal with noise pollution!
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What Is Noise Pollution in Ireland?
Although any loud music or machinery can be annoying, there are specific criteria for defining what constitutes noise pollution in Ireland. Noise pollution can be expected in a large city such as Dublin or Cork, but you’ll be glad to know you have good legal protection to make a complaint about any noise that is particularly stress inducing.
Noise pollution can come in many different varieties so it’s a good idea to understand what the noise pollution is like in a certain area. Especially if you’re moving house, it’s important to know exactly what type of noise you’re going to be dealing with and what you’re prepared to put up with. So before start packing up your belongings into moving box, you should read this guide.
What Constitutes Noise Pollution in Ireland?
Noise pollution in Ireland is defined in the Environmental Protection Agency Act 1992 which specifically lays out the type of noise which could constitute a nuisance:
“Where any noise which is so loud, so continuous, so repeated, of such duration or pitch or occurring at such times as to give reasonable cause for annoyance to a person in any premises in the neighbourhood or to a person lawfully using any public place, a local authority, the Agency or any such person may complain to the District Court…”
What Are the Types of Noise Pollutions in Ireland?
There are lots of different types of noise pollution in Ireland and the way to deal with them depends on their cause. There are some types of noise pollution that are just going to be a fact of life depending on where you live but there are others where you’ll be able to make a complaint.
- Commercial Noise and Maintenance
With either public works or commercial activities, such as nightclubs and pubs, both bodies managing these works or events need to have taken the necessary steps in order to reduce noise pollution as much as possible. If found not to have done so, local authorities can serve a notice in order to make them take the sufficient steps. - Environmental Noise
Environmental noises usually count as road traffic, rail traffic or workplace noise that might occur. These types of noises are usually controlled by your local authority and apply especially to built-up areas. - Transport Noise
Transport noises can come from any type of transport such as motorbikes, cars or planes. If air traffic noise pollution is the issue, then you’ll usually be referred to the Irish Aviation Authority. A car horn cannot be used in a built-up area between 11pm and 7am.
What Types of Domestic Noise Are There?
Domestic noises can vary in where they come from and there are different rules that apply to the different types. In most instances, the Garda will deal with an issue of noise pollution if you have not managed to resolve it with the offending person verbally. Here’s a list of the different types of domestic noise pollution:
- Rented Properties
If the noise pollution is coming from renting tenants, you should first try to resolve the issue with them face to face. If this fails and the tenant still continues, you can get in touch with the landlord to get them to enforce the lease agreement. Your local authority can also help you deal with the noise complaint. - Pets
If you’re suffering from noise pollution due to a dog’s barking, you can refer to a domestic court in order to get the owner to exercise due control over their pet. This can also lead to limiting the number of dogs on the premises. - Alarms
Alarms are legally required to cease after 15 minutes of sounding. Any alarm installer needs to be approved and licensed before they are permitted to do installations and must obey European standards.
What Are the Noise Pollution Hours in Ireland?
Noise pollution hours are a set of hours that define the hours in which it is illegal to make loud noises that disturb the peace. These are usually set during the night and last until the early morning, but they will often change depending on whether it’s a weekday, weekend or a holiday. These hours are often referred to as a noise curfew and set by the local authorities.
What Are the Noise Pollution Hours in Ireland?
In Ireland, the noise pollution hours depend on which local area you live in. Each local authority will set its noise pollution hours so you should look up how your authority determines their own on their website.
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How Does Noise Pollution Vary Across Ireland?
Noise pollution varies from place to place in Ireland so depending on where you’re living or planning on moving to, the levels of noise you can expect will be different. Typically, if you’re living in a big city, you’ll need to be prepared to deal with quite a bit of noise with lots of people all living together, however in the country you can expect to experience lower noise levels.
What’s Noise Pollution Like in Dublin?
Noise pollution in Dublin is much like other capital cities. The majority of the noise you’ll experience will come from traffic and public works, or environmental noise. Occasionally, you’ll also find domestic noise from people living and renting in Dublin, but you can also find a few quiet areas in the parks and gardens in Dublin. According to Dublin City Council, these quiet areas are:
- Blessington Basin
- Edenmore Park
- Mount Bernard Park
- St. Anne’s Park, Raheny
- Palmerston Park
- Ranelagh Gardens
- The Cabbage Gardens
If you’re living in Cork or another urban area in Ireland, you’re likely to encounter similar situations concerning noise pollution. If you are interested in looking for a quieter place to settle down, it would be a good idea to head to the countryside!
Who Deals with Noise Pollution Complaints?
The body that deals with the noise pollution complaint depends on the exact type of noise pollution that’s causing the problem. Depending on the nature of the complaint, you will usually need to have made contact with the offending person before you take any other steps.
| Type of Noise Pollution | Example | Who To Complain To |
|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | Restaurants, clubs, bars, pubs, concerts | Local authority or the Garda |
| Domestic | Parties, construction, alarms, dogs barking | First contact the person involved and then contact the local authority |
| Transport | Cars, road traffic, air traffic | Local authority or the Irish Aviation Authority if an air traffic related issue |
| Machinery | Construction, drills, loud fans, wind turbines | Local authority |
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
Can I Call the Garda for Noise Complaint?
Although noise pollution from neighbours is both annoying and a crime, you should really try and sort it out with them first before making a complaint to the Garda. This is important because you also want to preserve good neighbourliness and rapport with those who live around you. However, if your neighbour repeatedly breaks the noise pollution law after talking to them, you should make a call to the Garda.
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