Diesel traces the illegal dumping of toxic waste material, commonly referred to as ‘sludge’, by diesel launderers at sites along the Irish border between Counties Louth, Armagh and Down. Agricultural diesel, intended for off-road agricultural use, costs about 50c less per litre than regular car diesel. Agricultural diesel is dyed (green in the South and red in the North) so as to distinguish it from auto diesel. Early dye removal processes involved pouring diesel from an oil drum into an upside down traffic cone filled with nappies which would absorb the dye. Other methods involved cat litter and more recently acids. In the 1980s and 1990s this border region lost many of its traditional manufacturing industries such as shoemaking (Clarkes), tobacco (PJ Carrolls) and brewing (Harp, McArdle and Moore), and saw the end of railway freight trade.
Book Launch
Drop by to hear more about this exciting new publication to Photo Museum Ireland.