A bill aiming to prohibit fracking will be debated in the Dáil today.

Sligo TD Tony McLoughlin has brought forward the bill, which is now at its second stage and calls for the prohibition of “the exploration and extraction of petroleum from shale rock, tight sands and coal seams in the Irish onshore and Ireland’s internal waters.”

A group of Fermanagh, Cavan and Leitrim fishermen and anti-fracking campaigners met in Blacklion recently to back the bill.

Anti-fracking activists from across Ireland to gather in Enniskillen

To date, all elected TDs in Sligo-Leitrim have pledged their support to ban fracking.

Eddie Mitchell of the Love Leitrim anti-fracking campaign group said: “This is our time to make history. This is what we’ve been aiming for, a ban in fracking. 

Man who got fracking banned in New York visits Fermanagh site

"For much of this long campaign our region has led the way in ensuring that the health of our communities and future generations is centre stage. We are appealing to our TDs to work together across parties and back this bill to ban fracking. We need our elected representatives to work to secure support for this legislation within their parties. We need them to continue to stand up for us now. We are working with our local representatives, and we thank them wholeheartedly. We have an opportunity to forge a terrific legacy for the country together! ”