Organisers from the Save Lough Neagh campaign have scheduled a march in Tyrone on May 17. The event starts at The Battery Bar near Battery Harbour and ends at Ardboe High Cross on the shores of Lough Neagh.

The protest marks 40 years since a 1986 rally against lignite mining at the site. Save Lough Neagh spokesperson Pádraig Mac Niocaill stated that communities opposed environmental exploitation then and must do so now amid the lough's crisis. He blamed Stormont for prioritising private interests over clean water and the environment.

Mac Niocaill added that underfunding has left the water service unable to function properly. He noted regular issues with tap water taste in Mid Ulster alongside NI Water discharging untreated sewage into the lough. He called the situation a public health emergency requiring government accountability.

Lough Neagh fisherman Declan Coney, who joined the 1986 rally attended by 3,000 people, said fishing families, farming families and local communities opposed lough exploitation. He expressed gratitude to past participants and criticised government inaction.

Swimmer Mary O’Hagan reported algae sightings around Ballyronan despite winter not fully ending. She urged participation in the May 17 march starting at 1pm from The Battery.

Organisers seek urgent environmental measures and shifts in government priorities. They aim to rally families, swimmers, fishermen and communities for clean water rights. Toxic algae blooms threaten a fourth year.