Ireland's data centers are an economic lifeline. But environmentalists say they're wrecking the planet

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Ireland's data centers are an economic lifeline. But environmentalists say they're wrecking the planet

In the west of Ireland lies a medieval market town, its roots steeped in legend. Beyond the labyrinth of narrow streets of the center are the chimney stacks of housing developments that still puff coal and peat. Past those homes, on the outskirts of Ennis, is an unremarkable but huge plot of land, nestled between a power station and farmland where cattle and sheep graze. This is where a mysterious company has applied to develop a new data center…