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Low-frequency sounds can disturb sleep and wellbeing, while interfering with the simple enjoyments of a home
For residents affected, this is far more than an annoyance. We know that low-frequency noise exists and that some people find it particularly intrusive, particularly at night.
It can disturb sleep and wellbeing, while interfering with the simple enjoyments of a home. Yet such noise may not register as particularly loud on a conventional decibel meter. This is not simply theoretical. In June 2025, the High Court ordered the permanent shutdown of three turbines at a Co Wexford wind farm after finding that noise from them amounted to a serious nuisance, causing years of sleep disturbance and distress.
The case demonstrated that noise need not be conventionally loud to have a serious impact on people living nearby. The World Health Organisation recognises low-frequency noise as an issue requiring consideration in environmental noise assessment. More importantly, the Environmental Protection Agency’s own draft guidance acknowledges the limitations of conventional noise measurements and recommends assessing the lower frequency range separately.
Evanne Ní Chuilinn: ‘Dad is at my brother’s grave most days and keeps the candle on it lit’Moving from Dublin to Kerry: ‘We really noticed the lack of any noise, apart from the animals’ This points to a weakness in how noise is measured. Standard assessments are largely based on the way the human ear responds to different frequencies and can therefore understate very low-frequency noise.
Large data centres contain a concentration of continuously operating fans, chillers, pumps, generators and electrical equipment, all capable of producing such noise and vibration, including infrasound. As Ireland approves data centres on an unprecedented scale, surely, we should implement suitable methodologies to record the full range of noise produced by such large industrial units, particularly at night. Residents should not have to spend years proving something is wrong before we measure it properly.
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