The pretty village of Geashill, seven miles from Tullamore in Co Offaly, is the unlikely setting for the beginning of a controversy with many strands.
Indeed, Teresa Direen, a self-possessed mother of 10 and wife of the highly respected local garda, Pat, is also an unlikely key figure in a controversy involving the rights of individuals versus those of the State.
Mrs Direen and her family were away last August when the yard of her home, which is the married quarters at the local Garda station, was surveyed for a new mast for the Esat Digifone network.
In September, she discovered men in the back garden testing the ground in preparation for the erection of the new mast and control block.
"We have been living here for 15 years and we pay rent and I was not told that this was happening. I objected but they said they had permission from the State," she said.
She phoned the Garda authorities to object and later a technical expert from Garda Headquarters phoned her to attempt to reassure her there was no danger to her or the children from the mast.
"He also mentioned that they would be able to pipe the exhaust fumes from the generator and that was the first time I learned that there was going to be a control building with a diesel generator in my back garden," she said.
At that stage Mrs Direen lodged a formal objection with Offaly County Council.
"One of those grounds is based on health reasons. We don't know what impact this will have on our children, who range in age from 20 to two," she said.
"The proposed mast is only 21 feet away from our bedroom and we have the problem of the younger children, or their many friends who come in here, climbing up on the mast and being injured.
"There is also the difficulty of access. People working on this or servicing it could leave open a gate and the younger children could get on the very busy road. I can't have that," she said.
Mrs Direen said when village residents became aware of the mast, they too began to object and this will continue.
She went on record only when the Offaly Express came into the possession of documents from Garda Headquarters which threatened to close her husband's station or other stations where members or their families objected.
She said: "I am not a member of the Garda Siochana and my first duty is to my family and their health. I have to object. I would not be a proper mother if I did not."
She is aware of the difficulties her husband faces but said she has no alternative but to speak out despite the threats from the authorities to close the station.
"This is about the children. This is about their health and their right to a clean and healthy environment and someone has to take a stand.
"No one in authority is prepared to give me a letter saying that this mast and system is safe. Until that happens, I must continue to say no, whatever the consequences," she said.
There is growing objection to the mast in nearby Tullamore. Other villages and towns across the midlands have been questioning the safety of the new system.