Kerry County Council has said that a 20-metre Eir telecommunications mast, which was erected on a company-owned site next to a family home at Inch, has full planning permission.
Local residents say they were unaware that the replacement mast, which is at the centre of the community, would be several times higher than the mast it is replacing.
The Eir monopole 5G mast attracted objections, but was given planning approval by Kerry County Council in August.
The decision was not appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
Fine Gael TD for Kerry Brendan Griffin, who raised the issue in the Dáil this week, is to view the structure this weekend.
"How Kerry County Council granted planning, I cannot understand," Mr Griffin said.
The TD described the mast as akin to a missile launcher and "one of the most appalling decisions" he has ever seen.
The "monstrosity of a mast" has to be re-located, he said.
Eir has planning permission for the mast, he said, but has agreed to suspend further work for now.
The Foley family, whose home is within a few metres of the mast, said they cannot describe what they are going through right now.
In a post on social media, the family said: "We as a family tried hard to stop this monster of a thing being put up next to our lovely home but money talks and now we have it next door. We are very upset to see it has gone ahead ... We can't describe the feeling we are going through now."
Katie Foley ag léiriú míshástacht agus fearg le Marian O'Flaherty i dtaobh an chrainn chumarsáide atá curtha i bhfearas lasmuigh de theach cónaithe a muintire san Inse,Co.Chiarraí ón Mháirt seo caite. pic.twitter.com/haGfFI1inx
— NuachtTG4 (@NuachtTG4) December 19, 2021
A public meeting in Inch last night saw a turnout of around 30 locals.
Local County Councillor Michael O'Shea said the mast must be relocated, adding that "the only way forward now may be a judicial review."
He proposed a dialogue open with the company for an alternative location "away from people's homes".
Cllr O'Shea, who was at the meeting, said the old mast was only "a fraction" of the height of the new one, which is set to be topped by antennae.
In a statement, Kerry County Council said: "Planning permission was received and granted to replace an existing mast with another mast. Eir is the developer at Inch East and improvement of broadband and telecommunications was set out in the application."
The mast was granted planning permission with conditions on 1 October 2020.
Two submissions were received and considered as part of the process.
The decision of the council was not appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
