This article is from page 12 of the 2011-05-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 12 JPG
THERE have been calls for Clare County Council to provide more water taps at Drumcliffe and other public graveyards in Ennis. According to Cllr Tony Mulqueen (FG), taps are needed to assist elderly people visiting the graves of loved ones.
There are currently two taps provided inside the main gates at Drumcliffe. Cllr Mulqueen told yesterday’s meeting of councillors in the Ennis west electoral area, that taps should be located further up the graveyard as elderly visitors often had to fill and carry five litre containers of water from the entrance. He said that at a time of the year when temperatures were on the rise, the current situation was unacceptable.
In his response, Eamon O’Dea, Senior Executive Engineer, said that the likelihood of vandalism and a lack of funding meant the council was not currently proposing to provide taps.
“I would not envisage the provision of additional watering points due to the issue of water conservation and vandalism of taps away from the gates. The current taps have spring closure mechanisms on them and have been vandalised in the past,” he said.
“If there is a particular need at a burial ground then the provision of a watering point can be looked at on an individual basis and assessed accordingly.”
Town manager Ger Dollard said taps in the graveyard had previously been the subject of vandalism.