Lord Mayor of Cork Joe Kavanagh praised the work of An Garda Síochána.

Gardaí were ‘exemplary’

The Lord Mayor of Cork has praised two gardaí who dispersed up to 150 people from Bell’s Field at the top of Patrick’s Hill recently.

Gardaí received report of a large gathering in the Bell’s Field in Cork city on 20 March with gardaí arriving on the scene at 6.50pm.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said: “Gardaí engaged with those present and asked them to disperse. All complied in an orderly manner.”

Speaking this week about it, the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Joe Kavanagh said: “I want to thank the gardaí for their ongoing supporting, not just over the weekend but on an ongoing basis. They have boots on the ground 24/7.

“We had a lot of difficulties over the weekend. There was a lot of anti-social behaviour on a lot of sites including at Bell’s Field.”

He added: “There was two gardaí there. I am not going to name them, but they were absolutely brilliant. They were exemplary and the way they handled the situation was a joy to watch. There was a garda from Watercourse Road Garda Station and the other was from Mayfield Garda Station.”

He said there was between 120-150 young people gathering there and described it as being “akin to a concert”.

“They deflated the situation and they got everyone to move on. It was unbelievable to watch,” said the Lord Mayor. He hoped gatherings like this wouldn’t increase over the summer months.

“I understand young people’s frustrations as there is nowhere to go at the moment but it can’t be at the expense of residents,” he said.

He also paid tribute to Cork City Council’s litter management team for the clean up it did: “It wasn’t easy and they did a magnificent job clearing the area.”

The Lord Mayor’s comments came during a virtual Cork City Joint Policing Committee meeting on Monday where he also asked about fines relating to Covid-19 offences.

Chief Superintendent Barry McPolin said that from 1 January-17 March, 1,691 fixed charged notices were issued by gardai in Cork city. “We’re possibly the most active across the country but that’s not by design but by necessity.”

Of the 1,619 fines issues, 1,314 were issued for breaking the 5km restriction while six were issued to event organisers. 278 were issued to people attending events in dwellings like house parties while 73 were given to those who organised house events. 18 fixed charged notices were given to those not wearing any face coverings.

Chief Superintendent McPolin said: “We’re living in very unusual times and unfortunately the virus is still with us. A major issue for us is that some people are continuing to gather in large groups. Such events put those attending at risk but also everybody they meet afterwards. In line with public health advice, we are asking people not to organise or attend street or house parties or protests. We continue to use the four Es approach – engaging, explaining, encouraging and enforcement as the last resort.”