Officials ignore pleas and refuse parade route U-turn

CITY officials refused last night to do a U-turn on controversial St Patrick’s Day road closures despite last-minute pleas from Cork’s business leaders.

They said it was too late to change the parade route that the Cork Business Association (CBA) claims will have a devastating effect on leading retailers already struggling in the recession.

Safeguarding public safety was the main factor behind their decision to close Merchant’s Quay and Parnell Place, which would result in the shutting down of the city’s biggest car park on March 17, they said.

However, Fianna Fáil Councillor Damian Wallace said the business community should have been consulted in detail about the route.

“The CBA is raging about this. Perhaps next year, we could have more consultation,” he said.

But party colleague, Tim Brosnan, branded the CBA “moaners”.

“I find it amazing that these are the same people who have stopped putting up Christmas lights,” he said.

“Instead, they should be taking advantage of the parade — they should drop their prices and get them in spending. They are moaning and groaning. What we need now is a bit of enterprise. If the parade was going through Blackpool I know what they’d be doing out there.”

The city broke from tradition two years ago and introduced a new parade route along the South Mall, the Grand Parade, north along St Patrick’s Street, then right on to Merchant’s Quay. It forced the closure of the Merchant’s Quay car park.