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.