‘We are like prisoners in our home’: Residents fearful of crowds gathering at Cork beauty spots

Locals have called the gathering crowds “a disgrace” and are sick of people urinating on their streets 

Bottles and cans of alcohol left at the pier in Blackrock Village, Cork, after crowds gathered to drink on Good Friday evening. Photo: Dan Linehan

Crowds and bad behaviour at some of Cork city’s most iconic beauty spots have “terrorised” local residents this weekend, leaving some feeling “trapped” in their own homes.

One man was arrested in Cork today as gardaí responded to multiple calls about crowds gathering outside across the city in hotspots like Kennedy Quay, the Marina, the Lough and Bell’s Field.

The man was arrested in relation to a Public Order incident and was taken to Bridewell Garda station. He has since been released and will appear in court at a later date.

“We are like prisoners in our own homes,” one elderly resident said, describing the situation in Bell’s Field, an iconic green area in the Northside of the city as “totally unacceptable”.

Another local resident said that unruly crowds were “a disgrace” and that he and his wife were sick of people urinating on their street and being exposed to loud music, discarded rubbish and general bad behaviour.

Independent councillor Ken O’Flynn has called for stricter policing of these areas to keep local residents safe and to prevent a fourth wave of Covid-19 from wreaking havoc before the summer.

“I’ve had reports of people gathering in Farranree, Bell’s Field, Fitzgerald’s Park," Clr O'Flynn said.

These public amenities are for people to get out and get some exercise, they are not supposed to be used as beer gardens.

“We’re sick to death of being stuck indoors, we’re all sick to death of lockdown. But there’s a reason why we’re doing it, it’s to try to keep people safe.

“I think the proverbial two-fingers is being put up to people who have lost loved ones, who have stuck to the guidelines, who have done everything right and behaved themselves.” 

He urged people to think of those like the 89-year-old widow who rang him in tears this week about the current situation before they consider flouting public health guidelines.

“She was crying on the phone saying how depressed she was. She was planning for her 90th birthday in August to have a big celebration, now that’s not going to happen. She said 'I’ve lost the last two years of my life. The worst part is that I don’t know will I have another two years.’ Think about people like that,” he said.

Bringing the army in to guard public parks and amenities would be unconstitutional, he said, but he called for more rigorous policing of these areas to combat the problem with gardaí quickly imposing sanctions on those who disobey the law.

“We have to have tighter controls on these public spaces,” he said.

“I don’t feel safe and a lot of my constituents don’t feel safe because of people who are disrespecting the guidelines.

“Bell’s field is an ongoing problem, it’s a very well-known spot because of The Young Offenders. It’s an iconic viewing space, but because it’s so iconic we now have people gathering and leaving their rubbish behind them.

“My constituents there tell me that they’re terrorised in their house, they can’t sleep at night, they’re afraid that their bins are going to be stolen. We had a case last week where we had people burning wheelie bins. And you’re not talking about 13, 14-year-olds. These people are adults.

“All these people deserve consequences because they’re making a mockery of everyone else,” he said.