Gardaí investigate theft of 27 Kilkee Cliff Walk signs

GARDAÍ are investigating the theft of 27 of the 32 safety signs erected recently along the Cliff Walk in Kilkee. Just five of the signs put in place by Clare County Council remain.

“We’re carrying out enquiries. We understand there is local resistance to the signs. However, the signs have a value of €5,000, which is paid for by the taxpayer. We would ask for any information that would lead to the recovery of the property,” Kilrush Garda Superintendent Gerry Wall told The Clare Champion.
“At the present time, we don’t believe they were taken for scrap metal. It may be connected to some resistance to what was perceived as too many signs being put down. However, there is always another recourse to overcome those objections. We would ask that any information that people have to lead us towards recovering these signs, give us the information as soon as possible,” Superintendent Wall added.
Clare County Council senior engineer in region, Cyril Feeney, said the signs were in place to help ensure the safety of visitors.
“It’s just very disappointing that certain people saw fit to remove them. The signs are there for a very good reason; to alert primarily tourists and people not familiar with the area. There are potential hazards for the unwary but unfortunately these signs have been stolen,” Mr Feeney commented.
“They weren’t in any way obnoxious,” he said of the signs, although it has been pointed out that the sign at the start of the walk is quite large.
“The rest of them are 450mm x 450mm. Clearly people just didn’t want them,” he said.
At the December meeting of Kilkee Town Council, several councillors criticised the placement of the new signs, which they said blocked views of the Atlantic Ocean.
That meeting heard stringent criticism of the work along with claims that grass removed will never be replaced and that it will take 30 years for some species of flowers to be seen in Kilkee’s West End again. Stretches of the walk were left in an unsightly condition, with mounds of earth and newly opened drains visible.
“The attention that is being given to the Cliff Walk was prompted by health and safety concerns some of which were raised originally by some of these council members. A health and safety risk assessment was carried out. Much of the work that has been done was on foot of what came out of that,” Tom Tiernan, Clare County Council, told The Clare Champion.