Rubbish turning tourist attraction into an eyesore

A top tourist attraction in Ennis is being ruined by the presence of a large pile of domestic rubbish, which according to a local landowner, is attracting visitors of a different kind – rats. John Costelloe, owner of the lands adjacent to Clare Abbey, noticed some time ago that a large quantity of household waste was dumped in a car park serving the abbey.

“I’ve been onto the Environment Section of Clare County Council and Ennis Town Council on at least seven or eight occasions. Nothing has been done to date, despite the fact it was inspected by two county councillors,” he said.
He added that he visits his land almost daily and invariably sees tourists from the UK, EU and the USA. More recently, he has seen vermin in the area.
“About two months ago, roughly 20 members of the Clare Archaeological Society had an outing to the abbey and were amazed at what they saw. I understand that the culprit was identified a couple of weeks ago and it beggars belief why appropriate action wasn’t taken. I now call on the culprit to remove the waste immediately, otherwise, the council should do so, as it is a terrible eyesore, highly toxic and a haven for vermin,” he said.
He added that he couldn’t understand why “someone should travel half a mile off the main road, through two gates, and dump their household rubbish beside such a historical monument”.
A representative from the Environment Section of Clare County Council was unavailable for comment on Wednesday.
In summarising his concerns, Mr Costelloe asked, “Is this the impression we want to give to our tourists or visitors?”