‘We are not a third-world country are we?’ asks councillor

A COUNTY councillor has urged the council to help in the provision of watering points at Drumcliffe graveyard claiming that we do not live in a “third-world country”.
Councillor Tony Mulqueen made the comments at a recent Ennis West Electoral Area meeting where he called on the local authority to provide more watering points at Drumcliffe graveyard and other public graveyards in the electoral area.
After outlining to the meeting that those needing to water flowers at gravesides needed to walk some distance to do so, many of them being elderly, he appealed to the council to help fund further water points.  “We are not a third-world country are we?” he said
In a formal reply to the motion, Eamon O’Dea senior executive engineer explained there are two taps located inside the main gates in Drumcliffe currently, which he said “would be deemed suitable”.
“I would not envisage the provision of additional watering points due to the issue of water conservation and vandalism of taps away from the gates. The current taps have spring closure mechanisms on them and have been vandalised in the past,” Mr O’Dea stated.
He added that it was also “not proposed to provide taps at other burial grounds due to the issue of funding water conservation and the likelihood of vandalism”.
However, Mr O’Dea said that if there is a particular need at a burial ground then the provision of a watering point “can be looked at on an individual basis and assessed accordingly”.