Gate silence was simply golden!
THE one thing that struck you was the silence.
Normally, you never get the chance to walk under one of the most magnificent structures in Europe - Laurence’s Gate.
Usually, there are cars buzzing by at speed, all probably just taking the gate for granted, for them, it’s just another route into and around town.
Last Friday night, to mark Culture Night, the gate closed for a few hours. It was idyllic.
For a change you could see under the gate and experience its majesty up front and personal.
The craftsmanship is magnificent and one wonders how this piece of art (because it is) was actually built!
It was to the minute, at 6.30pm, that Audrey Smith and the crew, with Noel Bailey and his band of merry men, who pulled across a barrier and closed the gate.
A big cheer went up - I’d hate to be within hearing distance if and when it closes for good!
St Peter’s Male Voice Choir were magnificent as they performed under the structure and the Drogheda Brass Band added their unique touch too.
It really showed how the gate can be celebrated if action is taken to close off this area to vehicles.
And of course, it gave people the chance to ‘experiment’ to see what would happen if the gate was no longer a route into town.
It was apparent that the system of vehicles coming down Francis Street and up Constitution Hill won’t work. Too often, vehicles cut the corner at Sarsfields and the amount of accidents here would be horrendous.
Therefore, the rerouting of cars up Francis Street and then revearsing the flow on Jim Garry Way to prevent too much of a backlog onto Scarlet Street is the only option in terms of the future it seems.
The solution won’t be easy...but Friday gave a taste of what could be.....