Hundreds attend funeral
GARDAÍ RECEIVED a number of calls last week after a large number of people attended a funeral Mass in Enniscorthy town.
Around six gardai were on patrol within the vicinity of the Cathedral while the funeral was taking place on Friday and a spokesperson for the force said that a number of reports were received at the local station from people concerned about the size of the gathering of mourners.
The spokesperson estimated the size to be around 100 people.
‘People did ring in about it expressing concern,’ said the spokesperson.
‘We also had garda checkpoints on the approach roads to deter people from coming into the town,’ he added.
‘Some of them were turned back but a good crowd attended the funeral.’
The spokesperson pointed out that the majority of people are complying with the ongoing health and safety guidelines.
‘We would encourage everyone to abide by the regulations,’ he said.
Following the service a garda patrol car accompanied the funeral cortège to the outskirts of Enniscorthy before it made it’s way from the town to Crosstown cemetery on the outskirts of Wexford.
There was also a strong garda presence at Crosstown. Cars were parked along both sides of the main road to Castlebridge, as well as right up the road to the graveyard.
Hundreds of people were in attendance at the burial and gardaí did their best to control the crowd and to ensure people’s safety.
Wexford County Council was also monitoring the situation and it is believed that their surveillance drones may have been deployed to ensure health and safety. The huge influx of people was a cause for concern for locals living in the area, not least of all as a result of the traffic chaos that was caused on the road.
‘In normal times, this type of thing comes with the territory,’ said Fine Gael councillor and Crosstown resident John Hegarty. ‘You’d be used to seeing large funerals come and go. It’s just the fact that the whole country is meant to be adhering to social distancing and following the guidelines and they clearly weren’t being followed on this occasion.’
Cllr Hegarty said that the crowds descended on the area from early on, parking both on the main road, between the VTN Test Centre and Ely House, and on the narrow road up to the graveyard. He also noted the large presence of uniformed gardaí.
‘You’d feel for the gardaí,’ Cllr Hegarty said. ‘I had liaised with them early on and they were doing everything they could to work with the crowd and keep everyone safe. There aren’t enough gardaí in Wexford to police a crowd that size