Yard suggested as site for horse pound

April 1998

THE YARD at the back of the Old Gaol in Wicklow town would be an ideal site for a pound for stray horses, according to a local urban councillor.

Cllr Jim Giff made the suggestion at last week’s meeting of Wicklow UDC when he said that 10 or 12 horses could be kept if necessary.

He was speaking after the members passed the Control of Horses byelaws which will now go on public display for 30 days before becoming law. The draft byelaws were already on display for the mandatory period and Town Clerk Frank O’Toole confirmed that while there was no pound in the Wicklow area for stray horses, there was one in Dublin which could be used.

However, Wicklow County Council is actively looking at the possibility of providing pound facilities in the east of the county, according to Assistant County Manager Hubert Fitzpatrick.

Cllr Liam Kavanagh revealed that a person had been identified in the Rathdrum area who was prepared to allow their facilities to be used to keep such horses. It was up to the county council to formulate their policies, he added, as they were the agents for this matter for the Wicklow area.