Lucky escape as jeep ploughs into pub

April 9, 1997

A runaway jeep ploughed into the front door of The Thomas Moore Tavern after rolling down the hill from Abbey Street, flattening the Yield sign by the roundabout and giving pedestrians and motorists a fright, at lunchtime on Monday.

The brand new Toyota jeep was parked at the top of the hill and the driver had headed into town when the vehicle did a ‘Herbie’ and started rolling backwards down the hill, unoccupied.

It was 2 p.m. and Cora Watson was about to bring her dog out for a walk when the jeep smashed into the front door of the pub. Mrs. Watson was contemplating the damage to the front of the pub and her lucky escape, as gardaí inspected the scene.

‘Cora was making tracks to come out the door and bring the dog out for a walk when it happened’, said pub owner Mike Watson.

‘That’s the most unusual accident I’ve ever seen...it’s lucky no one was hurt’, said a garda at the scene.

An eyewitness said two ladies had to take evasive action as the jeep ploughed down the hill.

The bin-men arrived on the scene just after the accident but Mr. Watson’s bin had been flattened by the jeep.

The front window of the pub was smashed and the back end of the jeep was wedged into the door of the premises.

The jeep suffered a broken beck window and some superficial damage in the collision.

There was general relief that no one had been hurt in the incident and the debris was quickly cleared up. to swim and sunbathe.

Seaside spots like Curracloe, Blackwater, Ballineskar, and Rosslare were choc-a-block with splashing youngsters and ice-cream licking strollers who unfortunately found themselves caught short when it came to the crucial matter of spending a penny.

The toilets in these areas were closed because the official tourist season hadn’t arrived yet and Council officials who are not meterologists couldn’t predict that the weather would be so good.

Cllr. Michelle Sinnott thought it was very poor on the Council’s part that it couldn’t respond to the public need as it arose. She said she had heard complaints about the matter from several people.

‘It presents a very poor image of the efficiency of the local authority,’ she told a meeting of the County Council on Monday afternoon.

The County Engineer, Phil Callery, admitted that the Council had been caught offside by the weather.

But it wasn’t their policy to open beachside toilets before the tourist season began because it would cost additional money, he said.

‘There would be a financial implication for the Council,’ he said. ‘We haven’t budgeted for opening so soon.’

It was proposed that a system be put in place to open beach toilets at short notice should the weather be so fine again.