Council to no longer be involved in finding circus venues

April 1985

URBAN Council officials will in future no longer be involved in seeking venues for circuses visiting Bray, local councillors were bluntly told last week.

The warning was spelled out by acting county manager Brian Johnston, when the recent controversy over a venue for Duffy’s Circus Easter visit to Bray came up at last week’s council meeting.

Traditionally, Bray Urban Council has facilitated circuses coming to Bray by providing them with a site on council property but the Duffy’s visit provoked fury among sporting groups in Ballywaltrim because the big top would have resulted in the destruction of four playing fields.

The issue was only sorted out when alternative accommodation was found on nearby private land owned by Lord Meath after a long wrangle involving officials, councillors and local people.

The whole experience has clearly left a bad taste with the officials and Mr Johnston stated that it was not a management and staff function to provide sites for a private business.

The only objection to his statement came from Cllr Michael Ledwidge who felt that the council should continue offering a degree of cooperation to circuses in future.

He would rather see local children going to the circus than children watching Dallas and Dynasty on television.

He felt that parks in Bray were not only for the people living around them, but for the whole community.

The council could not ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’, he said.

Cllr John Megannety said that the council had to make an urgent policy decision on whether they would allow circuses use public land or leave them to find their own site.