Caravan parking proposed for The Curragh

THE Department of Defence spent just shy of €186,000 cleaning up the Curragh due to illegal encampments last year , and it appears that a long term solution will be a designated parking site.

However, whilst this change of direction is seen as a step forward, no concrete suggestions as to where on The Curragh such a campsite would be located has yet been made.

This was revealed in a Freedom of Information request released by the Ministry of Defence which also indicates new bye-laws for the enforcement of penalties for parking outside these dedicated parking sites.

In it the Department accepts that the 1,950Ha (4,870 ac) of the Curragh “is one of the most open and accessible areas in the country” which has resulted in the illegal camping and dumping in recent years.

“In addition to the issue of the trespass itself, there are accompanying issues around illegal dumping and threatening and intimidating behaviour to both staff, local residents and users of the Curragh,” the report said.

In the report the department confirmed how it is working in liaison with Kildare County Council and the Curragh Consultancy Project “to develop a suitable future management method to allow the various stakeholders on the Curragh exercise their rights while at the same time allowing public access and encouraging adherence to environmental restrictions”.

Following a massive public consultation back in 2021 where 3,700 interested parties made representations, a final report was made to the Tánaiste’s office last October, although not made public until the Freedom of Information request last month.

In it the department conceded “developing an effective response has proven difficult over the course of the summer which has seen a peak of 61 caravans in eight separate campsites on The Curragh”.

Long term, the Curragh Consultancy Project is seeking to amend the Curragh of Kildare Act 1961 “to allow for a more structured response to the issue of encampments…and for bye-laws to be developed to allow for enforcement of penalties for parking outside these sites”.

The Curragh Plains Conservation Management Plan was formally approved on last November by then Minister for Defence Michael Martin, leading to the government committing to include this in its Programme for Government.

However, at no point in the unredacted pages in the Freedom of Information Report did it give any indication as to when the new ‘Curragh of Kildare Act’ would be voted on.

“This certainly remains a priority of mine but presently it’s still on the Tánaiste’s desk,” said Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, one of the long-term drivers of the Plan.

“As soon as we get back from summer recess I will put it back on the agenda, and I intend to get the Tánaiste to address the Seanad on this issue.”