Residents’ objection threatens Mayo’s biggest music festival
Aine Ryan
MAYO’S biggest outdoor music festival has hit a bum note this week as local Westport residents formally complained about the late-night disruption it causes on the streets of the tourist haven and heritage town.
The annual Westport Music Festival is scheduled to take place at the height of the tourist season, from August 5 to 8 next, and the launch of the festival was expected to take place this week.
However, in a damning objection, exclusively seen by The Mayo News, longtime resident of the Mall, Mr James Reidy reveals that the four-day on-street Westport Music Festival, in his view, is blighted by a litany of such anti-social behavioural activities as vomiting, urinating and street brawls.
He also suggest that such behaviour can ‘have a negative impact on the image of the town and the message given to tourists’.
“I am an established resident in the South Mall for the past forty-six years and never during that time have I had to experience the level of disturbance, fear and security threats that I have encountered from this event over the last two years,” Mr James Reidy writes in his objection to the recent license application.
“The effects of the disturbance range from noise, shouting, littering, drinking, and damage to cars to the most intolerable extremes of vomiting and urinating on my doorstep,” Mr Reidy continues.
When contacted by The Mayo News yesterday, organiser and local businessman, Dick Bourke said he could not comment on any objection, as the application for the festival’s license was still under consideration by Westport Town Council.
“ I cannot comment at the moment about any objections. But I can confirm that, for the last five years, this festival has created hundreds of thousands of euros for the various businesses – hotels, B&Bs, shops, restaurants and pubs – in the town,” Mr Bourke said.
He continued: “This year’s programme is even busier and better than the previous years. We have Sharon Shannon and Mundy. Declan Nerney and Friends, as well as Shane McGowan and The Bible Code Sundays (the Glasgow Celtic band) lined up”.
Mr Bourke said there will also be a Heritage Day, a hot air balloon event, as well as a series of children’s and street entertainment.
Meanwhile, a Westport Town Council spokesman confirmed the license application is under consideration. He explained that like any event, attended by over 5,000 people, this license application comes under the aegis of the Planning and Development Act 2000, and Part 16 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001. Under these regulations, promoters of an event must submit traffic management and safety plans.
In his objection, Mr Reidy claims the application submitted by Mr Bourke does not refer to ‘consultation’ with residents and argues that such a process would be beneficial.
He also writes: “I wish to stress that I have no objection to well-run, properly managed events where the safety and security of residents is foremost on the agenda but I do object to events which are run in a manner which displays complete disregard for residents and other affected parties”.
He argues that ‘the location chosen for the event is entirely unsuitable as it is one of the few areas of the town with a high density of established residents’.
Mr Reidy adds: “The event would be more suited to an outside of town venue or one of the car parks, which would avoid channelling the huge crowds through a small number of residential streets”.
In a second objection, signed by 15 residents from the Mall and Fairgreen area, the suitability of the location for the festival is also challenged.
“The proposed location is totally unsuitable for such an event as it impacts upon our rights to safety, security, access and quiet enjoyment,” the letter states.
When contacted yesterday by The Mayo News, Supt Michael Murray declined to comment specifically on the policing of this festival.
“When I’m given an event to police, whether that’s a football match or a music event, we put a policing plan in place and we carry it out to the best of our ability,” Supt Murray told The Mayo News.
The Mayo News
