Mayo GAA fans asked not to use footpath as a car park

GAA supporters in a south Mayo village have been asked not to use the footpath outside Kilmaine GAA's ground as a car park when attending games at the venue.

Director of Services, Tom Gilligan made the appeal at the monthly meeting of the Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District where calls were made to upgrade the footpaths in Kilmaine.

In recent years, the footpath from Kilmaine village was extended to the GAA pitch on the Ballinrobe road as part of Active Travel Scheme but Mr Gilligan claimed that people attending games were parking cars on them.

“I welcome the works the active travel team did in extending the footpath but I have raised it before and unfortunately spectators to GAA games in Kilmaine are using this footpath as a form of extended car park.

“They were not only taking up part of the footpath but also 100 percent of the footpath by parking their cars on them. I don't think it has been much of a problem recently but if they are attending GAA matches the footpath is for people to use and not as a car park,” he said.

The entrance to the Kilmain GAA pitch is located on the N84 National Secondary Road and governed by a 100km per hour speed limit which local councillors say puts people exiting the ground in danger.

In response to Mr Gilligan, local councillor Damien Ryan said he understood what he was asking but felt that Transport Infrastructure Ireland had to provide funding to improve safety around the entrance.

“TII need to step up to the mark in Kilmaine. If they improve the access out of that pitch people would not be parking on the side of the road.

“We have played our part as an MD [municipal district] and we have put up the money and secured the ground and they have to honour their side of it.

“That is the big problem in Kilmaine and it is up to them. They are asking people to drive out where the view is obscured and they have zero visibility on the right hand side coming out of a 100kph [speed zone] and that is what is causing the problem there,” he said.