The council say the ritual was a once-off annual event and they are reviewing it
Ritual in Corkagh was approved by council
A gathering in Corkagh Park that caught the attention of people online was held with full prior approval from South Dublin County Council.
Pictures and videos of this gathering surfaced online on Saturday, September 9 – questions were raised and conclusions were reached by some.
There was discussion online that the article used in the ceremony was a dead body and other theories were strewn about social media.
The council has clarified that the event in question was a traditional ritual involving the immersion of a completely organic clay-made pot in the pond in Corkagh Park.
Councillor Francis Timmons spoke about the confusion that spread online: “It was a religious service that had permission from the council.
So some of the lies, I suppose, or mistruths that were sent around social media – that it was a dead body and there was other kind of stuff – is not true.
“It was a religious object. They had permission from the council to meet in Corkagh Park.”
Large gatherings in Corkagh Park must first be allowed by South Dublin County Council before they are to take place.
The parks must then decide if they wish for the sanctioned event to be held on their grounds.
The one thing the group were not allowed to do, which can be seen in the viral video, was park a van in the park.
“The council has been in touch with that group about that…We don’t allow people driving in vans.”
Cllr Timmons noted that anyone is free to practice their religion, whatever it may be, and that includes services.
The Clondalkin representative said that he saw some “nasty” posts online concerning the event and believed that there was nothing unusual about the meeting at Corkagh Park.
“The one thing about our constitution is we’ve freedom of expression and we’ve freedom to practice whatever religion people want to practice.”
The council explained that the gathering was a once-off annual event and that they are reviewing it in acknowledgement that there may have been some confusion about the ritual.
They can confirm that the application submitted for this event met their requirements and was therefore an approved event.
A coucil spokesperson told The Echo: “I would like to clarify that the event in question was held with full prior approval from South Dublin County Council and was conducted in accordance with all relevant permissions and guidelines.
“The event was an immersion of a clay-made pot in the pond in Corkagh Park. The clay pot was completely organic. It was a traditional ritual.
“We appreciate that the circumstances may have prompted questions, however, we can confirm that the application submitted for this event met the SDCC requirements and was therefore an approved event.
“This was a once off annual event and SDCC are reviewing this event in acknowledgement that there may have been some confusion amongst the general public who would not have been familiar with this ritual”.
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