Truck delivers pallets to fire ‘astonished people’

THE delivery of a large number of pallets by the green in the Kilcarrig, Fettercairn, on Halloween which were later used in a bonfire has “astonished people” according to a councillor.

Photos show a truck parked in Kilcarrig while pallets were unloaded by a forklift driver on October 31, with the occurrence being condemned by councillors.

Cllr Charlie O’Connor (FF) told The Echo: “The situation in Kilcarrig greatly upset the locals, when a truck brought a huge number of pallets to the open space for what turned out to be a big bonfire.

“It astonished people. It was a most unusual happening, we certainly haven’t had anything like that happen before.

“It happened too late in the day for the council to respond and remove them, but generally the council and gardaí have been very good at responding.

“We also noticed pallets, tyres and other material were being given out by businesses in Broomhill and Cookstown.”

Cllr Mick Duff (Ind) also voiced his dismay at the situation and called for local businesses to behave more responsibly in the lead-up to Halloween.

The remains of a bonfire in Rathminton on Wednesday

“It’s shocking to think that the vast amount of material being burnt is pallets and tyres – they don’t come out of households,” said Cllr Duff.

“There are companies not being responsible at this time of year…it’s destroying our environment.

“Bonfires send appalling toxins up in the air.”

The Echo understands that South Dublin County Council removed 16 truckloads of stockpiled material from Tallaght on Halloween in a bid to prevent bonfires being lit.

It was a busy Halloween for emergency services as they dealt with bonfires and burnt-out cars around the county, including Dublin Fire Brigade who extinguished a car fire in Tallaght.

There were bonfires at Virginia Heights and Alderwood Green in Springfield, while there was a particularly large bonfire at the edge of the football pitch in Tymonville Park.

Gardai and council officials removing bonfire material in Tymon on Monday

Commenting on the bonfire in Tymonville, Cllr Duff said: “The Tymon Residents’ Association do a great job in the area, so it’s very disheartening to see their good work being undone.”

However, he noted it had been a “quiet” Halloween compared to previous years and that while a bonfire is traditionally lit in St Aengus’s, he was happy to see that wasn’t the case this year.

Cllr O’Connor, when talking to The Echo on Wednesday morning, said constituents were already contacting him to request repairs to damaged green spaces.

“I’m getting calls already this morning from residents in different estates asking for damaged green spaces to be repaired and for remnants of bonfires to be removed,” he said.

“The calls I’m getting certainly reflect the level of upset in the community.”