by Alan Jacques
PEOPLE in Carew Park fear it is only a matter of time before someone is injured by a stray horse or by sulkies racing up and down the roads of the Limerick city housing estate.
A local parent told the Limerick Post this week that elderly people are terrified to leave their homes because of the large number of horses wandering around the estate. He also said that local families are “terrorised” by sulky races on a daily basis and predicted a serious accident if action isn’t taken.
“I have young children and I would not let them outside the front door. Someone is going to get killed up here if something isn’t done, it’s that bad,” he said.
“We have our problems with corner boys like anywhere else but things have gotten worse in recent months. A horse followed a child down the road the other day and another horse was left tied to the front gate of an old woman’s house.”
When he contacted Limerick City and County Council he claims he was told by the local authority that Carew Park was an issue for the Limerick Regeneration agency.
“Regeneration said it was the Council I needed to talk to. They are just passing the buck between them. Things are getting out of hand and the Gardai and the Council need to tackle it. I am looking out my window and there’s three horses over on the green right now winking at me.”
Fianna Fail TD, Willie O’Dea described the local authority’s management of horses in the city as an “abject failure”.
“This is appalling and I have taken the matter up with the Council. Control of horses in the Metropolitan area is exclusively a matter for the the local authority and it is wrong and unfair that people should be fobbed off.
“Stray horses do present a terrible problem in Carew Park and elsewhere and the Council’s management of this matter can only be described as an abject failure. I have encountered problems myself with sulkies on the main road and the Minister for Justice should look at banning them from all main roads.”
A spokesman for the local authority said they were keen to see the city-wide issue of stray horses resolved.
“The matter has been raised through the Regeneration Community Consultative Forum and by elected members. The Council is reviewing the options available to it in relation to resolving this issue”, he explained.
