Bumper To Bumper At Kilcoole Beach

When we noticed the fuss on social media yesterday, we had assumed that it was just locals letting off a little bit of steam.

Turns out, they had every right to get angry about the huge number of cars heading down to Kilcoole beach.

Full of people who wanted to get away from people. Because of that Covid-19 thingy.

For local councillor – and unofficial town mayor – Tom Fortune, having up to 50 cars gathered down in the seafront car park on Sunday was all a little too much to comprehend. Gardaí had to be called, people had to be reprimanded, and, we really, really hope, a few cars had to be towed.

Talking on Newstalk earlier today, Fortune urged people to “cop on and behave themselves” when it came to breaking the 2km rule brought in last week to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus. “The Garda car had to come to get people to go home,” he said, clearly exasperated. “It was flabbergasting, that people had to be told to go home.”

Trying to make sense of the sorry situation, the councillor went on to say, “I think there’s a kind of misunderstanding from some people that they think they can drive perhaps any distance and then it’s okay to walk two kilometers.

“That’s giving people the benefit of the doubt. It would appear that a lot are not caring about the situation – which is a bit frightening.”

So, if you are looking for a favourite little hideaway during these self-isolating times, try and not pick everyone else’s favourite little hideaway.

And where’er you do go, walk there, if you can. Ya lazy-ass feckin’ eejit.