Hopes for CCTV surveillance of a well-known Clare heritage site have been dealt a major setback by the Government.
Local representatives have long advocated for the installation of cameras at Clare Abbey in Clarecastle but a Government Minister now says “a number of issues” have arisen in the course of investigating this possibility.
Frequent reports of anti-social behaviour and illegal dumping at the 12th century Augustinian monastery in recent years have led to widespread calls for CCTV surveillance at the site.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Meelick Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Kevin “Boxer” Moran has issued a response on the subject.
The response says Clare Abbey is a National Monument in the care of the Office of Public Works and that it has engaged with Clare County Council, Iarnród Éireann and An Garda Síochána in relation to the issues raised.
While it’s stated the OPW “appreciates the concerns in terms of vandalism and anti-social behaviour”, “a number of concerns” have arisen, including that the body doesn’t have the capacity at present to monitor CCTV in real-time at National Monuments.
A concern identified in relation to Clare Abbey is that the State doesn’t own the land outside the Abbey Walls and therefore can’t install a camera pole on this land.
The lack of power or other services on site is also said to be a barrier to installing cameras while it’s claimed wireless and solar cameras are “of a low resolution” and wouldn’t be adequate to clearly identify the culprits of criminal activity.
The response concludes with an admission that the OPW is unable to install CCTV at the site as a stand-alone agency but would be “happy to contribute” to a multi-agency approach along with the local authority, Iarnród Éireann and the Gardaí.
