A woman whose family has been locked in a right-of-way row with a local sports club interrupted Mass on Easter Sunday to voice her concerns over the saga.
Massgoers in the Prince of Peace Church, Fossa, Killarney, Co Kerry, fell silent when Suzanne Mannix Dennehy stood up to voice her objections to the actions of the local rowing club after several members spent the Easter weekend building a boathouse on a site near her family home.
The long-running row centres on the use of a roadway passing Mrs Mannix Dennehy’s home, which has shoreline access to the Lakes of Killarney.
Several Massgoers left as she spoke, and some complained afterwards that they considered her behaviour to be inappropriate.
Mrs Mannix Dennehy and her husband, Anthony, objected to a planning application by Fossa Rowing Club for permission to build a boathouse on a lakeside site to which the club insists it has had right-of-way access for years.
The objection was overruled by the planning authorities in 2010 and permission for a downsized boathouse was granted by An Bord Pleanála, subject to certain parking restrictions.
Fossa Rowing Club members spent Easter weekend helping to build the facility, and they erected the roof and carried out much of the blockwork.
Gardaí were called to the scene last Thursday when a confrontation broke out between the Mannix Dennehys and some others on the roadway.
Steel gates and a hand-painted sign have been erected warning trespassers to stay away. Another notice advises the public that CCTV cameras are in operation in the area.
Senior Fossa Rowing Club officials stress planning permission for the boathouse was obtained and they were within their rights. One club member said: "This is where we belong and this is where we’re going to stay."
Fossa Rowing Club, founded in the 1800s, is one of the most successful at annual local regattas and caters for dozens of rowers.
The long-running row centres on the use of a roadway passing Mrs Mannix Dennehy’s home, which has shoreline access to the Lakes of Killarney.
Several Massgoers left as she spoke, and some complained afterwards that they considered her behaviour to be inappropriate.
Mrs Mannix Dennehy and her husband, Anthony, objected to a planning application by Fossa Rowing Club for permission to build a boathouse on a lakeside site to which the club insists it has had right-of-way access for years.
The objection was overruled by the planning authorities in 2010 and permission for a downsized boathouse was granted by An Bord Pleanála, subject to certain parking restrictions.
Fossa Rowing Club members spent Easter weekend helping to build the facility, and they erected the roof and carried out much of the blockwork.
Gardaí were called to the scene last Thursday when a confrontation broke out between the Mannix Dennehys and some others on the roadway.
Steel gates and a hand-painted sign have been erected warning trespassers to stay away. Another notice advises the public that CCTV cameras are in operation in the area.
Senior Fossa Rowing Club officials stress planning permission for the boathouse was obtained and they were within their rights. One club member said: "This is where we belong and this is where we’re going to stay."
Fossa Rowing Club, founded in the 1800s, is one of the most successful at annual local regattas and caters for dozens of rowers.