Donnelly's fence completed
The fence erected by the Department of Defence at Donnelly's Hollow, about which we reported a little while back, has now been completed.
Apart from the fact that it is a crude and ugly construction on one of the Curragh's best-known landmarks, it is still unclear why it has been erected in the first place.
The chainlink barrier encloses another hollow beyond the main one, which at one time had been an unsightly repositary of old cars and other rubbish, but now is merely an area of rough tracks where youngsters sometimes ride their mountain bikes, or run around on them.
In fact, it was six years ago the focus of a major protest by local residents when contractors for the Office of Public Works working on Kildare's Magee Barracks used it as a landfill for excess clay from that project.
On the Donnelly's Hollow side, the fence breaks the traditional walk in Dan Donnelly's footsteps to the top of the natural amphitheatre, where the Irish pugilism champion is said to have stood while accepting the adulation of his fans after defeating English champion George Cooper.
The footsteps have been maintained in the hollow by generations of children and their parents walking in them ever since while visiting the historic spot.
While it is reported that the fence has been erected as a 'safety measure', the only response from the Department of Defence has been to confirm that no claim for injury or damage has ever been presented to the department in relation to the area.
The fence is also at odds with the stated aims by various agencies with interest or responsibility for the Curragh that it should be regarded as a National Heritage Area.
Highly respected environmentalist, the late Dr Anne Behan, said in the year 2000 that the area which is now fenced in was part of 'a national monument'.
The obelisk at Donnelly's Hollow was erected by public donation in the 1880s. In the early 50s, pageants to commemorate the historic fight at the site attracted thousands of people from all over the country.
Brian Byrne.
