Public reminded of dog ban at Letterkenny Town Park

The public have been reminded that dogs are banned from the Bernard McGlinchey Town Park in Letterkenny.

Donegal County Council has been urged to improve signage and to communicate to dog owners.

The matter was brought up by Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh at the June meeting of the Letterkenny-Milford Municipal District.

Dogs have been prohibited from the park since it first opened in 1999, but there is concern now at the volume being reported.

Councillor Kevin Bradley elected Mayor of Letterkenny

A proud Letterkenny man, Councillor Kevin Bradley took the chain of office from Councillor Donal 'Mandy' Kelly, whose late brother Manus was a good friend of the incoming Mayor

“In the last year or two, it has become an issue,” Councillor Kavanagh said. “Never was the park in greater use or better used by families. The new playground has reopened again and there are huge numbers going to the park.”

Councillor Kavanagh said that in many instances it is not a deliberate act, noting that people may not be aware of the rules.

“People see someone else with a dog and think that it's okay,” he said. “It will only take one serious incident, one thing to go wrong with a child to have a real problem and damage the reputation of the park.

“We need to get a message out there from a safety point of view. We need to nip this in the bud.”

Donegal County Council said that a review will be carried out regarding the prominence of signage and to establish if additional signs are required.

A spokesperson said: “In addition to this an assessment will be carried out to assess what other measures will be required to discourage and prevent dog walking in the park.

“Additional options for dog walking are provided in the town, particularly in both the Ballymacool Park and Glencar Park.”