No fines over controversial Salthill wedding

No on-the-spot fines were issued by Gardaí in relation to a wedding that took place last week in Salthill where numbers far exceeded the six guests permitted under the strictest Covid restrictions.

The arrival of a horse-drawn pink and white carriage to the Christ the King Church in the seaside village caused bystanders to watch in awe as a procession of cars pulled up honking horns before the ceremony at lunchtime last Friday.

Parish Priest Fr Gerry Jennings declined to comment stating: “It was a private wedding and I’m going to leave it at that.”

Fine Gael Councillor Clodagh Higgins described the event as ‘totally inappropriate’.

“When I look around my community and I see restaurants, hairdressers, pubs, retailers and so many more businesses closed I feel it is an insult to those people who have sacrificed so much,” she stated.

“We would all love to be celebrating but it is totally inappropriate in Level 5 lockdown – the highest level of restrictions. The focus must be on keeping our people safe so we can reopen our economy. We are at the beginning of the end of this terrible twelve months and I am imploring people to stick with the plan; we are nearly there”.

James Delaney – a brother of the bride – insisted that no lockdown rules were broken during the wedding.

Speaking to Keith Finnegan on Galway Talks, he said that ‘everything was done right; it was carried out in a proper way’.

“No law was broken – sure the guards was there,” he said.

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