Fears for a pedestrian bridge over the Shannon linking Castleconnell in Limerick and Cloonlara in Clare.
The wooden bridge over the Shannon was constructed by the Irish Army in 1942 to control access to Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station and Parteen Weir at O'Briensbridge.
Local people successfully persuaded army officials to leave the bridge in place after this period, and in the intervening decades it became a link between the communities of Castleconnell in Limerick and Cloonlara in Clare.
Now a proposed plan by Limerick County Council to close the bridge for repair work has been met with a protest staged by residents from both villages. As Mick Murtagh tells RTÉ News, the future of what they consider a community lifeline is uncertain,
Who knows? We might lose it altogether.
Joan Ó Síochrú explains, the bridge is used daily by all members of the community,
It’s not just a frivolous structure.
Mary Caffrey says people are firm in their opposition to the bridge closure,
We find it totally unacceptable
Limerick County Council have had to call in the Gardaí in order to facilitate commencement of the repair work, which could take up to eight weeks.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 2 July 1999. The reporter is Cathy Halloran.
