Homeless charity Cork Simon has described as very sad and tragic the discovery of a woman sleeping rough under a plastic skip bag in a green area not far from Cork city centre.
The woman, who is believed to be in her 30s, was found asleep under the skip bag earlier this week.
It is understood she has since been referred to homeless services for admission to emergency accommodation.
"From our point of view, this is the reality of rough sleeping, people finding anywhere they can that is safe and out of harm to get shelter," Cork Simon spokesperson Paul Sheehan said.
The woman is thought to have been sleeping rough at Friar's Walk in the city for around 24 hours prior to her discovery.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One programme, Mr Sheehan said the incident "is a reflection of the reality of sleeping rough in the city".
"Somebody trying to find a bit of safety, trying to find a bit of respite from the elements and even worse for a woman who is sleeping rough - trying to find some way to conceal yourself so you are not visible," he said.
"And that's what it's like for far too many people these days," he added.
Mr Sheehan said there "clearly isn't enough emergency accommodation" in Cork, adding that if there was "we wouldn't have people sleeping rough".
He said there has been "well over" 500 people a month staying in emergency accommodation across the city since October 2022, with "record numbers" sleeping rough last year.
"The numbers have remained consistently high this year," he added.
Mr Sheehan said that while homelessness had been identified as a political priority, it clearly was not.
"We are consistently told that housing and homelessness is a top priority, but clearly not if you've got somebody who is just trying to stay as safe and secure as possible while sleeping on the streets," he said.
