‘HORRENDOUS’ was the word a community group founder used to describe the sheer volume of rubbish dumped in Clonakilty’s historic Emmet Square over the weekend.
But it wasn’t just Emmet Square that was left looking like a rubbish tip. Cork County Council told Kevin Harrigan, the founder of SoMeNa, that they collected 28 bags of refuse in Clonakilty alone.
The local authority is sending out staff to many towns every Saturday and Sunday morning to pick up rubbish left by locals, staycationers and revellers, but members of SoMeNa – which is the abbreviation of social inclusion, mental health with awareness, and nature – have been doing their part too.
Kevin said he understands that the sheer volume of people visiting the town is the cause of the problem. ‘I don’t know what the solution is,’ he added, ‘but I would appeal to people to take their rubbish home. If every person played their part, and did a little bit, it would keep the place tidy.’
He said members of SoMeNa organise walks, beach cleans, and litter picks as part of their activities and frequently bring rubbish home to go out with their own refuse bins.Last week, the group also did a great day’s work in clearing a huge fishing net from the rocks at Barry’s Cove in Barryroe.
‘It had been there for ages, since the last storm last winter,’ said Kevin, who explained how a team of five people had to go out in kayaks to get the job done.
‘This type of clean-up is part of our ethos,’ he said, ‘and it was great to be able to leave Barry’s Cove looking picture postcard perfect once again.’
