Church authorities clamp down on persistent illegal parking

By JACQUELINE HOGGE MOTORISTS who park illegally in the grounds of Tuam Cathedral are being warned they face clamping after the church authorities adopted a get tough policy with persistent offenders this week. One such motorist faced a fine of €75 when he ignored repeated warnings from car park administrator Luke Tighe, who clamped the vehicle on Tuesday. The car park is open to the public on a pay and display basis with all day parking available for €2. The facility has been up and running for over four years and generates an annual income of approximately €50,000 that goes towards the upkeep of the Cathedral grounds. Administrator of Tuam Parish Fr Stephen Farragher said the money from the car park was a vital source of income for the parish and appealed to members of the public to use the facility honestly. 'During these recessionary times it is important for the upkeep of the Cathedral grounds that we receive the money from the car park,' he said. 'We are facing into a big challenge to raise the €2.2 million needed for the new Parish Centre, which is awaiting planning permission, so I would appeal to people to pay and display when using the car park.' Money raised from the facility has in recent years been put towards new lighting, upgraded toilet facilities and new paving at the entrance to the Cathedral. 'We're not going around clamping people every day of the week but we do have to act when people continue to ignore the warnings we issue and park without displaying a valid ticket,' said Luke Tighe. 'The vast majority of people, in fact I'd say 99 per cent of motorists, do pay for their parking and we give those who don't plenty of warnings before we clamp them, so I would urge those who use the Cathedral car park to do so properly.'