Improvements to public spaces in Dundalk welcomed on Make Way Day

Improvements in the last number of years to access to public spaces in Dundalk for people with wheelchairs and the visually impaired, as well as to the public's awareness of the impact their actions can have on that access, was welcomed last Friday by disability campaigner, John Morgan, at the Make Way Day Annual Walkabout that took place in the town.

The Make Way Day 2025 Annual Walkabout took place in Dundalk on Friday 26 September as part of Disability Federation of Ireland’s nationwide campaign.

The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness of the everyday obstacles people in wheelchairs and the visually impaired face, obstacles like bins, billboards on footpaths, parking and cycling on footpaths, overgrown/hanging hedges and branches, abuse of parking in disabled bays, and using disabled bays illegally when the permit holder is not in the car, broken footpaths, damaged dished pavements, uneven kerbing, etc.

For the past eight years, John Morgan and Independent Cllr Maeve Yore say they have had the full support and co-operation of Garda Síochána Louth management, and Community Gardai Sergeant Ronan Loftus, Garda Kate Patterson and Garda Darragh Prior, who accompany them on the walkabout, and who, they add, always try to raise awareness and educate the public and motorists about the impact their actions have on people with disabilities, with professionalism and knowledge.

The Community section and Infrastructure staff of Louth County Council have over the years, also completed walkabouts, audits and maintenance works, making Dundalk a better accessible place for all, they add.

John Morgan praised Louth County Council, the Gardai, and the public for working together and said, “we have seen great improvements year on year for people with disabilities in Louth, and with this and other campaigns it’s all about educating people, raising awareness of what our daily challenges are when navigating our community spaces in wheelchairs and seeking solutions.”

John also thanked Cllr Maeve for what he called her “unstinting support” for people with disabilities across Louth, on this and many other issues, saying, “Maeve will have an email sent into Louth County Council with issues we came across today and will follow through and update me.”

John said last Friday's walkabout was the “most successful” to date as there was very little abuse of parking in disabled parking bays evident, and Gardai encountered and addressed first hand the issue of parking on footpaths /double yellow lines and obstacles on footpaths.

He concluded by encouraging people to view the Garda Siochana Louth Make Way Day social media video which can be found here.

Cllr Yore said “Great transformative works have been carried out in the Dundalk Town and Municipal area since the inception of Make Way Day”.

She praised the collaborative approach to a programme of accessibility works by recently retired Senior Engineers Paddy Connolly and Sean O’Reilly and disability groups, “which have certainly improved the infrastructure throughout Dundalk in the last eight years”.

The Independent Councillor also acknowledged the ongoing positive engagement and interaction by Louth County Council infrastructure, engineering and regeneration staff members and teams with people with disabilities, about the regeneration and upgrade of Clanbrassil St and St Nicholas Quarter which she said have proved co-creation can lead to many successes, including accessibility.

Cllr Yore concluded by praising what she described as “the exemplary support and professionalism” of Gardai Kate, Darragh and Ronan saying “we are so lucky to have their calibre in Dundalk”.