A group of young people enjoying themselves on the banks of Ireland’s longest river was a semblance of normality, but the Covid-19 outbreak that followed has knocked Athlone town back months.
thlone GAA club has temporarily suspended training for some teams, business owners are anxious and public health is urging those who aren’t fully vaccinated “not to go back to normal behaviour”.
On the evening of June 11, dozens of people gathered on the west side of the River Shannon in Athlone. Some who spoke to the Health Service Executive said they were there until after midnight, while others confirmed they later attended house parties.
Dr Una Fallon, director of public health in the midlands, told the Irish Independent they are unsure how many people were exposed, or are currently at-risk.
“We don’t know how transmission occurred. We’re not saying it’s outdoor transmission, as a lot of people travel to a location together, and they may leave together in cars, but we do know there was a gathering and there were house parties in the area. We’re urging anyone who was present to get tested.”
The optimism felt by business owners in the town over the last few weeks has also been dealt a blow.
On June 7, Sean’s Bar – Ireland’s oldest public house – reopened for the first time in 15 months. The riverside bar invested in a new outdoor area and has been providing takeaway service.
General manager Declan Donnelly said the first few days were “crazy busy”, but June 11 was “much quieter”.
“It was one of the quietest nights of the week. The whole country went nuts on the 7th, it was an opening like you had never seen before.
“From our point of view, we treat everyone that comes in as if they have it and we’ve been very strict. We’ve security every night of the week, so if you leave your table, you have to wear your mask.
“We can only control the controllable, we can’t control what people do after 11.30pm or off the premises. We’ve been very strict, as in we’ve had groups of 18 asking if they can sit at three tables of six and we’ve told them ‘no’.”
Mr Donnelly said he is hopeful that Sean’s Bar will be able to reopen for indoor service in July.
“Obviously there’s a bit of talk on the grapevine about whether it will happen now with the new variant, but all we can do is keep following the guidelines. Controlled environments are definitely better.”
Socialising along the Shannon has been somewhat demonised since the outbreak, but so many in the town depend on the river to survive.
Businessman Michael McDonnell, better known as ‘Viking Mike’, resumed his famous Viking tour cruises at the start of June.
He only traded for two months last year and is concerned about the possible spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which the HSE says is “probably” behind the recent outbreak.
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“I’m worried we could end up with another lockdown, or a localised lockdown,” he said.
“If the weather is any way fine, it’s a natural thing to do (gather along the river). There’s no rowdiness or anything, it’s just genuine socialising which I suppose young people are going to do. You can’t blame them.”
Fianna Fáil councillor Frankie Keena, who was this week elected chairperson of Westmeath County Council, called on anyone who was present at the gatherings to get tested.
“We need to be cautious as we’re not out of the woods yet. Businesses have worked so hard to get here and Athlone has been thriving, so I would ask people to get tested, especially with the new pop-up test centre opening on Thursday.”
GAA clubs in Athlone are also proceeding with caution. Fergal O’Toole, chairman of Athlone GAA Club, confirmed that training was suspended for some teams last Thursday for a week.
St Brigid’s GAA Club has asked players not to attend training if they are showing any Covid-19 symptoms.
As the HSE continues to investigate all circumstances surrounding the outbreak, Dr Fallon acknowledged young people had a “very hard time”.
“We’re not blaming them, but they have a part to play to get to end of all this (the pandemic),” she said.
Meanwhile, gardaí confirmed they are not currently investigating any suspected breach of Covid-19 regulations.
“Gardaí have received no reports of any breaches of public health regulations in residential properties on June 11 or 12 in Athlone,” a Garda spokesperson said.
Gardaí also said there were “no reported incidents” of large gatherings along the River Shannon on the date concerned.