CORK: Gardai issued fines on the mourners for violation of the 5 km travel restriction to pay respects at home of deceased.
The fine was levied on those who came to pay their last respects to Michael ‘Mike the King’ McCarthy, a prominent member of the Traveller community in Cork. Mr. McCarthy died at Mercy University Hospital on Sunday.
A Garda spokesman clarified that the fine was imposed to deter a large crowd from attending the funeral. Gardai shared the importance of following public health guidelines with close family members, traveller representative groups both locally and nationally, and clergy in anticipation of a potential rush to his funeral.
Under Level 5 restrictions, only 10 people can attend a funeral. But through social media, one of McCarthy’s sons invited people to come home wearing a face mask. With that, people started coming from many directions. More than a dozen gardaí were deployed around the church in Blackpool to control the crowd, and several checkpoints were also set up on some approach roads.
However, Gardai allowed only 10 family members to attend the funeral. Mr. McCarthy was buried in Kilcornan, Co Limerick. His wife, Margaret, and their children also attended the funeral ceremony.
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