Access via the Brothers’ Path in Mitchelstown has been denied for some time now, as both CBS Primary School and CBS Secondary School have received solicitor’s letters advising them that the path is closed ‘until further notice’.
The path, which links Upper Cork Street and the zebra crossing on it with the Leisure Centre carpark, and continues up to the schools, has long been used by pupils and others during the daytime. In the evening and after school closes, a gate on the Upper Cork Street entrance gate is generally locked by a local who has the key. Along the path there are entrances to the houses on either side of the path which face on to the main street, and are still accessible whether the gate is locked or not.
This week, Cork County Council confirmed to The Avondhu that the path is in private ownership. However, the plot of land is not registered with the Land Registry, and this week, Ben Lynch, manager of the local Leisure Centre, said that they had investigated ownership of the path in late 2022.
At that time, their solicitor confirmed that it was not part of the Leisure Centre property, and furthermore that ownership of the path, according to their solicitor, ‘is not clear, and I suspect there is no mention of it on any deed… certainly CBS have a right of way’.
The solicitor also noted that a resident in the area had no right to block access to it. Cork County Council have been contacted by The Avondhu to query how they have established the ownership of the path.
