Shrubs in Fermoy’s town park had to be pruned back as they were “grossly overgrown”, local councillor and chairperson of Fermoy Town Park Committee, Olive Corcoran said this week.

She was responding to criticism from a local person who’d complained about the recent pruning of shubs in the park, telling The Avondhu she’d been “aghast” to see them being cut back at a time when they are due to come into bloom. She wanted to know the reasoning behind the move.

NEGLECT

Councillor Corcoran made enquiries from the park gardener, Tomás Thornhill, who advised her the pruning was done as many of the shrubs had grown wild in recent years. “The park had been neglected for so long that they needed to be cut back quite substantially,” she explained.

She also said they’d received a number of complaints from people that overgrown shrubbery around the swimming pool area had led to reduced visibility, which raised safety concerns. The gardener was responding to those concerns in cutting back the shrubbery there.

Cllr. Corcoran pointed out that Mr. Thornhill is a qualified gardener with a great interest in the town park and someone who shows great dedication and commitment to his work there. He’d advised that the recent bitterly cold east wind had delayed the shrubs in blooming and pruning them in the way he did would not prevent them from blossoming shortly.