Cemetery Sunday
clashes with Donegal v Derry
Traffic chaos is feared in Burt next weekend when
large volumes of traffic travelling to the Ulster
Senior Football Championship match in Ballybofey
will have to contend with those travelling to Burt
Graveyard where Cemetery Sunday takes place at 3pm.
In previous years vehicles attending Cemetery Sunday
have parked for several hundred metres on either
side of the graveyard on both sides of the road.
Thousands of spectators from Inishowen and Derry
will travel along the N13 past the graveyard to
Ballybofey for the football match which throws-in at
4pm.
With a sell out crowd of more than 18,000 expected
to attend the match at MacCumhaill Park in
Ballybofey and increased traffic due to the bank
holiday weekend, fears have been raised in Burt that
the volume of traffic and the large number of
vehicles parked along the N13 at the graveyard will
be dangerous for pedestrians attending the service.
“People usually start assembling shortly after 2pm
for Graveyard Sunday, which is just around the time
when traffic heading to Ballybofey will be peaking,”
said one local resident who contacted this
newspaper. “With cars parked on either side of the
road, the extra traffic will be dangerous for people
who park up to half a mile away and walk to the
graveyard.”
A spokesman for the Garda said that extra gardaí
will be on duty in the vicinity of Burt graveyard on
1 June.
“We always have additional gardaí on duty for
Graveyard Sunday to facilitate the smooth flow of
traffic but also to ensure parked vehicles aren’t
burgled,” the spokesman said. “With the match in
Ballybofey, we are expecting extra traffic at the
time but the Garda Traffic Corps will be there to
deal with it.”
However, there is no alternative route for Donegal
fans from Inishowen travelling to Ballybofey and
they have been advised to allow additional time for
the journey. |
