No written warnings or fines have been issued off the back of Killarney’s new busking bye-laws since they were introduced.
Kerry County Council provided the update to councillors at the recent Killarney Municipal District meeting, following a query from Labour councillor Marie Moloney.
The bye-laws came into effect in June this year, having been passed by a vote in March.
Included in these bye-laws is that a person can’t perform in a public place without a Performance Permit issued by the MD.
Buskers can only perform between 11am and 9pm; they can’t produce sound greater than 80 decibels, and there must be a 50-metre distance between performers.
They can only stay in a specific location for a maximum of two hours in any day, before moving to a different street, not within 50 metres of his/her previous location.
Since the bye-laws came into effect on June 1st, there have been 16 licences issued to performers, and 15 complaints logged with the Municipal District office, which keeps record of all complaints and complainants.
Seven complaints were in June, five in July, two in August, and one in September, and the council says all of these were followed up by the enforcement officer and MD officer.
Arising from these complaints, three official warnings were issued to non-permit holders, and one official verbal warning was issued to a current permit holder.
No written warnings or fines have been issued by the MD office in relation to these bye-laws.
In addition to these complaints, 24 compliance checks were carried out by the enforcement officer, checking for permit/display of permit, sound/decibel levels, location, and time of performance.
The council says minimal breaches of the bye-laws were recorded during these checks.
Labour councillor Marie Moloney said buskers are welcome in Killarney, but they must follow the rules.
