Campaigners trying to resurrect the Smithwick’s Experience in Kilkenny aim to present a petition to a representative of Diageo later.
The Save Smithwicks Experience petition has more than 6,700 signatures (see it here) seeking a reversal of the decision to close down one of the city’s most popular attractions.
Chair of the Kilkenny City and County Vintners Anthony Morrison told KCLR News “We’ve been informed that they may be unable to attend and, you know, to be fair we are in a pandemic and I’m totally aware of that and I do not want anybody to feel they have to present themselves but look if they are there great, but I believe by now they won’t be and in doing so we’ll just present it to a, possibly a retired member of Diageo may attend and accept it for them”.
He adds “We’re going down there today and we’re going to do what we have to do and we’re morally obliged to present this petition, I mean 6,500 plus people signed it, it’s the right thing to do, and I hope Diageo really do understand that this is cutting to the bone of a very, very small society, and I don’t mean that in numbers, I mean we’re all so close in Kilkenny, there’s so much passion behind this it’s frightening”.
And Mr Morrisson also says “We’re meeting up with them again next week, they’ve gone back to their offices I suppose, they’re formulating from what I believe a real plan I’m told by them, they are working with real, real passion themselves to resolve this issue and I know they understand now, they may not have understood it when they made the announcement in April what impact it would have but they genuinely understand it now”.
