Concerns for schoolchildren’s safety after hundreds defy Covid restrictions at Ballon funeral

Children had to be kept back at a Carlow school this afternoon after hundreds of people turned up for a funeral in defiance of the Covid restrictions.

A maximum of 25 people are allowed to attend funeral services under the Level 5 regulations but several hundred mourners attended the burial at Ballon Cemetery this afternoon.

Ballon National School asked parents to take extra care collecting their children as a result of the crowd, and the cars parked along both sides of the road.

Due to the extra traffic the kids were held back for a period of time to allow the crowds to disperse.