The owner of the Valentia Slate quarry in Co Kerry says he is not trying to remove a Marian grotto that locals consider a place of pilgrimage for healing.
Concern has been mounting on the island about the grotto, which was erected high over the quarry entrance during the Marian year of 1954.
Locals are expressing anger in posts on social media, and a public meeting will be held on Thursday to discuss continued access to the grotto.
At the weekend, when the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was marked, the public gained access to an area closed off by the company.
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A public prayer and altar area lies beneath statues of Mary and Bernadette in the grotto, high in the quarry, the most westerly slate quarry in western Europe.
The unique blue-purple slate has been mined from the quarry since the 1840s and has been used in prominent London buildings including the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Locals are concerned about future access given that access was closed in recent weeks with the quarry company releasing new plans for a garden and altar.
Aidan Forde, director of Valentia Slate, said the ground area was closed because of the danger posed after rocks fell from a site below the grotto, one of which narrowly missed the altar.
The statues have not been affected.
“I am not trying to get rid of the grotto,” Mr Forde said.
The company closed the public area because of fears for health and safety, but barriers were removed last weekend raising concerns for the company.
The quarry and shrine share a common entrance and the company has been trying to negotiate a separate entrance over safety concerns.
[ Rockfall specialists leave Skellig Michael in advance of reopeningOpens in new window ]
The risk of “rockfall” posed to the public area was illustrated in October when the company carried out a survey of the site using a cherry picker.
The company said “dangerously loose” rocks fell and bounced on parts of the cliff below, travelling a significant distance horizontally.
“Some of significant size fell into the grotto area, damaging the altar and embedding themselves into the ground in what is normally a publicly accessible area,” the company said.
Valentia Slate was forced, on legal advice, to close the ground level of the grotto “for obvious health and safety reasons”, it said.
The company has attempted to find a solution for “several years” and has been engaged with the Diocese of Kerry and the local community, Mr Forde said.
Legal correspondence has also been sent to the Diocese of Kerry, which has been asked for comment.
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