Nudists in County Wexford have been threatened, by local politicians, with arrest if they turn up naked on local beaches again, despite the fact that no complaints were received from the public.
On Sunday afternoon a group of nudists set up camp on Curracloe beach carrying their backpacks and picnic. No members of the public asked them to leave, according to a spokesperson for the Irish Naturist Association (INA).
Despite this fact Wexford’s Mayor, Councilor Ger McCarthy, told the Wexford People newspaper “If I went naked on the streets of Wexford, I would get arrested...it's against the law to go naked in a public place.”
The Mayor did say that despite the legal issues he was sure he could find a more isolated spot for the naturists to gather, in Wexford, along the county’s 155.3 miles of coastline.
Curracloe, a beautiful beach, made famous through the filming of the opening scene of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” remains a popular day trip and holiday location. McCarty added “To go naked at Curracloe where there are children is not acceptable.”
Not everyone took the get together so seriously. One member of the public called into a national radio station suggesting that Spielberg call his follow-up movie “Saving Private Ryan's Privates.”
A spokesperson for the INA said “No one has had any issue here (in Wexford). The INA is pushing for clothing-optional beaches to be recognized.”
The group of naturists on Curracloe enjoyed a 6 mile (10km) trek along the coast. Along the way the rested among the dunes and even sunbathed making sure all their delicate areas were “protected with sunscreen,” the INA reported. The group then settled not far from where Spielberg filmed the famous WWII movie.
This Wexford outing was one of several events organized around the country in what the INA billed a “quadruple naturism weekend.” On Saturday at the Hunting Brook Gardens, in Blessington, County Wicklow, a group trimmed some bushes in celebration of World Naked Gardening Day, May 7. In Dublin a group went for a skinny dip at the Mespil Swimming Pool, in Ballsbridge, at Donabate Beach, and in Dalkey, among others.
Hawk Cliff, small nudist bathing spot on the Vico Road, Dalkey (Co. Dublin, Ireland) earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/KhKHNpnGPa
— Irish Naturist Assoc (@irishnaturist) August 20, 2015
On their blog the INA warned the public that no beaches or other public places officially approved for the practice of naturism.
The INA states “The law in relation to public nudity is such that it can be an offence for a man or a woman to expose himself or herself in a public place.
“There are, therefore, no beaches or other public places officially approved for the practice of naturism.
“Anyone wishing to go nude on a beach or in a public place in Ireland should be aware of this.”
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