Ecstasy to Agony – Monkstown locked out again
Monkstown Boxing Club went from joy to despair in the space of 48 hours this week.
Two days after celebrating two big National Elite Championship victories in the National Stadium the boxing club revealed they were locked out of their training facilities.
The club, which has been based at the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council-owned Mounttown Community Facility since 2008, claims they were denied access to the facility on Monday.
Posting a picture online of a padlocked door in response to a local TD’s congratulatory message Monkstown said: “We came in the club today to find we are locked out again, there’s a heavy chain and lock on the door so we could not gain access.”
The news comes just two days after the Dublin club celebrated two National Elite Championship wins and further proved the good work it does for the area. Two of Monkstown’s underage graduates Sean Mari, via stoppage, and Jack Marley claimed prestigious Irish titles on the South Circular Road – and while the lockout can’t take the gloss off those achievements it does highlight the issues the club is battling.
It’s not the first time Monkstown has raised an issue with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.
Members of the club trained outside Dún Laoghaire County Hall, back in November and called for independent access to the facility after being denied access at short notice.
The club has been given a Sports Capital Programme grant of €150,000 to build their own facility on the grounds of the centre, but this is not expected to open until the summer of 2024.
