Diocese hopes Marian Grotto can be used as holy place despite safety concerns
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The Diocese of Kerry said it hopes the Marian Grotto in a working quarry on Valentia Island can continue to be used “as a place of worship and pilgrimage” despite safety concerns being raised.
A growing row is brewing over access to the popular shrine at the entrance to the well-known Valentia slate quarry.
The Killarney-based quarry owner, Aidan Forde, said that falling rocks and other concerns means he has had to close off a public area. He has, for several years, tried to reach an accommodation with the Diocese of Kerry and the local community, Mr Forde said earlier this week.
The diocese has confirmed it has received legal communication from Mr Forde. In the first instance, this is a matter for Valentia parish, the diocese said.
“It is the hope of both parties that an accommodation can be agreed which will ensure the continued use of the grotto site as a place of worship and pilgrimage, and to ensure that those attending the grotto site may do so safely, while at the same time having regard to the fact that the grotto shares a site with a working quarry,” the diocese said.
It is hoped now that a satisfactory arrangement can be agreed which will take into account the concerns of the parties.
Valentia 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, as well as in Paris.
Concern has been mounting on the island about access to the iconic grotto, which was erected high over the quarry entrance during the Marian year of 1954 in one of the oldest parts of the Valentia Slate quarry.
In recent weeks the quarry company released new plans for a garden and altar, and a ground area was cordoned off.
At the weekend, when the Feast of the Immaculate Conception was marked, the public gained access to an area closed off by the company.
Mr Forde said he is not trying to remove the Marian Grotto that locals consider a place of pilgrimage for healing.
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 of Mary and Bernadette kneeling 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 recently, 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.
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 and the local community, Mr Forde also said.