Local man slams Castlepalooza noise

While festival goers enjoyed the sounds of Villagers, Cat Power, and Caribou and many more at last weekend’s three-day Castlepalooza Music and Arts festival in Tullamore, one resident has raised the issue of noise pollution with Offaly County Council.

Grant Halstead claims he bore the brunt of late night noise until 2am in the morning.

“So many residents are up in arms about it all over Tullamore because it made such an impact,” Mr Halstead told the Offaly Independent. According to Mr Halstead the event required no planning permission as the crowd capacity was less than 5,000 people. “(It) is a shambles. We will petition the Minister of State to lower the threshold. It’s currently treated the same as a church fête!” he argued.

However, when Offaly Independent contacted Castlepalooza organiser Cillian Stewart, he said sound levels were well within the recommended guidelines.

“We had one complaint and it was the first one we’ve had in ten years,” said Mr Stewart. “We had an issue on Friday night with bad weather. Since last year, a number of trees have been felled on the Charleville Estate, and we think that when the rain stopped, combined with the lack of trees, this contributed to the sound travelling a greater distance. We were still within the recommended guidelines however.”

Mr Stewart added that more stringent guidelines would be put in place ahead of next year’s festival.

“Ideally we don’t want any complaints and this is the first we’ve had. We will be meeting with residents to discuss any issues,” said Mr Stewart.

Mr Halstead was prompted to write a strongly worded email to members of Offaly County Council, and to this newspaper, as he said he should be “entitled to a peaceful existence in my own home without the need to turn my television up very high once the event has started or inserting ear plugs into my ears when I wish to go to sleep in the evening,” stated Mr Halstead.

“I feel that I am a prisoner in my own home. Is it normal for music festivals to play their music until 2am?” he questioned, adding that a more civilised time limit should be 11pm in a residential area.

Mr Halstead said he telephoned Tullamore Gardai in the early hours of Saturday July 2 to complain about the noise, only to be told there was nothing they could do to assist him.

He also attended the entrance of Charleville Castle on Saturday in a bid to speak with the health and safety officer there.

Mr Halstead said he received a call from the event controller who claimed the noise levels were in keeping the stipulated requirements of Offaly County Council.

“I asked to know what these levels were and to see the instruments used to note the levels but was refused,” continued Mr Halstead. He went on to say that “it is most odd that the event organisers have control over the noise level instruments and not council officers. This is the same as asking Turkeys to organise the menu at Christmas!” he claimed.