KILLARNEY’S famous jarveys are keeping a close watch on political developments across the Atlantic as they show solidarity with their colleagues in New York who are in imminent danger of being forced out of business by the city authorities.
Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to ban iconic horse-drawn carriages from Central Park, putting the livelihoods of close on 300 operators under threat. A vote on the issue will be taken in the coming weeks.
The mayor maintains that it is cruel and dangerous to have horses pulling carriages and he has been lobbied extensively on the issue by powerful animal welfare groups in the city.
But horse and carriage tour operators – many of them Irish – are quick to dismiss his concerns and insist their animals are extremely well cared for with very high standards adhered to in the city stables in which they are housed.
They point to the fact that the carriages have been ferrying people through the park since 1858 and they are shocked that the city council is planning to ban them.
The New York horsemen have asked if it is just a coincidence that their stables are located in an area that has now become trendy and popular for the development of high-rise buildings?
A number of jarveys in Killarney have already pledged their full support to the New York horsemen.
“We know what it’s like to come under pressure from government bodies following the whole issue of providing nappies for our horses,” Michael Sweetman, a third generation jarvey, told KillarneyToday.com.
He said the horse-drawn carriages are as important to New York as the jaunting cars are to Killarney.
“The mayor’s proposal is ridiculous. It’s like taking the Eiffel Tower out of Paris.
“Central Park would be nothing without the carriages, just like Killarney would be a much duller place without the jaunting cars,” Mr Sweetman added.
Opposition to the mayor’s plan has also been voiced by Hollywood actor Liam Neeson and the editorial board of the influential New York Times.
A poll has revealed that the New York public is overwhelmingly in favour of retaining the horse-drawn carriages.
