A MOTION condemning the opening of "an adult sex shop" in Killarney and seeking to bar all other such businesses from the tourist town has been overwhelmingly passed by town councillors.
Although the motion mentioned opposing a specific shop in Glebe Place, Killarney, Co Kerry, it is now council policy to exclude sex shops from new retail units and this will be included in the new town development plan.
The new draft development plan for Killarney now lists adult shops, taxi offices and takeaway food outlets as non-conforming retail developments.
South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson said he feared the morality of young people would be affected by a visit to a sex shop as the young people of Killarney would go there out of curiosity. Sex shops would also be visited by some people of "dubious character", he noted.
However, Garda sources yesterday said they had already had to stop a number of brothels operating on a temporary basis from rented apartments and hotel rooms. They have had a busy time keeping up with mobile call-girl operations mentioning Brazilian and Russian women.
Only one of the nine Killarney town councillors, Labour Party member Seán O'Grady who is Killarney's longest-serving councillor, voted against the move opposing the opening of a sex shop.
Mr O'Grady said sex shops stocked only "rubbish"; he had looked around them a few times and the kind of wares they sold would not tempt the morality of anyone, "good bad or indifferent" and he would have no interest in them. He also said sex shops were aimed at adults. "Nobody is proposing that we close down pubs because they are frequented by young people."
The motion banning the sex shop was tabled by two Independent councillors, Mr O'Grady's brother, Donal, and last year's Killarney mayor Niall O'Callaghan.
Donal O'Grady yesterday said he had gone into such a shop on one occasion - for the purposes of research, to see what they had - and he had no wish to go back.