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MUSIC FESTIVAL ALL Together Now has said it is undertaking a “full review” of the accessibility of its site to “ensure significant improvements” are made for disabled attendees next year.
It follows strong criticism of the organisers from some disabled people who attended this year’s gathering on the Curraghmore estate in Co Waterford.
The festival is also facing questions about why it claimed on its website that it had partnered with the Irish Wheelchair Association for this year’s event. The charity has denied any such involvement in correspondence seen by The Journal.
The festival has been held since 2018 on the estate of Lord Waterford and is run by music promoters POD.
In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for All Together Now said it was looking at providing buggy transport next year to bring attendees who need assistance into the main arena.
It further blamed “extremely challenging weather” for problems at this year’s festival.
However, one seasoned festival goer said that the organisers “shouldn’t hide behind the weather”, as he found accessibility was a problem “almost straight after entering the site”.
Stephen Power, who has spina bifida, has been offered a full refund due to his “really frustrating” experience. He and his family left the festival without staying a night.
Power said he encountered problems included the long distance to reach the main arena from the ‘access campsite’. He can walk unaided for shorter distances and also uses a scooter, which he said would likely have struggled to cope with the mud at the festival.
The festival organisers’ statement said: “In light of the extremely challenging weather at this year’s festival, we will be undergoing a full review of the All Together Now access policy, to ensure significant improvements are made for attendees.
“We are disappointed by the impact conditions had on access for attendees and we are focused on making improvements for next year.”
It added that it would speak to the most affected attendees on a “one-to-one basis to receive and review” their feedback in preparation for next year.
The spokesperson said that the festival’s access campsite was located in “very similar proximity” to the arena as the previous three editions of All Together Now.
“It is located in one of the quietest parts of the site to minimise the sound spill of late-night stages,” the spokesperson said.
Power said he found that compared to previous iterations of the festival, the distance required to make it to the music stages had increased significantly.
“I have been getting so many messages and comments from other disabled people who bought tickets for this event who could not get in or were stuck in their tent unable to access the main event,” Power said on social media following last weekend’s gathering.
Speaking to The Journal, he questioned whether providing buggy transport was the best solution.
“If you get it right from the start you don’t need buggies,” he said.
“They’re saying the campsite for disabled people is in a similar place to other years, but they’ve changed the layout of the grounds so that you now have to walk an hour to even make it to the main gate.
“That’s not accessible – but I bought accessible tickets. If you keep changing the layout inside you have to change the layout [elsewhere] along with it.”
Power added that there was a need for any review to include the voice of disabled people.
While the festival told The Journal that the placement of the access campsite at the farthest point from the music was due to organisers trying to minimise the sound spill of late-night stages, Power said there was a need for different access camps catering to different needs.
If I’m going to a music festival, I’m going for the noise. I understand maybe placing families who may be able-bodied away from the music if they have children who need that, but we’re not children – we’re disabled people. I can’t get two new legs for the weekend so stop putting us all into the one bracket.
Power, who attended the festival with his wife Bernie and their two children, said he quickly became concerned after arriving.
“We could see that they had placed the disabled campsite further away from the main arena than the main campsite. I was walking past tents with abled-bodied people in them and they had much less distance to travel.
“It’s simple stuff. I’m not looking to be chauffeured for the weekend, if I can’t walk I’ll stay at the stage I’m at, but please don’t make it that I’m struggling to get into the festival.”
They were able to see music on Friday night but, having struggled with the lengthy walk involved, decided to head home to nearby Carrick-on-Suir.
“There was no way I was making it in the next day. I was already in pain and hurting for the rest of the weekend. My body had seized up and my wife had to carry me into the bed,” Power said.
He said the family found an advertised access route was shut and their appeals to staff fell on deaf ears, with the use of buggies also ruled out.
After the family was directed to “go back through the main campsite”, they refused and, following a standoff with security, the original access route was opened so they could return to their car.
“I’ve been going to gigs and festivals over the past 20 years and had gone to All Together Now in the past.
“You’d be wrecked but I’d have seen every band I wanted to see and done everything I wanted to do. But that’s different from not being able to access the main gate.”
Ahead of the festival, Power said he felt reassured by the advertised partnering of All Together Now with disability charity the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA).
According to a now deleted section of the website, the festival said the IWA would be “managing our Access Campsite 24 hours a day” across the weekend.
The Accessibility Information page of the festival website carried this claim as recently as Sunday 6 August. The claim has since been removed.
When contacted, the IWA said it “didn’t have any official link with the festival” this year.
It said: “We’re disappointed to hear that there was accessibility issues at the festival this year. IWA didn’t have any official link with the festival this year.
“A number of staff went to the festival as fans/attendees. One staff member is involved with the campsite tuck shop but on her own time and not as an IWA rep.”
Last year, IWA was linked with the festival and benefited from sales made at a campsite tuck shop according to the spokesperson.
All Together Now did not respond in time for publication when asked about why it promoted links with the charity.
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This guy is clearly going for Darwin award
In NK they call it the Kim award, as he invented evolution
€50 on North Korea @ 6/1
I went for North Korea at Half Time & South Korea Full Time.
Don’t waste your money Loremolis!
“The moment of explosion is approaching fast” according to the NK army – well if they attempt to launch a strike first his prediction will no doubt come true, but not in the way he means….
China vs Russia in the other semi final.
Can we blame Terry Henri because we are not in it?
Spoke to a family friend living in South Korea who said its all a load of hype NK do this stuff all the time prob to get sanctions lifted and its western media making a mountain out of a mole hill, he said he got a little worried as he listened to news talk on the web bit the South Koreans don’t care and its business as usual!!
trouble is mohamad,
the little snot who is now in charge seems to believe he is a god, and he is reading western media too. He sees the coverage he is getting and ups the ante. At some point he has to do something or he will lose face…
This can only end badly
Just hear the only people worried are South Koreans who lived near the boarder, worried they will be hit by American bombs by mistake!! Russia and china call for both sides to calm.
Beckham to sign for NK, six month contract
You are properly right Dave let’s just hope if he does anything stupid they just shoot it down and not risk the innocent people of NK by dropping a nuc in retaliation!
The Russians said the same thing when Hitler stuck a million soldiers on the border
He invented the iPad and he can cure cancer.it’s true,I read it on his personal blog! Sheesh, people are sooooo judgemental.
While a serious situation there full of it. Why attack kmowing your going to be destroyed.
I notice when North Korea do something it “increases tensions”.
When America moves destroyers into the region or flies bombers over their country, diddly sqwat. A little impartiality please, at the end of the day, this a country (albeit incredibly aggressively) defending their borders.
Because they are not goin to attack.
All NK wants is a peace treaty wit America. Rt news will give ye both sides story…
North Korea are the instigators though. Their actions will decide how the U.S, South Korea, Japan etc. respond. Their threats will most likely amount to nothing, and their ‘long range missiles’ will most likely fall incredibly short, but what they’re threatening can’t be overlooked. They’re essentially the baddies!
@James
Funny to hear you talk about ‘defending their borders’ – NK is the aggressor here, as it was when the Korean war broke out.
Over the past few years it has launched several attacks on SK, which has shown incredible restraint under the circumstances.
Louise – how are they “essentially the baddies”? They don’t want US bombers flying over their land and are standing up to them with bizarre, un-actionable threats.
Are you for real?
Leonard – I just read the latest RT article on this issue. A few things are worth noting about that article: the article explicitly says that the US has repeatedly turned down offers of a treaty. That’s simply not true. North Korea stepped away from its international obligations over and over again and walked out of negotiations more times than I can count. US/South Korean militarism on the peninsula has led to a handful of accidents in the last six decades. North Korean attacks have led to a large number of deaths following unprovoked attacks. But the main thrust of the article, that the US simply wants to encircle China and North Korea is the next natural foothold, is also bogus. Why go through an extremely costly conflict to get not much further than you already are? There are US bases all over the Pacific including S Korea, Japan and the Philippines. They already have encircled China and gaining control of a piece of land that is about the same size as Ireland isn’t going to further that strategic advantage.
Yes rt news is little more informative ..
This guy is young and clueless pay no attention to him.His track record of stupidity on the Journal has nearly reached Legendary status.
RT news is the Russian equivalent of the US Fox or Iranian pressTV. Yes they report some stuff that Western media will sweep under the carpet but their reports need to come with a major bias warning.
I think you may have misinterpreted some of the information surrounding NK. They are a one-party totalitarian government whose people essentially rely on international food aid to survive. They pump huge amounts of resources into their military/missile development.
A lot of their aid has been cut because they continue to develop nuclear weapons and illegally test them. So now they’re having a major hissy fit and trying to show the world they mean serious business. They’re undoubtedly the aggressors.
Is there anything to be said for another mass??
James, you really don’t get it – do you? I think they card people like you appeasers in the 30s. You’re not related to Chmaberlajn by any chance?
@Richard… All Media should come with a bias warning, all are owned by people, boards, or governments with their own agenda’s.
We should question the origin of all our conclusions and beliefs.
But can you see where there coming from? If some one blanket bombed Ireland for 5 years leaving no buildings or infrastructure left id be pretty angry too. I think NK are afraid of same happening again. Yes they seem a bit crazy but i honestly don’t think their suicidal. I really hope this does not escalate from either side. Make love not war.
Leonard, that was 60 years ago! The US bombed Germany and Japan into submission in WW2. Now they are all allies. NK has no excuse for its actions! Learn some history will you.
no stephen, I think we all know what we need to do here…….. we put the brick on the accelerator!
That’s just crazy enough to work…
”but their reports need to come with a major bias warning.”
Unlike RTE and BBC etc . Fox is bad – it is nearly a benifiet to those it attacks .
Yes its history now. But how would you feel if your parents were killed in them carpet bombings?
Who?
Leonard, how did the Japanese and Germans feel?! But everyone has moved on! They are all allies!
WW2 is over! The Korean War is over 60 years now. Stop making excuses for NK!
RT news is as biased on one side as Fox is on the other. So I wouldn’t be inclined to use them as independent portrayers of the news.
Lay off whatever you are smokin…
Im not making excuses for them declan. Im tryin to comprehend why this is going on. Obviously NK are not suicidal because if they do launch an attack its signing their own death warrant.
Leonard, well your not doing a good job at comprehending at what’s going on if you are looking back so far. It’s in the history books. NK should have no beef with SK or the US. It’s needs to take its proper place among the countries of this world.
The bombers didn’t fly over their land, they flew over South Koreas land
When did the US fly bombers over North Koreas borders?
Well, if NK doesn’t want to get bombed to oblivion then maybe they should … calm down?
Lol The baddies really ? I think you v been watching to much American pr
Any chance they might hit PSY, so we don’t have to hear Gangnam Style again.
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYY SEXY LADY
Do you prefer the cranky car version on 2fm?
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3727471.htm
Nothing will happen. I live close to the border. Nobody is cowering in fear. This is par for the course just a little louder than usual.
My son lives in Seoul and this is how he sees it, too.
Very interesting article, thanks.
If they are not technologically advanced enough to launch how come I seen a picture of Kim dum sung with an iMac and iPad mini at the same time! Answer me that!
Kim mini
iKim mini
Hoo flung dung
@michael – while banning everyone else from using them. Typical tinpot despot. No different to those Taliban clowns.
Not too many mad dictators left in the world thankfully. Once Kim is gone only other dictator is Kenny and his FG death squad.
They have been exchanged for corporate dictators instead.
Not since Bush
The little body is trying to fit in daddy’s shoes
just get on with it
Nothing little about his waist line.
It would make for great tv if he started firing rockets. The yanks would annihilate him!!!
If they could just drop the bombs on Kim’s head that’d be great.
All those people will die just because he is an egotistical twit
I’m sure they could just attack Kim, this is America we are talking about, couldn’t they just assassinate him if they really wanted to?
This guy is more than lonely- he’s got separation anxiety! Like a puppy ripping up a couch when no ones Home
Just do it….. Nk should be sponsored by Nike…
Kim got 6 hole in ones today at the nuclear missile golf course
Somehow I think that Kim dum one will be deposed by his military before they will allow the total destruction of their country
The stumpy lad is at it again
I must admit these Koreans got balls. I thought they would have stood down by now but they look to be going the distance. I see a knew conflict here the US have not started. They will however end. NK as a state is coming to a close.
Is he just pissed off that the follow up single to ‘Gangnam Style’ failed to hit the charts? Bit of a slight over reaction Psy.
Gel Mini Kim’s hair back and there maybe a PSY. Tin foil hat conspiracy – beware!
Id say China are going to take this one on and show the region all there new shiny toys.They have sent there troops to the boarder and will probably use NK as an example in the region as they have numerous boarder land and sea disputes on going.This would be a good chance to claen house and at the same time a show of force.
I say go for it, starting a war with the states would look great on his C V.
AMERICANS MUST STOP ALL PROVOCATIONS AND GET OUT OF THE REGION IMMEDIATELY! YANKEES GO HOME! OR RUSSIA WILL INTERVENE OR CHINA
I think so too
So the US isn’t allowed to park a few pieces of military equipment in ally countries JUST because Kim dum fuk doesn’t like it? I think the United States is great in doing so. Protect the investments.
Someone just needs to pop his head like a grape… In front of 15,000 NK’s. Maybe then the North Koreans can start accepting that he isn’t a god.
Duh boy!
Nice pic man.
He’s a bluffer , he knows he wil b wiped out . 50% of their income comes from abroad . He’s taken on the world now . What a joker of a man and country
Anonymous invade North Korea’s Twitter and Flickr accounts. Hilarity ensued! http://www.newstiller.com/technology/619-anonymous-strike-again-operation-north-korea
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