Monkstown Boxing Club members training in street with community facility shut

Monkstown Boxing Club in Dublin have pleaded for independent access to their training base after it was closed at short notice, leading to members training outdoors this week.

The club, which has been based at the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council-owned Mounttown Community Facility since it opened in 2008, say they were informed that the building would close for ten days from 3pm Friday 28 October at 1.18pm that day.

No explanation was given for either the closure or the late notice in communicating the decision, which caused huge disruption for a club that runs daily training sessions and had two classes planned for Friday evening alone.

Members of the club trained outside Dún Laoghaire County Hall, the headquarters of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council, last night, and local TDs Richard Boyd Barrett and Cormac Devlin were among those expressing support on social media.

"We had a full week's programme to do this week," club secretary JP Kinsella told RTÉ Sport.

"Top level lads like Jack Marley [European U22 heavyweight champion] and Sean Mari [Sarajevo multi-nations 51kg winner] getting ready for major competitions.

"Community boxercise, which is hugely popular. Kids academy classes. Sixty six boys and girls in the Dublin leagues that’s going on at the moment. We were supposed to have 50 of those kids weighing in the Louth Open this Sunday and everything has been hampered because they have closed the facility with no explanation.

"Last night we had to train outside. We haven’t heard anything from them and we can’t get the club open. It’s a sad situation.

"It’s a complete disregard for our club and the needs of the community. We work very closely with Focus Ireland, the Southside Travellers Action Group, the Probation