Parents in one of Ireland's most well-known heritage villages have staged a protest demanding a playground for their children.
The weekend rally followed a breakdown in negotiations between parents in the village of Adare and officials at Limerick County Council.
The ACORN Project (Adare Children Orientated Recreational Needs) was formed by parents to address the absence of a playground in the village.
The parents claim that due to Adare's status as a heritage village that many barriers and stipulations are in place preventing the building of a playground.
"Heritage itself should be a living, breathing thing. It should not be presented in terms of something sacred that we are not allowed to touch," said Ms Bridie Collins, spokeswoman for the ACORN Project.
In the latest twist in the saga, the village park in Adare has now been ruled out as a possible location following correspondence from solicitors for the Dunraven Estate. Lady Dunraven leased the land, to the council in 1977 for use as a public park.
Legal correspondence from the Dunraven Estate has pointed out that a change of use in the park would contravene the terms of the lease with Lady Dunraven.
Officials at the council ruled out an alternative site behind the Adare Heritage Centre.
Angry parents from the ACORN project claim the local authority has been dragging its heels and that their children's needs have been ignored.
They also claim that the lack of an appropriate playground flies in the face of the "National Play Policy" guidelines from the National Children's Office.
"It seems to us that Limerick County Council is lagging behind all the other local authorities in terms of providing for our children's needs. They would rather have this park as a showpiece tourist attraction than a children's playground," said Ms Collins.
The mother of three children, who has campaigned for a playground for the past three years, said ACORN was planning a public meeting next month to highlight their concerns.
"We feel very strongly that in changing times, our children need a safe and secure environment where they can play. This is vital to our children's development and it would also be a fantastic asset to the village," said Ms Collins. Limerick councillor, Niall Collins has also lent his support to the parents' campaign.
"The parents are only looking for a suitable location for a children's playground and they are prepared to do all the fundraising themselves. It's not as if they are going cap in hand to the local authority and Limerick County Council should be bending over backwards to accommodate them," said Cllr Collins.