Surfers and the Army clashed yesterday over access to a beach during a shooting exercise behind nearby sand dunes.
Surfers and leisure walkers claimed they were denied access to the popular Tullan Strand in Bundoran by a soldier on sentry duty near a path leading down the cliff side to the beach.
They said the soldier stepped from a car to tell them the path was closed during the exercise on land to the rear of Finner Camp.
But angry locals insisted beach access had never been blocked during shooting exercises although it was accepted the dunes above the strand were out of bounds for safety and security reasons.
About 40 people, including a surf school of 14 youngsters and their two instructors, said there was a stand-off for about a half-hour when they were denied access to the beach before the dispute was resolved.
One local, Damon Fergus, whose family owns the land through which the public right-of-way passes, said: “In all the years I have been here they have closed off the sand dunes during shooting but never the beach.”
His cousin, Aidan Browne, who runs the surf school, said: “My instructor phoned to tell me the beach was closed because of firing practise. I went down and was told the same story by the soldier.
“A number of parents also said they were told the beach was closed, that anybody going down there might get shot.”
Access to the beach was eventually granted after angry phone calls to Finner Camp.
When the Donegal Post arrived on the scene a soldier, one of two in a car near the pathway entrance, denied access was blocked.
He said: “People are being advised of the exercise behind the dunes and that they might wish to consider not going on to the beach. The choice is theirs.”
An army spokesman at Finner also later denied that access to the beach was refused: “You can go onto the strand but not up behind the firing range area – in the dunes.”
He said army personnel on duty would be very firm about that.