A photographer says permits to take wedding photos in public spaces are very common.
Jenny McCarthy was speaking after Killarney Mayor, Marie Moloney, claims newlyweds have been approached by rangers in Killarney National Park to see such permits.
She earlier told Newstalk: "Local people always like to have pictures of some part of the national park in their wedding album – be it Muckross House or Ross Castle or wherever," Mayor Maloney said.
"But now the photographer is being asked have they insurance and permit to take photographs in the national park. Now, a lot of them don’t because they don’t even know about it.
"So, they are being asked to leave the national park and the bride and groom have to go with them and it is really, really upsetting people in the Killarney area – because for years and years they have gone down there."
Photographer Jenny McCarthy told Lunchtime Live this is not so unusual.
"This is very common: and in actual fact, for as long as I've been shooting weddings, if I'm entering a public area - so for example in Dublin like Stephen's Green or in Wicklow like Powerscourt Waterfall - you have to have a permit.
"And generally what has to happen would be the couple themselves go to the local authority and you have to request a permit to be able to have photographs taken in that particular park
"The photographer would also need to have their public liability insurance on them on the day too.
"It's all to do with public liability insurance, to be honest with you".
She says people need to research in advance where they want their photos taken.
"Couples really do need to be aware that if they want to go to a specific venue for their wedding photographs, they really do need to research what sort of permission they need in advance.
"And once they source that permit, they're absolutely fine".
She explains: "The Phoenix Park in Dublin - you're not allowed in there with a camera, from a commercial purpose point of view - without having a permit.
"The rangers would run you out of the place".
'No one was asked to leave'
Jenny says, depending on the location, a separate fee could apply.
"So for example Powerscourt Gardens, you would definitely need to pay for there - you need to pay for the waterfall.
"And if you need to go into any sort of private ground, that's not open to the public, there's possibly a fee too".
Seamus Hassett is regional manager with the National Parks & Wildlife Service. He says no one is asked to leave the parks when such incidents happen.
"I can assure you that no one was actually asked to leave the National Park.
"We have a policy in the National Park where commercial activities are regulated and are permitted.
"So commercial photography, in the likes of wedding photography, actually requires a permit."
He says this can be applied retrospectively in some instances.
"We normally engage with the photographers, we don't ever stop or ask anybody to leave the park.
"We would engage with the photographer, ask them do they have a permit.
"In the opportunity that they don't have a permit, we will get their contact details, retrospectively make contact with them - or ask them to apply for a permit."
And he says there is a distinction between people taking photos, and a professional photographer.
"Casual photography - be it wildlife photography, landscape photography every along that [sic] lines is fully free and open to the public within the park.
"If a family group wants to take photographs, again it's not permitted.
"What we're permitting is the commercial operation of commercial photography.
"If you show up tomorrow in a wedding dress, and one of your bridal party... takes a photograph, that's fine.
"The issue is the commercial photography - I think we need to make that very clear distinction.
"People are charging brides and grooms hundreds, possibly more, to take photographs of weddings and they're coming into the National Park.
"There's an onus, as commercial entities within the park, to indemnify the Minister".
