Family's struggle for sign language support at Limerick concert raises accessibility concerns
Sarah O’Neill says she has been applying for an Irish Sign Language interpreter for the Lewis Capaldi concert in Thomond Park since February 2026
A LOCAL woman has raised concerns about accessibility at major live events after months of trying to secure Irish Sign Language (ISL) supports for her deaf sister and service user attending Lewis Capaldi’s upcoming concert in Thomond Park.
Sarah O'Neill says her family has spent months fighting for basic accessibility supports.
Sarah, who works with Enable Ireland in Limerick, said she first contacted organisers in February seeking an ISL interpreter and access to the designated accessible viewing area for her sister, Kate, and her service user, Erin, who is deaf and uses a wheelchair.
Despite making the request several months in advance, Sarah said she is still waiting for confirmation that the necessary supports will be in place ahead of Friday evening's concert at Thomond Park.
Taking to Facebook to express her frustration, Sarah said: “We have been applying for an interpreter since February 2026 emailing over and back to Ticketmaster, MCD and the interpreting service, we also contacted Thomond Park, and we haven’t got answers from them.
“Myself and my sister both had our tickets hoping we would be moved down to where the interpreter would be but, unfortunately, we are now trying to sell those tickets back to Ticketmaster, and have bought standing tickets so we will be together. To say I am horrified with the way the deaf community are being treated is an understatement. It should never be this hard.”
Spealing to Limerick live, Sarah explained: “We understood that these arrangements can take time to organise, which is why we made the request several months in advance. Since then, we have sent numerous emails, messages and follow-up enquiries to various organisations involved with the event. Unfortunately, despite our efforts, we have struggled to get clear answers or confirmation that the supports required will be in place.
Sarah said the uncertainty has caused significant stress and disappointment for both her sister Kate and Erin.
“My sister and the service user were very excited to attend the concert, but instead of looking forward to the event, they have spent months worrying about whether they will be able to access it properly. It is upsetting that something as basic as communication access has become such a challenge. They simply want to enjoy the concert like everyone else attending.
Sarah feels that accessibility is still being treated as “an afterthought” rather than something that should be planned for from the beginning. “Irish Sign Language has been recognised as an official language since 2017, yet deaf people are still having to fight to access services and events that hearing people can attend without a second thought. It can leave members of the deaf community feeling excluded and undervalued.”
Although some communication has taken place throughout the process, Sarah said no clear resolution has yet been provided.
“We have not been provided with a satisfactory explanation as to why this issue remains unresolved despite the amount of notice that was given. Our concern is that there seems to be a lack of coordination and accountability between the various organisations involved.
Sarah continued: “Our aim has never been to criticise for the sake of criticism. We simply want the supports that were requested months ago to be provided so that deaf concertgoers can enjoy the event equally. We remain hopeful that the organisations involved will work together to find a solution before Friday and ensure that everyone attending has a positive experience.
“There was no option for my sister or service user to click an option for accessible tickets for the ISL interpreter area which I think should be the case.”
A representative for Ticketmaster’s communications team commented:
“We did not sell any ISL tickets for this event, and it is the event organiser who manages whether ISL interpreters will be present - not Ticketmaster. Kate O'Neill did contact our Fan Support team (through the live chat function) regarding a request to change her seating location.
“One of our specialist accessibility agents messaged her to help but did not receive any response. We were not contacted again. We always work with event organisers to accommodate customers’ needs wherever possible - this includes changing tickets when requested (subject to availability).
While Sarah acknowledged that accessibility arrangements can sometimes require additional planning, she described this as one of the most difficult experiences she has encountered.
“The length of time involved and the lack of certainty so close to the event have been particularly concerning. When requests are made months in advance, people should not still be searching for answers days before the concert.”