The proposed removal of 24-hour access to the only ATM on Achill Island caused a lot of anger at the monthly meeting of the Belmullet Electoral Area committee this week.
The issue was raised by Achill based Cllr Michael McNamara. “The ATM operated by Bank of Ireland is one of two in the county that they plan to downgrade and take out of 24 hour use and put inside a shop,” he said. “It’s the only one in Achill. I for one am disgusted by this. They have been bailed out by the taxpayer, and now they want people in Achill to go to either Westport or Castlebar to get cash if they need it at night.”
Cllr Michael Holmes told the meeting, “While I didn’t know about this before, I’m not very surprised about the decision.” Sinn Féin Cllr Rose Conway Walsh said she was “not very shocked, but I’m very annoyed”. “This is the kind of thing that should have been included in the terms of the bail-out, to ensure this sort of thing didn’t happen,” she added. “This will be a disaster for Achill.”
Cllr McNamara went on to say, “I use the machine very often. It’s the only one on the island and there is always a queue. It’s not that long ago they withdrew the travelling bank service, and now this.”
