The chairperson of the Castlebar Municipal District, Cllr Al McDonnell, said that the people wanted the position to have a chain or a symbol of office. He told the July meeting of the municipal district he had been invited to a number of events and the organisers of those events had told him not to attend if he did not have chain or a symbol to show his status.
The eight members of the municipal district agreed that there should be a symbol of the position, with the majority agreeing that a chain would be preferable. However, Sinn Féin councillor Therese Ruane said they should look to move away from the chain as it was a symbol of our colonial past. Cllr Frank Durcan joked that maybe they could get Cllr McDonnell a cloak. After a vote it was agreed to go for a chain, and Cllr Lisa Chambers asked if at all possible that the chain be purchased from within the Castlebar Municipal District.
