A notice of motion which called on the council to condemn the HSE for cuts in its community services budget and do whatever necessary including street protests sparked controversy at the monthly meeting of Castlebar Town Council last week.
Sinn Féin Cllr Therese Ruane who was co-opted on to the council earlier that evening had originally supported the motion put forward by Cllr Michael Kilcoyne, and was speaking on the motion which itself had caused concerns for a number of the members of the council who had objected to the use of street protests.
Cllr Ruane told the meeting: “I think it’s time the people of Mayo had their say on this and take to the streets if necessary. It’s time we got up and took some action.” To which Fianna Fáil Cllr Aidan Crowley interjected asking: “Is that street protests with or without kalashnikov,” to which a visibly stunned Cllr Ruane replied: “That’s not relevant”. Cllr Crowley reiterated the question to which Cllr Ruane answered: “That’s not relevant”.
