Cork County Council votes against sending message of well wishes to Eamon Ryan 

In what one councillor described as a ‘mean-spirited’ move, members of Cork County Council took the rare if not unprecedented step of denying their ‘well wishes’ to the departing Green Party leader, Eamon Ryan, following a roll call vote at the authority’s first meeting after its AGM on Monday.

The proposal from Fianna Fáil councillor and former Mayor, Gillian Coughlan, prompted a debate in which the leader of the one of three Government parties was criticised by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors as well as elected members from Independent Ireland and non party councillor Finbarr Harrington.

The proposal, which referred to the Minister’s role as Green Party leader specifically while acknowledging his position as one of the line ministers for local authorities, met with strong opposition.

“He did come to visit us here in County Hall and it might be just a nice gesture to write to him to acknowledge his resignation,” Ms Coughlan said. Fine Gael councillor Jack White seconded the proposal.

“He was an exceptional minister and history will look very kindly on him in the fullness of time,” said Mr White.

His party colleague, councillor Michael Hegarty, said he would normally not comment but said that on this occasion he would express his total opposition to the proposal, claiming “he has absolutely destroyed parts of Cork county”.

“I’m amazed that my colleagues would suggest that we write to him to compliment or congratulate him — I’m certainly, and I’m putting it on the record here, totally opposed to it.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Sheila O’Callaghan said the funding of the N25 was an issue for her as the County Development Plan had been predicated on support for the upgrade of that road.

“Here we are, halfway through the County Development Plan and no funding has been allocated,” she said.

Independent Ireland councillor, Danny Collins, accused Minister Ryan of ‘decimating rural Ireland’.

The Fianna Fáil leader on Cork County Council, Seamus McGrath, attempted to intervene by suggesting that ‘well wishes’ would be sent to the Green Party leader, but Mr Hegarty insisted on a vote.

Social Democrats councillor, Liam Quaide, formerly a Green Party councillor, described the refusal to give the departing politician the council’s good wishes as ‘mean-spirited’.

“Any minister will have a mixed record, according to different points of view,” he said. 

“It’s mean-spirited and and very much at odds with the decorum of this chamber to withdraw a vote of congratulations or expression of well wishes,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this at Cork County Council.”

The proposal was defeated on a vote of 22 against to 12 for.