A councillor who refused to represent black people after launching a tirade against them has been told he can remain a member of Fine Gael.

Killian Forde, chief executive of the Integration Centre, has said it was appalling that Fine Gael had not expelled Mr Scully from the party in the wake of the racism row that erupted in November.

A former mayor of Naas who was forced to resign amid racism allegations last year has lost the Fine Gael party whip.

Racism and discrimination towards foreign people living in Ireland is growing, but there is no official body recording statistics to see how prevalent the problem is.

An example needs to be made of politicians who make negative comments about immigrants if Ireland is to avoid going down a route of an “accepted rhetoric or racism”, Integration Ireland has warned.

AS Lord Mayor of Naas, Darren Scully had obligations.

Naas councillor Darren Scully has claimed his remarks about black Africans were open to misinterpretation, but Shaun Connolly believes they weren’t misinterpreted, but racist and Fine Gael should have got shot of him immediately

A NIGERIAN diplomat has broken with long-established protocol to criticise the Government’s lack of leadership on the issue of growing racism in Ireland.

Immigrant representatives are urging the Government to take the problem of racism seriously.

The row over Darren Scully’s comments about Africans have given ammunition to racist attitudes but obscures the troubles of migrants, writes Jennifer Hough

A FINE GAEL mayor and failed Dáil candidate who said he would no longer represent “black Africans” has stepped down.

FINE GAEL councillor Darren Scully had no option but to resign as Mayor of Naas after he declared that he would not represent “black Africans” living in his area.

Fine Gael Councillor Darren Scully has resigned as Mayor of Naas.

The Mayor of Naas Darren Scully has announced that he will stand down from his post after he said he would no longer represent Black Africans in Naas because he found their representations to him to be "aggressive".

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) has condemned remarks made today by the Mayor of Naas, Cllr. Darren Scully.

A special meeting of Naas Town Council has been called for this evening, after the Mayor of the town, Darren Scully, announced he will no longer represent those of black African origin living in Naas.

The mayor of Naas is facing calls to resign over allegations of racism after he warned he will refuse to represent members of the black community.

Fine Gael says it will look into racist comments made by one of its party members.

The Mayor of Naas Darren Scully has said he will "reflect on his position" after a race row erupted when he said he would no longer represent black Africans.

The Mayor of Naas in Co Kildare has said he will no longer represent those of African origin in the town.

Naas Town councillor Darren Scully of Fine Gael has sparked controversy by suggesting some single girls are getting pregnant in order to get local authority houses.

CLAIMS that single mothers are deliberately getting pregnant to secure council houses have ignited a storm of controversy.

AN all-Tipperary session of the Thomas Crosbie Holdings All-Ireland Schools Quiz took place last evening at Hayes’ Hotel Thurles and saw a very exciting contest between arch-rivals CBS Nenagh and CBS Thurles.

Mary Dundon, Political Reporter

THERE is nothing as cruel as the fall experienced by election candidates as they realise they have been unceremoniously cast aside by the electorate.

FINE GAEL and Labour yesterday maintained that the so-called Mullingar Pact between the two parties was working well despite claims by Fianna Fáil that it had failed in the Meath and Kildare by-elections.

KILDARE North by-election winner Catherine Murphy yesterday pledged to be a thorn in the side of the establishment until the constituency gets the services it needs.

The first woman elected to represent north Kildare in the Dáil tonight vowed to be a thorn in the side of the Government.

Independent candidate Catherine Murphy has been elected as Kildare's first female TD.

Independent councillor Catherine Murphy has taken the lead in the Kildare North by-election count with 8,809 votes - 34.5% of the votes.

VOTER turnout for the Meath and Kildare by-elections was lower than expected as polling stations closed last night.

Voters go to the polls this morning in the Meath and Kildare North constituencies in two eagerly-awaited by-elections.

FINANCE Minister Brian Cowen last night attempted to curtail speculation that Fianna Fáil had given up hope on its North Kildare by-election candidate, Aine Brady, by insisting she still had a chance of winning.

NORTH Kildare needs “a player on the pitch, not a hurler on the ditch”, says Aine Brady, the Fianna Fail candidate in Friday’s by- election.

FINE GAEL and Labour moved closer to an eventual general election pact yesterday when the two parties decided to canvass together in Kildare.

FORMER Taoiseach John Bruton is expected to come out with a public endorsement next week of the Fine Gael candidate seeking to win his seat in the Meath by-election.

A voting pact between Fine Gael and Labour in the upcoming by-elections may be a dress rehearsal for a proposed coalition deal prior to the next general election, it was claimed today.

Two upcoming by-elections will give a mid-term “wake-up call” to the Government, it was claimed today.

Tommy Reilly’s withdrawal leaves the FF bye-election campaign in disarray, writes Political Correspondent Fionnán Sheahan