Ahern apology demanded by councillors in housing row

BERTIE AHERN’S brother is be told by council officials that his Seanad claim that Fine Gael councillors were holding up a massive 100-house scheme in West Cork is inaccurate.

Pre-general election sparks flew when the chairman of the Western Division of Cork County Council, Cllr Jim Daly, brandished a report on a meeting in the Seanad where Noel Ahern, the junior minister for housing, claimed that Fine Gael wanted to ‘do shag all’ to move forward the plan for a new village in Darrara, Clonakilty — which will be mix of affordable and social housing.

Quoting what he said was “unparliamentary language”, Mr Daly maintained any hold-ups in the scheme weren’t his party’s fault. And he demanded that council management write to Mr Ahern.

He incurred the wrath of FF’s Cllr Donal O’Rourke who claimed that the motion was “inappropriate” and would “compromise senior council” staff by politicising their roles. He was supported by colleague, Cllr Danny Crowley.

The Mayor of County Cork, Cllr John O’Shea, described Mr O’Rourke’s comments as “baloney” and stated that FG hadn’t held up the project.

Cllr Paddy Sheehan (FG) said: “To my mind Noel Ahern often gives frivolous replies. We should ask him to apologise.”

Mr O’Rourke proposed a call for an up-to-date position on the project, without a letter being sent to Mr Ahern. However, FG defeated that amendment by seven votes to five.

Cllr Christy O’Sullivan — who for the last eight years has been an independent and never voted for FF — stood with them for the first time since getting the nod from FF party headquarters staff to contest for them the next General Election in the Cork South-West constituency.

Opposition representatives then derided him, taking pleasure in pointing out that he’d lost.

Meanwhile the process has gone to tender with a selection process underway.