Moves under way to end Fine Gael boycott of council

RENEWED efforts were made yesterday to settle a bitter row which has led to Fine Gael boycotting all meetings of Limerick County Council.

The dispute centres on a number of clashes arising out of a recent public meeting in Limerick to protest at the Government’s handling of the Aer Lingus pull-out of the Shannon/Heathrow route.

A Fine Gael member alleged he was accused of being a fascist at the Save Our Slots rally when he booed John Cregan of Fianna Fáil as the Government TD attempted to address the crowd. The Fianna Fáil member, who reportedly made the remark, subsequently alleged that, during another meeting of the council, a certain Fine Gael member directed threatening and abusive language at him. As a result, a complaint was lodged with the gardaí.