Senator gets in a flap over ‘seagull plague’

The political landscape may have been dominated by six years of economic turmoil, fresh revelations from a garda whistleblower and yet another crisis in health, but that doesn’t mean the important issues are being ignored.

Fianna Fáil senator Ned O Sullivan has vowed to tackle the “seagull plague” affecting the Kerry town of Kenmare, after claiming animals and small children have been attacked by the winged beasts. The senator put politicians into a flap in early summer by insisting the birds were spreading fear throughout the picturesque town in scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.

However, despite the suggestion leading to more than a few raised eyebrows last July, the senator said he has now compiled a dossier of damage caused by the gulls, which is set to be handed to Environment Minister Alan Kelly when Leinster House re-opens its gates later this week.

“It’s not a joke,” Mr O Sullivan — who described the situation as a “seagull plague” — explained. “Every major city in Europe and throughout the world has a seagull programme and policy. I’ll be raising it pretty soon in the new term of the Seanad.”

Among the victims of the seagull attacks to contact the senator have been those working in tall buildings and others who “spend a lot of time on ladders.”

However, while they want Government officials to swoop in from above to resolve the matter, it may take longer than they think.

The Department of Environment is understood to feel the issue is a matter for the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht as seagulls are a protected species, meaning Mr Kelly has no role to play in the ongoing dispute.