THE rare auld times, some of our more senior Council members were pining for this week. The good old days of local government when the craic was mighty and the only thing politically correct about councillors was their piddling pay cheques.
According to some, it was a right hooley altogether in Merchant’s Quay until the amalgamation of Limerick City and County Councils when it all started to get drier than a Mormon wedding. Wasn’t it just grand, back when naming bridges and having monstrous figurines erected were all the rage?
However, it was pointed out to Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon at Monday’s Metropolitan District AGM that he has been hanging around City Hall longer than some of his colleagues have been in the land of the living.
Maybe it’s time that the City North representative got down with the cool kids, embrace the dark arts of Mayor John Moran, and leave the whining to the electorate.
“I’m the only one on the Council now who would have been Mayor of Limerick City, Mayor of Limerick City and County Council, and Cathaoirleach here in the city,” the elder of the local authority reminisced.
“Those three roles have been very important to me,” he continued, “but it saddens me to see the gathering here this morning”.
“Back when I was elected in 1996 as Mayor of Limerick City, it was a different occasion here. First of all, there would be no empty seats, because there was no online anywhere. Secondly, the gallery would be absolutely packed and you had to get a ticket to come in here.”
These days, there isn’t a bunny girl in sight, never mind cocktails or groovy easy listening ditties to get the party started in true Fianna Fáil fashion. Poor Charlie Haughey would turn in his mausoleum if he saw what has become of local democracy.
“There was such a demand for the public to see the Mayor of Limerick being elected. The councillors would come in in their robes – which I still believe we should be having here. The maces would be laid out and there would be beautiful flower arrangements. It saddens me to see the level where we’re gone from 1996 and that’s a result of the amalgamation with the city and county,” O’Hanlon claimed.
The oldest swinger in City Hall had strong words on the amalgamation too.
“I’m not sure that’s working out great when I hear some of the county councillors giving out about the city,” he lamented.
I feel his pain. I’m getting crankier with old age myself.
After his monthly rant on all things Moran, Cllr O’Hanlon was reminded by Labour Party councillor Joe Leddin that the electorate had their say on the matter of our directly-elected Mayor.
“I remember Bertie Ahern once said the people spoke, but he gave them another chance to speak again because he felt they had made a mistake,” O’Hanlon hit back.
Before the weary councillors could move onto the business at hand and elect a new Cathaoirleach for the Metropolitan District, O’Hanlon stalled proceedings further with a few more chestnuts from olden times.
“Going back years ago, there would be a lot of people coming in here on the night of the mayoral election and they thought they would be going out with the chain around their neck. The drama that used to happen in here when someone else was elected. They had parties and hooleys and everything arranged and things didn’t go as planned in days gone by.”
New kid on the Council block, Cllr Shane Hickey-O’Mara, congratulated Cllr O’Hanlon on such a long career in local politics.
“You’re an elected councillor longer than I am alive, and that means you’re doing something right,” Cllr Hickey-O’Mara suggested with a straight face.
As Mark Twain once said: “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
But for now, let’s just party like it’s 1996!
