THE Irish Times are a bit late to the party that has been Limerick City and How’s Your Father since the election of a directly-elected mayor (DEM) in 2024, but look, they’re very welcome all the same.
When the national papers start showing an interest in what’s going on down in Merchant’s Quay, you know the proverbial has well and truly hit the fan.
The Irish Times last week reported that internal correspondence has revealed escalating tensions between Limerick’s DEM, John Moran, and the Council’s Director General, Dr Pat Daly.
“Serious concerns”, it would seem, have been expressed by trade union Fórsa regarding the day-to-day working relationship at the head of the local authority.
- External Walls: Up to €8,000 Grant
- Attic: Up to €1,500 Grant
- Cavity Walls: Up to €1,700 Grant
- Internal Dry Lining: Up to €4,500 Grant
It was nice, all the same, to confirm the national papers of record know where Limerick is.
Bad quickly turned to worse last October when his lordship took to the airwaves on Limerick’s number one radio station, foot firmly in mouth, and offended the entire organisation and its mother.
He had big plans to put the freshness back into the local authority but his all too candid interview got everyone’s delicates in a right old twist and proved the perfect opportunity to not only remove the wheels from the Council bus, but to set the whole damn thing gloriously ablaze.
After Mayor Moran’s disastrous audience with Joe Nash, the line being peddled all over the place was the same – ‘everything’s the DEM’s fault’, and that’s the story councillors and everyone else was sticking too.
Of course, neither was this fair nor accurate. John Moran was elected to stir things up, and while pointing out the foibles on local radio wasn’t his best move, he was certainly giving it the auld Shake n Vac while bestowing upon City Hall the dusting of its life.
Fianna Fáil’s Niall Collins took to the airwaves last week calling for the peace pipe to be passed around and for Moran and Daly to bury the hatchet, preferably somewhere out of reach of Fine Gael councillors. Minister Collins took the view that disputes should be handled face-to-face – Queensbury rules – and not through email trails that will eventually be hung out to dry in, naturally, The Irish Times.
In fairness, all he is saying is give peace a chance, and go find a practical middle ground to keep the cogs of power turning in Merchant’s Quay.
And remember, you don’t get harmony when everyone sings the same note.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme