A LIMERICK Fine Gael councillor and former mayor has hit out at the behaviour of elected representatives, some within his own party, towards Mayor John Moran at a local authority meeting which erupted into chaos last week.
Cllr Stephen Keary spoke out this Tuesday (November 11) after three deferred attempts had been made at a mayoral fund briefing from the directly-elected Mayor, ahead of next week’s Budget 2026 meeting for Limerick City and County Council – with an estimated €8million deficit on the cards.
To balance the budget for the year ahead, the Council needs to either implement spending cuts or increase charges for services. However, local authority meetings to date appear more focussed on interrupting proceedings amidst a display of name-calling and allegations of bullying when attempts to discuss the matter have been made.
At this week’s monthly meeting of the Adare-Rathkeale Municipal District, Cllr Keary expressed shame at the conduct of some of his fellow Council members – some within his own party.
Pointing to the number of deferrals and delays preventing elected representatives from tackling the budgetary issues, he chided councillors for their conduct at last week’s explosive display in County Hall.
“They’re acting like children at the moment. There’s been deferrals, deferrals, deferrals, and interruptions. Until such a time as the councillors that are acting like babies put their toys back into the cot and act like adults, we’re not going to have proper workings of the Council,” Cllr Keary hit out strongly.
“I had to leave the chamber the last day because of it. The meeting had already been deferred two times,” he added.
His Fine Gael party colleague Cllr Adam Teskey admitted that councillors had their “disagreements” with Mayor Moran the previous week. He took the view that they had done the right thing by supporting Council Director General, Dr Pat Daly, and Council staff following an interview with the first citizen on Limerick’s Live 95 radio station to discuss Christmas in Limerick plans where he spoke of expecting “higher standards”.
“I believe it was the right thing. We gave it three hours to thrash it out and I stand over what I said, but not to carry it into a third day,” Cllr Teskey admitted.
“To drag 40 councillors into that. I tell you what, I’m glad I didn’t go in and it wasn’t the Mayor’s fault.”
Cllr Keary also said he was willing to put his name on the record to say that the chaos that ensued at last week’s meeting “was not the fault of the Mayor” but the Fine Gael councillor’s own fellow Council and party members.
“We have our own misgivings from time to time, but it was the behaviour of the elected members, other than the Mayor, the last day. I was ashamed of some of our councillors – within our own party. The childishness was unreal, unheard of,” the Fine Gael man concluded.