KildareNet News

NAAS, 22 March 2002: The most disgraceful scenes ever witnessed by this reporter at a Naas Town Council meeting resulted in a councillor leaving the meeting in tears after continual harrassment from two other councillors.

“Bring a hanky with you,” Seamie Moore called after her as Mary Glennon left, sobbing.

The unseemly encounter took place during the debate on a motion of Cllr Glennon’s calling for an assessment of Naas twinning commitments, with a view to ending those which aren’t viable.

Naas town clerk Declan Kirrane explained that the Naas Town Twinning Commitee is a separate entity to the local authority but the Council has assisted the group in its efforts in recent years. He said the Twinning Committee should furnish a report back to the Council.

Cllr Mary Glennon said she would like to think the money the Twinning Committee receives from the annual estimates is spent equally and that other twinnings are not neglected. She was prepared to have the assessment undertaken by the Twinning Committee, but said it should be done as a matter of urgency.

She believed the Twinning Committee to be ‘drifting along with no real purpose’ and felt there is a certain ‘lack of balance’ which she would like to see redressed.

Cllr Anthony Egan said it was a timely motion. He said it is important that initial relations are cherished and encouraged. But he voiced concern. “It’s almost too big a burden for this Council to carry and we should look at twinnings that are not working so well; either improve them or delete them.”

He was in favour of a broadening of the Twinning Committee and felt it was perhaps time for councillors ‘to be restricted to the political arena and let the Twinning Committee get on with twinning’.

Cllr Pat McCarthy said Naas is ‘over twinned’ and the situation is becoming ‘a joke’. He would like to see links with Dillingen developed as the town is of a similar size to Naas and not that far away. “And they are our EU partners.”

He recalled how the Omaha twinning was carried by a single vote. “If you want to twin with a place, there should be broad concensus that it’s a good idea. But this latest twinning was never discussed with the Twinning Committee at all.” He said there is no enthusiasm for it from that committee.

“I hate to be sounding negative about Omaha,” he went on, “but it’s too far away, it’s the size of Dublin, and there will never be meaningful links between here and there.”

Pat McCarthy said Naas had twinned ‘in good faith’ with four places in the past but had neglected them. “We should now be developing those links rather than putting new names on the list.”

Chairman Willie Callaghan welcomed the motion saying: “It’s something we should look at.” He said the Council is a democratic one and the proposal to twin with Omaha had been carried.

Cllr Charlie Byrne, who is joint treasurer of the Naas Twinning Committee, said no money from that committee ‘goes astray’. He said the Omaha trip would cost 1,050 euros apiece. “That’s not a junket. You get a better few bob from a conference down the country,” he quipped.

While he had never gone on a twinning trip, Charlie Byrne said he would if he could. “But I can’t get away from my greyhound.”

Cllr Seamie Moore said he was ‘sorry to see this motion tonight’. He said he was particularly conscious of ‘where it was coming from’. He said to criticise the efforts of the twinning stalwarts was ‘unfair’. We’re not over twinned, it’s good will all over the world’.

He believed the twinning committee is doing an excellent job in the name of the people of Naas. “I don’t know why we’re bickering, only three members of this Council are going. The rest over there is being funded by the Americans.”

Cllr Timmy Conway said ‘this motion was designed for this particular night because of our trip to Omaha tomorrow’. “They will be reading about this in Omaha. This trip will be underminded so the people of Omaha see we have very rightous people,” he thundered.

Cllr Conway said the trip also included members of the Youth Parliament who are going at their own expense, and representatives from the Irish dancers, the Credit Union, Naas Local History group and the editor of the Leinster Leader.

“They’re all going to promote Ireland, to do business there,” he stormed adding: “The reason for the motion is that our trip will be degraded. It’s disgraceful on the people of Naas.”

Mary Glennon said he and Seamie Moore shouldn’t get so ‘het up’ as she had never raised the issues they were talking about.

However, Cllr Moore continued on talking.

The chairman then directed Cllr Glennon to continue.

“Can you not see how hard it is for me to continue? she pleaded with him.

Cllr Moore again butted in: “That’s a matter for that committee.”

Willie Callaghan called for order.

“I put up six people from Dillingen,” Mary Glennon went on.

“We put up eight,” bettered Timmy Conway.

Another call for order by the chairman went unheeded as Seamie Moore continued with his outburst.

“No matter what I do ....” pleaded Mary Glennon to the chairman.

“You’re right!” snapped Seamie Moore. “You’re trying to undermine the whole town.”

The continuous harranguing resulted in Cllr Glennon bursting into tears. She scooped up her belongings. Before she reached the door Seamie Moore called out that she should bring a hanky with her.

“You’re disgusting,” she told him.

“You can’t take it,” he shouted after her. Then to the table he said: “She can give it, but she can’t take it!”

He was firmly told to ‘cool it’ by an obviously disgusted Cllr Charlie Byrne.

However, Seamie Moore continued after Cllr Glennon had left the room: “She has made life unbearable for people around this table. She is a total bully and only wants to tell the world how many people she put up in her house!”

Chairman Callaghan then said: “As Mary Glennon has gone, I’m proposing we move on.”

The horrendous episode prompted a response from the town clerk. An absolutely furious Declan Kirrane told them: “There isn’t one member around this table that respects the chair.” He told Seamie Moore: “Cllr Moore you should respect the chair.”