*Cathal Crowe TD (FF). Photograph: Tom Micks
A CLARE TD was told to sit down “and please put down the microphone” when attempting to speak at a public meeting discussing the future of healthcare in the Mid-West region.
Cathal Crowe TD (FF) was the only one of Clare’s four TDs to attend Monday’s meeting organised by Friends of Ennis Hospital at The Old Ground Hotel but came under fire from one particular section of the crowd.
PRO with Friends of Ennis Hospital, Deirdre Culligan informed the meeting she had received apologies from Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (FG), Junior Minister, Timmy Dooley (FF), Joe Cooney TD (FG) and Senator Martin Conway (FG). “Donna McGettigan was invited and didn’t reply, the same applies for HSE CEO Bernard Gloster”.
Deputy Crowe was the sixth politician to address the meeting but he quickly interrupted when he took to the floor. “It is becoming a political party thing,” stated Ennis man Martin McCullough. “I can sit down if you prefer,” Crowe replied. “You can and not speak,” the Ennis man said, “you can guff as much as you want, there is no cohesion between all of you, it needs to be cross party or get out of it”.
McCullough continued, “the health forums never established anything and you people also rubber stamped the closing of the open forum policing committee. You know what has to be done, get on with it and please put down the microphone.
“I respect what you said,” Deputy Crowe responded to which McCullough interjected, “you’re doing it again”. This prompted Mayor of Clare, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) to launch criticism from the back of the room, “that is very disrespectful”.
Culligan told the meeting, “we invited every TD and excuse my French but Cathal is the only one with the balls to come in here, he is entitled to come in here and he has opened doors for our group”.
Cllr Murphy from the back of the room again directing his views at McCullough, said “have a bit of respect”.
Kilrush woman Culligan added, “When we ask somebody to come and they accept our invitation to come, they are entitled to speak, you don’t have to agree or listen but I would expect at the very least some respect”.
An attempt from McCullough to again speak was shot down by the Mayor who said “you had the floor”. This was echoed by Culligan, “You have already spoken, what you said was every disrespectful to Cathal Crowe and other elected members”.
“He is an elected representative, the point I’m making is they never got together collectively,” McCullough said. His comments on a lack of cross-party approach were quashed when Cillian Murphy, parliamentary assistant to Joe Cooney TD (FG) reminded the meeting that the O’Callaghans Mills man chaired a grouping of Mid-West Oireachtas members where all TDs and Senators in Clare, Limerick and Tipperary except Labour’s two TDs in the region engaged to put together a collective view to the Health Minister, HSE and Department of Health prior to the publication of the HIQA review. “I refute that 100 percent,” the PA said while Cllr Murphy from the back of the room raised his voice, “they did”.
Chairperson of Friends of Ennis Hospital, Angela Coll said HSE Mid-West met with fifteen Oireachtas members in the region with a collective document signed by all representatives except Alan Kelly TD (LAB) and Conor Sheehan TD (LAB). Her contribution received a round of applause from Cllr Murphy.
Finally getting round to his contribution, Deputy Crowe said, “129,000 plus people didn’t elect me in Co Clare but I do have an elected mandate so maybe give me some flak at the end of presentation. I would strongly believe that you let people have a say and then you can boot me out the door afterwards. We’re not in Iran, you can boo me in the car park after”.
According to Crowe, the Mid-West cross-party meetings chaired by Deputy Cooney were “quite productive”. He stated, “We’re all here because we’re motivated for need for a new hospital”.
