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Meeting with County Manager at Tralee County Buildings
Misc. (Meeting reports)
09/06/2006 |
On the 9th June 2006 the County Manager, Mr. Martin Riordan agreed to meet Fergus O’Flaithbheartaigh, and Kate O’Connor, the Chairman and Secretary of Choiste Daingean Uí Chúis Dingle. Also present at the meeting was South Kerry Councillor, Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald and Charlie O’Sullivan SEO Corporate Affairs with Kerry County Council.
Mr. Riordan briefly outlined the background to the Dingle Plebiscite. The Manager stated that the plebiscite might not be successful at the higher level. We replied that the townspeople were anxious for the plebiscite to go ahead, and that Kerry’s County Councillors had voted twice for the plebiscite. We also pointed out that the plebiscite should go ahead because Minister O’Cuiv had the power to Amend or Revoke his own Order.
The Manager stated that the town boundaries would be defined that afternoon at a special sitting of Kerry County Council. Mr. O’Sullivan clarified that the people entitled to vote would be the people on the electoral register for the area within the town boundaries of Dingle. Also, the rated occupiers of business premises within the town could vote. Over 50% of the electorate must vote. Therefore if the electorate is made up of 1000 votes, there must be a minimum of 501 votes cast in favour of changing the name from An Daingean to the names Dingle, Daingean Ui Chuis. Mr. O’Sullivan said that the vote would be a postal vote. The Manager stated that he hoped that the plebiscite would take place in October 2006. However, he again cautioned that anything could happen between now and then.
The proposed meeting between An tAire O’Cuiv and the South Kerry Council delegation, made up of Toireasa Ní Fhearaíosa, Breandan Mc. Gearailt, Michael O’Shea and Martin Riordan, was then discussed. We voiced our reservations that the two people on record as being most vehemently against the re-instatement of the names Dingle Daingean Ui Chuis, Toireasa Ní Fhearaíosa and Breandan Mc. Gearailt were going to Dublin to represent us. Mr. Riordan said that Ms. Ní Fhearaíosa had three days left in her role as Chairman of Kerry County Council, on June 27th. We said that this was unfortunate. The County Manager said the delegation was obliged to outline the Council’s position rather than their own views at the meeting with An tAire.
We then thanked the Manager for speaking with such conviction on democracy at the October 05 meeting. We noted however, that at the more recent May meeting, the Manager seemed to indicate that the Placenames Order did not have any great effect on Dingle. We said that this was not the case, that our name was 700 years old, and we were representing the town and, the townspeople felt very strongly about our heritage and our name. We also pointed out that television and radio were referring to the town as An Daingean, the guide books coming from America were now calling Dingle An Daingean and, we believed our name was being wiped out.
We stressed that we wanted the plebiscite to go ahead as quickly as possible, and that democracy had to be seen to be done. Mr. Riordan said that at the May meeting, he felt obliged to point out that the plebiscite might fail at the higher level. He did not want recriminations afterwards and questions asked as to why the Council had undertaken the plebiscite if it was not guaranteed to be successful. He also said that democracy could already have been seen to be done in that the Acht Teanga had been passed by all party support. That the higher house had spoken. We pointed out to Mr. Riordan that the most recent Local Government Act stipulated that the Council had an obligation to get local communities more involved in local democracy and the Manager agreed that the plebiscite was a good example of fulfilling this obligation.
The Manager stated once again that what happened after the plebiscite was not his concern, as it would be going to a higher authority. We accepted this and asked him to just bring us safely to that position, and we would proceed from there.
Meeting lasted approx 45 minutes and ended with us thanking Mr. Riordan and Mr. O Sullivan for making themselves available and for their help and co-operation to date.
Item 11a - An Daingean Plebiscite.pdf (4MB )
Item 11b - Map of Plebiscite on An Daingean.pdf ( 0.6MB) |
Kate O Connor
Runaí Choiste Daingean Ui Chuis Dingle.
Report written up on 13th June 2006 |
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