A trip to Tipp by two Government Ministers to Tipperary this week has drawn a furious response from local Fianna Fáil Councillors who say they were not informed of the visits
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue was at Cahir Mart on Wednesday where he was accompanied by Fine Gael Senator Garret Ahearn.
Local Fianna Fail Councillors who say they were never told of the visit. Traditionally local Councillors would be informed and invited to any visit by a sitting Minister.
Speaking to Tipp Today Councillor Micheál Anglim said it was insulting to local Councillors and was a bad look for the party
“Any Minister knows what they’re doing well in advance. It just looked bad – I’m a Fianna Fáil Councillor in the Cahir electoral area. I’m also a farmer – I would have bloody well made it my business to be there if I was aware that a Minister from the same party as myself was going to be present there.”
“(Fianna Fáil) Deputy Jackie Cahill wasn’t there – from what I can see Senator Garret Ahearn was present.”
“This isn’t me bickering about not being invited – the Fianna Fáil organisation needs to be better organised than they presently are and that stems from headquarters.
A number of North Tipp Councillors also expressed their frustration at not being told of a visit by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to Nenagh this week.
In relation to the Cahir visit, Cllr Micheál Anglim said he had received an apology saying the omission was an error.
But he said that Councillors should be given the simple courtesy of being told of a visit.
“An advisor to the Minister message me last night and apologised for the error. It could have been Seamus Hanafin, it could have been Siobhan Ambrose – we should be told.”
“We can’t undo it but for their own sake – for the parties sake going forward it wouldn’t want to be happening like this. And it has happened around the country in other places. This is not the way to do it.”
