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Donie Daly’s resignation officially accepted – By Christy Parker
3 comments | 
Youghal Labour Town Councillor Donie Daly resignation from Youghal Town council has been officially accepted by his party. The resignation will be effective from September 13th next.
Donie with Party Leader Eamon Gilmore TD - Pic Youghalonline.com/Archive
The seat is being co-opted to veteran Labour member and former councillor Tommy O’Connell, pending ratification by the Labour party and subsequent acceptance by the town council. The Labour party are unlikely to have completed their ratification prior to September’s council meeting.
Cllr Daly formally resigned his position at the local branch’s AGM. Sources in the party say the councillor resisted attempts to persuade him to stay on. A branch spokesman expressed “full and total confidence in Donie Daly” but appreciated that “events had forced his hand.”
As is well documented, Cllr Daly has quit amidst the town council’s monthly meeting from Monday evening to Tuesday mornings. Mr. Daly, a freelance financial consultant, says he cannot attend daytime meetings due to travel and work commitments.
Donie pictured in the centre of Youghal politics with returning officer Liam Ryan at the local election count 2009 - Pic Youghalonline.com/Archive
Split
The council switched from Monday nights last April during a work to rule action taken by the council executive over pay and conditions. When that issue was eventually resolved, Cllr Daly’s eight colleagues were split 4-4 on whether to return to Monday nights, before the mayor’s casting vote decided in favour of Tuesday mornings.
Donie Daly - 383 first preference votes from the people of Youghal - Pic Youghalonline.com/Archive
The decision has sparked immense controversy in the town, given that Cllr Daly polled 383 first preferences in his first council election in 2009. He was Youghal’s first Labour councillor since 1986 when, ironically, his co-opted successor resigned.
Mr. Daly’s outspoken views had rankled several council colleagues. “It was becoming very difficult for me to have any sort of working relationship with some of them and I wasn’t surprised that daytime meetings were retained,” he says. “Nonetheless, I will now work alongside Tommy O‘Connell and the Youghal Labour party on behalf of those who voted for me and for the town in general.”
Donie with his successor veteran Labour party member Tomás Ó'Connell and supporters at the local elections count 2009 - Pic Youghalonline.com/Archive
Parish Priest
Tommy O’Connell, 64, first served as a Youghal Sinn Fein councillor in 1974, before resigning from the party four years later. He topped the poll as an Independent in 1979, joined Labour in 1981 and was re-elected under that party‘s banner in 1985. However he resigned from local politics a year later when his family emigrated to London for some years. While “sad to see Mr. Daly forced to resign by an intransigent council,” Mr O’Connell warns that “a silent priest never got a parish and I will serve the town straight and honestly.”
3 comments |
Looking forward to Tomas delivering a few well-deserved “ecumenical” broadsides to the “Craggy” council!! Pat
There is always two sides to every story. I heard the Mayor on the Radio yesterday. She said that Donie did miss a few evening meetings in the chamber before the work to rule. Donie said on his letter of resignation that he did not.
Curiousity got the better of me so I checked the attendance records at the Town Hall to see who was telling the truth.
I feel a little bit like Jeremy Kyle here.
The Mayor was telling the truth.
Donie needs to seperate fact from fiction.
Or perhaps like before, Fr. Tom will convert to a couple of other relgions before leaving the church altogether before his term is up.
As for who was telling porkies about the Donnie affair, well i was shown his attendance record too and there is simply no getting away from recorded facts -they always bring people down.
What I found most peculiar is why Donnie missed the most important meeting of them all. His whole argument was based around the unsuitability of the proposed date and times of their monthly meetings.
Yet when the council conveyned to make and decide on such a date, Donnie goes AWOL.
Now I understand very well how Donnie’s work is time consuming and takes him out of town alot, but this was no ordinary meeting, it was the one which would decide his future ability to attend meetings and to serve the town and people who elected him.
As I understand it, Donnie like the other 8 councillors recived ample notification of this meeting, but didnt even offer town hall an apology or explanation for not being there.
As I said before on another tread, he should be honest, depart gracefully and not try to hoodwink the townspeople by scapegoating others for his real reason for retiring early.
The people of Youghal elected Donnie to serve them, he should now retire gracefully and not behave like they owe him something.