Events 'were not fair on ordinary residents'
Councillors Robbie Ireton, Jimmy Fleming and Malcolm Byrne at last week's public meeting.
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Tuesday August 31 2010
CLLR. ROBBIE IRETON spelled out the situation for the attendance at Thursday night's public meeting: 'Larry Murphy is not in Wexford, not in Courtown, not in Riverchapel.' He described the situation at Beachside six days earlier as crazy. He was particularly concerned that a TV3 news crew arrived and he had visions of the unrest being beamed out across the nation on the five-thirty news that evening.
He was grateful that this did not happen. The veteran caravan park operator and Labour representative pointed out that the returns from tourism in the late summer are usually critical in determining whether staff are retained over the winter. The tourist season is already very short, he explained, and bad publicity could have made it even shorter.
He accepted the Garda reassurances but some people refused to believe what they were told and he expressed his sympathy to residents of the estate that became the centre of the Murphy hysteria. People living there woke up to find crowds gathering outside and they did not know what was going on. This was not fair, especially to elderly residents, suggested Cllr. Ireton.
He said it was time for the story to die: ' The more that's said the more that's printed. If Larry Murphy arrives, I will let you know quick enough.'
