Sligo county councillors have rejected a proposal to name a bridge in the seaside resort town of Enniscrone after a young IRA volunteer who died from his injuries after having been shot 100 years ago this month.
The decision followed a passionate debate for a second time at a meeting of Sligo County Council this morning.
IRA volunteer Thomas Howley was aged just 18 when he was shot in Ballina on May 26th 1921, before passing away as a result of his injuries two days later.
The proposal before Sligo County Council this morning was in relation to naming the bridge at Lower Main Street in Enniscrone over the Bellawaddy River, near Howley’s childhood home.
Independent Socialist Councillor Declan Bree said the council’s Placenames Committee recommended that the bridge be called after Volunteer Howley, and Cllr Bree went on to formally make that proposal.
Other councillors had put forward amendments to Cllr Bree’s motion.
Fine Gael Councillor Gerard Mullaney, reflecting the views of a number of other councillors, said the people of Enniscrone, through their public representatives, had indicated they did not want the bridge named after Thomas Howley but that he be commemorated in a different way.
Fianna Fail Councillor Paul Taylor emphasised that nobody was saying they didn’t want to honour Thomas Howley.
Sinn Fein Councillor Arthur Gibbons said there should not be any debate about this; it should be ‘a done thing’ to call the bridge after Thomas Howley, he told councillors.
Enniscrone-based Councillor Joe Queenan said Enniscrone Community Council wanted Thomas Howley to be honoured by a plaque or a monument.
Cllr Queenan added; ‘We’re a tourism town, we want to stay non-political.’
Reacting to Cllr Queenan’s comment, Cllr Bree said he thought it was a sad occasion that that would be a reason to vote down the naming of a bridge after a patriot.
A vote was then taken on one of the amendments before the meeting, which was proposed by Independent Councillor Michael Clarke, seconded by Cllr Mullaney, that the naming of the bridge be rejected.
Twelve councillors voted for the motion, four against and two abstained.
Afterward, Cllr Gibbons told councillors they should be ashamed of the decision they had taken in relation to one of Ireland’s patriot dead.
