Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
Over €800,000 in compensation paid for slips and falls on Mayo footpaths
Mayo County Council paid out over €800,000 in settlements to people who brought cases in relation to slips and trips on footpaths in the county in 2024.
In response to a Notice of Motion submitted by Independent councillor Patsy O'Brien, Mayo County Council revealed that 18 cases were taken in 2024 by members of the public for slips and trips on footpaths and the total value of settlements was €803,842.
The average settlement value is €373,000 per annum and the 2024 total settlement value represents an increase of 115.5 percent.
READ: Mayo councillor welcomes removal of 'embarrassing' Newport bus stops
Martina Hughes, Head of Corporate Development and Communications revealed to Cllr O'Brien that a settlement in one case taken against Mayo County Council was 'significant' and this 'has resulted in the particularly high figure for the year' being ‘substantially higher than previous years’.
In his Notice of Motion submitted ahead of this Monday's monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, Cllr O'Brien called on the council to 'make known all settlements made to the public for 2024, for slips, trips, falls as well as settlements for pothole damages to tyres'.
Ms Hughes also revealed that there were 35 cases for pothole damages brought against Mayo County Council in 2024 and the value of settlements was €4,572.
Robeen-based Cllr O'Brien said that the response from the council raises more questions which need to be answered and he will be asking them at the monthly meeting on Monday.
“I submitted this Notice of Motion because our infrastructure, both roads and footpaths in a lot of places are in a terrible state and not enough money is being invested in them. The roadworks programme is a long way off what it should be but they are willing to pay almost a million euro for trips and slips.
“It is time the public knows what is being spent on trips and falls because it is public money being spent. The council has valuable information into each of these cases and I have to ask them what were the issues with the footpaths. It is a lot of money to be paid out and I will be seeking answers on what is being done about this,” he said.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
