ET on Westport’s Octagon?

ET on Westport’s Octagon?


Áine Ryan

STRANGE sightings. Flying saucers. Spherical orbs. Exotic plants. Colourful creations. Could heritage town Westport possibly be the location for the next Jurassic Park, or even a sequel to ET?
Well, don’t ask the town’s councillors, because they’re told nothing. For all the executive-suits care, the elected representatives could be living on another planet; crusing the cosmos.
Just ask Fine Gael’s Cllr Ollie Gannon. He expressed his outrage at last week’s monthly meeting at the suits failure to inform councillors about the recent ‘artistic installations’ bedecking the town’s many flower-beds. To be fair, these same baubles and balls have caused much head-scratching at the Octagon, leaving councillors red-faced and furious and under sustained attacks by members of the public.
“This so-called creativity has left the elected members in a very bad position when they don’t know what they are. People have said: ‘What’s the point in electing ye shower, when ye don’t know what’s going on.’ There is a need for better communication,” said Cllr Gannon, leading the charge in a chorus of criticisms.
“My first thought was that these installations were something to do with feeding the birds,” Cllr Michael McLaughlin observed.
“Cllr Gannon thought they were ‘for the birds’ as well,”  Cathaorleach Myles Staunton quipped humorously.
“Well, I don’t think we need to outsource installations with all the artistic talent we have locally. Anyway, there’s too much going on with these plates and balls, “ McLaughlin continued. “And we should definitely be sourcing our own plants and shrubs locally. There’s been a lot of comment around the town.”
Independent Cllr Martin Keane confirmed he had witnessed ‘a torrent of abuse’ rained down on his colleague, Cllr Gannon. Concurring, Cllr Keane said that ‘any flowers purchased locally would surely be as beautiful as were brought back from France’.
Putting some cross-cultural perspective on the row, Labour’s Cllr Keith Martin reminded the assembly that the reason ‘the flying saucers’ were there in the first place was because of Westport winning  Entente Florale competitions.
“This is not the first year that installations have been created. And if these plates and balls promote debate, well then that’s good. We don’t need to get too insular about it. We’re hardly going to ethnically cleanse our flowers and shrubs.”
Aggreeing, longtime Fianna FΡil Cllr Margaret Adams said: “I think it’s a wonderful display. It may not be my cup of tea but they are a talking point for people and as Cllr Martin said, this has all come from Westport’s first entry in Entente Florale some years ago.”
Since Westport Town Council established a connection with the European floral competition, Entente Florale – winning a gold medal in 2004 – each year French horticulturalists have visited the town and have liaised with the council’s gardening team regarding floral arrangements and installations in public spaces.
However, Margaret Adams’s party colleague, Cllr Brendan Mulroy was not quite so positive, citing the cost of the initiative as unpalatable when so many local people were out of work.
“This would be far easier to swallow if a local primary school competition was created for the scheme,” Brendan Mulroy suggested.
Responding, Martin Keating, Senior Executive Office, said he was taken aback at the accusations of ‘no consultation’.  He observed that councillors could check meeting minutes about the introduction of the annual scheme three years ago.
“We haven’t won the Tidy Towns competition, the Entente Florale or the Community in Bloom competitions by repeating what other towns do around the country,” Mr Keating said.
“And,” he revealed, pouring cold water on the heated debate “all of the planting was purchased locally in Tourmakeady and not from France.”
So now all that needs to be resolved is the route of the inter-galactic journey taken by those weird objets d’art dans le jardin publique. Oh! and whether the  town councillors have returned safely to earth, following their fragrant flights of fancy.