O’Brien to fight for south Mayo constituency return

Ciara Galvin

SOUTH Mayo has been left as a ‘political island’, according to a local Fine Gael councillor.
Cllr Patsy O’Brien filed a notice of motion to Mayo County Council regarding the boundary changes brought in following the 2011 census asking for these changes to be looked at and rescinded.
As a result of a review by the Constituency Commission the Mayo constituency changed from a five seater to a four seater and 7,500 voters in south Mayo being transferred to the Galway West constituency.
Cllr O’Brien said the issue was ‘very serious’ and that the south Mayo area was now being ‘left behind’.
“It was communicated to me before the election. Out on the canvass people were asking why they had to vote in Galway West.”
The main aim of the commission was to reduce the amount of TDs from 166 to 158, a number deemed suitable in terms of Ireland’s population.
In 2011 the population of Mayo was 130,638 and it was deemed that the county could no longer form a five seat constituency.
7,500 voters were therefore subsumed into Galway West, resulting in it remaining a five seater constituency.
O’Brien is now asking for his fellow council colleagues to support his notice of motion for Mayo County Council to write to the incoming Minister for the Environment and ask for them to assess the boundary decision and to return the 7,500 voters in south Mayo to the Mayo constituency.
“My aim is to fight it all the way. I’ve no problem in reducing the number of TDs but not the boundary changes. I’m talking about areas being left intact. Logic should be found in a case where areas are lacking in population,” said O’Brien.
Cllr O’Brien said there was now no representative from south Mayo living in the area meaning that the area has ‘no representation’.
“I’ll be a thorn in the side of the Government, whether that’s my party or whoever. It’s not right. I’ve got overwhelming support on the ground about this,” he concluded.