Mayo political spat continues over "running down Ballyhaunis" video claims

Heated exchanges erupted at the Mayo County Council meeting on October 10 over a proposed IPAS centre in Ballyhaunis, with accusations of "running down the town" sparking a bitter political row between Fine Gael and Aontú representatives.

The controversy centres on a video posted by Aontú Deputy Paul Lawless about the town, which Fine Gael Councillor Alma Gallagher accused of talking down Ballyhaunis. Gallagher told the packed chamber: "I will not have any Oireachtas member talk down rural towns like Ballyhaunis."

The exchange prompted a response from Aontú Councillor Deirdre Lawless, who was co-opted onto the council when her brother Paul was elected to the Dáil last year. She rejected the criticism and urged anyone who hadn't seen the video to watch it themselves, arguing that it highlighted the lack of services in the town that Cllr Gallagher herself had spoken about.

"Like Miley Cyrus and Her Wrecking Ball"

Cllr Gallagher hit back forcefully, comparing Aontú's approach to destructive opportunism: "This is not the first time, Cllr Lawless, that we have experienced this throughout the county, where representatives are like Miley Cyrus and her wrecking ball. They swing into rural communities, they cause absolute devastation with inaccurate information and they cause hysteria within a town."

The Fine Gael politician added: "We are sick to our teeth of people running down Ballyhaunis. We are held as a model of best practice in Europe for migration."

Deputy Lawless hits back -  "manufactured outrage"

In a detailed statement issued today (Monday), the Lawless camp has accused Cllr Gallagher of "political amnesia" and manufacturing outrage to avoid confronting policy failures. The statement argues that the video does not criticise Ballyhaunis but defends it, while criticising government policy that has "stripped services from the town for years."

"By accusing me of 'running down the town,' Councillor Gallagher let her mask slip and admitted that the very problems locals raise—the loss of services and resources under her own party's watch—amount to exactly that," the statement reads. "In trying to smear me, she defined her party's record as the real source of decline."

The statement describes the council session on Monday, October 10, as "a coordinated ambush" and questions whether limited council time was being used appropriately. After the meeting, Cllr Lawless stated: "What unfolded in the chamber today was not debate—it was bullying. It was a concerted attempt to drown out dissenting voices by those who cannot bear to face the truth of their own failures."

IPAS Centre Controversy

The clash occurred during discussions about a planning application from Bridgestock Care Ltd for 32 accommodation units at the Old Convent Accommodation Centre in Ballyhaunis, which would effectively increase the town's population by 3.5 percent.

Cllr Gallagher expressed strong opposition to the proposal, telling the council that "our government policy has shifted towards state provided care, not private providers. So that ship has sailed, we want to get that message out there to Bridgestock Care Ltd."

She noted that the town was "very familiar with IPAS centres as the first application for one came in 2001" and listed projects funded by the Community Recognition Fund.

"Censorship" Claims Disputed

Cllr Lawless suggested that her party was "finally not being censored anymore" on immigration issues, prompting Cllr Donna Sheridan to dispute the claim, noting that councillors held "a special meeting in January 2024 where all of the 30 of us that are sitting here discussed immigration."

€235,000 in lost funding highlighted

Deputy Lawless’ statement also criticised what it described as misplaced priorities, noting that Mayo County Council returned €235,000 in unspent LIS rural road funding to the Department—money that could have repaired deteriorating roads.

"That money was lost while councillors indulged in wasting council meeting time in petty point-scoring," the statement claimed, describing the returned funding as "a crime" against rural communities.

The statement argues that Mayo County Council costs over €1 million per year to run, with only two monthly meetings at county and municipal levels. "When FG and FF councillors have demanded increases in property taxes and rates, they should not fear debate," it contends.

A post-meeting statement from Cllr Deirdre Lawless on October 10 added a pointed jab at continuing references to Deputy Lawless: "Paul Lawless hasn't sat on this council for nearly a year, yet he still manages to occupy space in the minds of Fine Gael councillors, who spend more speaking time attacking him than addressing current members. At this point, he ought to be charging rent for the space he occupies in their heads.”

The planning application is currently under consideration by Mayo County Council, with a decision expected in early 2026.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme