Eir blamed for unacceptable wait to restore phone service to elderly Mayo people

Eir have once again felt the wrath of Mayo councillors after a local council meeting heard that an elderly man who fell spent a night on his home floor because there was no coverage to activate his pendant alarm.

Councillors in the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District hit out at telecommunications company, Eir, for failing to restore coverage to many people in the region who have gone without phone coverage since Storm Éowyn at the end of January.

Cathaoirleach of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District, Cllr Seán Carey was critical of Eir and outlined how a constituent who fell at night was unable to raise the alarm because there was no phone coverage.

“This elderly man depends on a pendant but there was no connection and he had a fall the other night. He was on the floor for a number of hours before a neighbour came on him in the morning. This is totally unacceptable," the Belmullet-based councillor told the meeting.

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The issue was raised by Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara who was told that the municipal district did not receive a response from Eir after they wrote to them. He said that he has been inundated with complaints from elderly people who have been weeks without a phone.

“I am still inundated with calls from elderly people living on their own wondering why they are nine weeks without a supply from Eircom. I have reported several times for them and there is no sign of these areas getting a supply back. It beggars belief that nine weeks out there are still poles and lines lying on the side of the road,” he said, adding that this is another example of neglect of rural areas.

“To me enough is not being done for these elderly people living on their own. I have made as much representation and nobody seems to be bothered about it. No department official has come out to take the bull by the horns saying yes we have a problem in the rural areas.

“I can tell you one thing if it happened in an urban town or on the far side of the Shannon it would have been dealt with within a week. The fact is in the west of Ireland they are happy to let it go the way it is. It is an absolute disgrace the service being provided to the elderly people living on their own and how they have left them nine weeks without a service,” he said.

Erris-based councillor Gerry Coyle said he knows of a woman in Drum on the Mullet peninsula who has not had a service since Storm Darragh in December and she still has to pay €60 per month for a pendant and line.

Independent Ireland councillor Chris Maxwell echoed the criticism of Eir regarding the number of fallen poles and wires which are still not fixed and called for the company to bring in outside help to rectify the problem.

“We should try to put in a call on behalf of people from west Mayo to see if outside help can be brought in to get the job done. It is not happening with what is in it at the minute. It is ridiculous. It is the action we want and if Eir cannot do it then get some contractor or outside help that can get the job done,” he said.