Sligo councillors lend support to campaign to rename Dublin airport after Sean Lemass
The Sligo ChampionA motion calling for Sligo County Council to support a bill to officially rename Dublin airport after former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach Sean Lemass was narrowly passed (7 votes to 6) after a vote was taken amongst Councillors at the January Council meeting.
Proposing the motion Cllr Michael Clarke referred to Sean Lemass as “An extraordinary man, a man that I admire greatly.”
Cllr Donal Gilroy was equally enthusiastic when he said, “He was a great man for Ireland, he brought about the industrialisation of our country. I am delighted to second the motion.”
The first dissenting voice was Cllr Ann Higgins who said, “I oppose naming this important infrastructure after any political figure. Other than JFK and Charles De Gaulle not many politicians have airports named after them for a reason. I believe we should focus on more pressing issues with regards Dublin airport such as the passenger cap and car parking.”
Cllr Clarke added, “He was the first man to introduce foreign direct investment. It’s a huge pity we don’t have the likes of him now. I think it’s a worthwhile project.”
Cllr Tom MacSharry noted, “It is great to see this motion being supported by Independent Ireland,” while Cllr Fergal Nealon said, “I’m objecting on the grounds that Garret Fitzgerald was an excellent leader and his brother was the architect.”
Cllr Casserly also objected saying, “It should be named after John Hume.”
The motion was passed with seven votes for, six votes against. There were four abstentions and one Councillor was absent for the vote.