Councillor branded ‘not very ladylike' as day care row turns personal in Wicklow council chamber
The Wicklow PeopleA dispute over the future of elderly care in west Wicklow boiled over last week, as councillors locked horns during the local authority’s March monthly meeting.
What began as a success story of community expansion devolved into a charged debate over "misinformation”, infrastructure, and a full-blown political spat over Blessington and District Day Care service.
For years, the vital resource for the town’s seniors, particularly those living with dementia and Alzheimer’s operated out of the aging St. Joseph’s Hall. The community’s dream of a modern, purpose-built home was realised in 2015 with the opening of the Coimín Centre, a parish-owned facility funded in part by a €200,000 National Lottery grant.
For nearly a decade, the relationship between the Day Care service, the HSE, and the Coimín Centre management was one of cooperation.
However, the seeds of the current conflict were sown in May 2023. Following a significant funding boost from the Department of Health, it was announced that the service would double its operating hours from two days a week to four.
While a victory for families, this expansion placed a strict control mandate on the building from Monday to Thursday, effectively displacing other local groups, including youth services and community clubs, who also viewed the centre as their home.
In February, reports surfaced that the Coimín Centre management board had formally offered to return the HSE’s access to just two days per week.
The board cited the need to balance the requirements of the entire community, arguing that the elderly service's four-day monopoly was stifling other local activities.
This proposal triggered an immediate and polarised response from local elected representatives.
Cllr Gerry O’Neill has been the most vocal critic of the management’s proposal. He characterised the move as a "disgraceful" threat to the town's most vulnerable citizens. Cllr O’Neill has argued that once a service like this is cut, it is rarely fully restored and has called for an immediate exit from the Coimín Centre in favour of a permanent, state-owned site.
Conversely, Cllr Jason Mulhall has led a campaign to tone down the rhetoric. He has publicly labelled the claims of an imminent closure or service collapse as "misinformation" and a "false narrative”.
Cllr Mulhall contends that the service is stable and that the dispute is a manageable administrative hurdle rather than a humanitarian crisis. He has cautioned that "scaremongering" is causing unnecessary distress to elderly residents and their carers.
The friction between these two perspectives brought testy exchanges during the latest full council meeting. The session began with a rare show of unity as the council suspended standing orders to deal with the aftermath of Storm Chandra.
Both councillors Mulhall and O’Neill supported a unanimous demand for €15.6 million in emergency funding to repair the decimated road network across the county, which has seen damage exceeding the council’s entire three-year budget.
However, the unity was short-lived. When the Blessington Day Care Centre was mentioned, the atmosphere took a turn for the worse.
As the Cathaoirleach, Cllr Melanie Corrigan, attempted to move the meeting forward to maintain the schedule, Cllr O’Neill then directed a remark at her, suggesting her conduct was "not very ladylike" in not allowing a discussion to take place.
The comment caused an immediate stir in the chamber. Cllr Corrigan, a member of Wicklow’s first all-female leadership team, stood her ground, asserting her right to chair the meeting with impartial authority, believing that the council chamber wasn’t the right forum for the discussion. Other councillors present condemned the language as outdated and dismissive of female leadership.
Cllr O’Neill did not formally withdraw his remark or offer a public apology and argued that it was a spontaneous reaction to what he perceived as an attempt to shut down a vital debate on elderly care.
Amidst the political sparring, a consensus has slowly emerged on a long-term fix.
Calls have been made for the HSE and Wicklow County Council to develop the old health centre on Kilbride Road into a dedicated, ground-floor day care facility.
Cllr O’Neill has been actively campaigning for this and argues it would end the scheduling conflicts at the Coimín Centre and provide a facility for the town's seniors.
Cllr Mulhall previously supported plans to turn the property into a community hub using Rural Regeneration and Development Fund money.
However, in September 2025, he expressed disappointment when informed by council officials that the funding was for a masterplan and consultant fees rather than the immediate refurbishment of the building.
Plans for the building remain in limbo. Official council progress has stalled due to the rejection of the Blessington Greenway project, which had been the original catalyst for the site's redevelopment.
In response to recent parliamentary questions, the Department of Health has instructed the HSE to respond directly to local representatives regarding specific service matters and long-term viability of current arrangements.