Saturday, 25 June 2022 | 12.3°C Dublin

G reen Party Minister tells Kerry crowd: ‘I’m really from Cork.’ ‘That’s even worse,’ comes reply.

Fionnán Sheahan Twitter Email

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan got a roasting over his turf cutting ban at a heated public meeting Kerry.

T he Communications Minister was presented with a sod of turf as a turfcutter told him nobody was going to stop him cutting turf until he dies. 

The minister's attempts to endear himself to the crowd in the Kingdom fell flat. 

He told the gathering about his strong Cork connections, from Glanmire to Macroom and across to Sliabh Luachra, commenting: “I’m not even a Dublin man at all, I’m really from Cork."

The remark prompted the response from the back of the room: “That’s even worse.”

Mr Ryan also spoke of his admiration for the writer John Moriarty and politician Daniel O’Connell. 

Turfcutter Tom Shea from Waterville came up to the top of the room to give the minister a sod of turf.

He told Mr Ryan he was cutting turf since the age of the six and was going to continue for rest of his life.

Get ahead of the day with the morning headlines at 7.30am and Fionnán Sheahan's exclusive take on the day's news every afternoon, with our free daily newsletter.

Enter email address This field is required Sign Up

Neither the minister nor anyone else was going to stop him, he said. 

Mr Shea also had a book called ‘Brown Gold: A History of Bord Na Móna and the Irish Peat Industry’ and told the minister to get a copy and read it. 

"We have no worries about the Greens down here if they hold more meetings like last night,” a local political source said. 

About 80 people attended the meeting in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney and the discussion on the environment, agriculture and climate became heated.  

"You could smell the anger growing in the crowd. There were lads shouting when Ryan was giving a lecture about farming,” a source at the meeting said. 

"It was a good night out in Killarney. It was great fun,” another source said. 

Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae and his nephew, Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae, were sitting up the front but didn’t speak at the meeting as there were plenty of other contributors. 

"When the hare was let out of the box, the two dogs were kept in the slippers,” a source at the meeting said.

Mr Healy-Rae said he was there to listen to the views of local people and was disappointed the meeting ended before more people got to contribute.

"I always welcome every minister that comes to our county. I’m delighted there was a frank exchange of views. There were people who were for the Greens and against the Greens that didn’t get to talk,” he said. 

Green Party local representative Cleo Murphy denied the meeting had been shut down.

She said it came to its natural conclusion after one hour and 45 minutes. 

She said the exchanges were "challenging, robust and healthy” and “one or two” people present were disrespectful. 

"I’m very happy so many people turned up for the discussion,” she said.

The Greens have never elected a county councillor in the county. Mr Ryan is on a two-day visit to Killarney for a series of events.

A Mediahuis Website © Independent.ie