A Limerick councillor has described the Green Party as “space cadets” over its controversial stance on a €58million road, that Green Party leader and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has stalled funding for.
The Coonagh to Knockalisheen Road which has been planned for the past 14 years is seen as a critical route, opening up the Moyross area to investment opportunities.
The parish priest of Moyross, Fr Pat Hogan, who has presided over many funerals of young men from the community who were murdered by drug gangs, has said that in his opinion, any delays to, or detours of the route would jeopardise future jobs and investment in the area.
Despite almost €20m already been spent on the route, which was highlighted in 2007 as a critical vein of the Regeneration of Moyross, Minister Ryan has stalled on releasing a further tranche of funds to progress the road for the past four months.
Minister Ryan has signalled his preference for investigating developing existing rail links, while Limerick Green Party TD Brian Leddin has said that options for road and rail should not be mutually exclusive.
Independent Limerick councillor Frankie Daly weighed into the controversial debate and described the Greens as “a cult”, and “a bunch of spacers”.
“They’re fundamentalists, they’re space cadets, they’re not living in the real world.“
“They want to consider a new plan, and to to change something that was decided 13 years ago following rigorous planing, design, tendering, environmental impact statements — And, in the final hour you have these spacers, and that’s a polite way to describe them, who ride in like Oisin on a white horse into Tir na nOg,” Cllr Daly said.
“All we are short of here is Star Wars, they’re spacers, they are living on another planet.”
Fr Pat Hogan said he has no confidence in Minister Ryan and has called for the minister to resign.
Minister Ryan has said he is “still considering” the project.
“This is about jobs and developing the Moyross region for the future for our children, so they don’t have to leave for Dublin and try to get jobs,” said Cllr Daly.
“Lets not forget, we have to keep our local GAA clubs going too, by providing jobs and opportunities for our young people to stay here. Limerick is a beautiful European city – we are not perfect but we have a lot of potential,” he added.
Local Green Party councillor Saša Novak Uí Chonchúir, responded: “I have a lot of respect for Frankie because he does make a lot of representations on behalf of local people, but his comments here are ridiculous and purely populist to try to get votes.”
“He says we come from cuckoo-land, and I really don’t know how to respond to that, or do I even want to,” she added.
An Bord Pleanala, directed on 16th September 2011, that the entire road be built “to facilitate the regeneration, urban development, and future employment opportunities, in the Moyross area”.
Limerick Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell said the project is protected under an agreement within the framework of a review of the National Development Plan, which states that no existing projects – including the Coonagh-Knockalisheen Road can be frustrated or delayed.
“Any question now of not proceeding to complete the entire route as one is not in compliance with this an Bord Pleanala direction/order and contrary to the real commitments given on existing projects as set out in the current Programme for Government,” Deputy O’Donnell said.
The Taoiseach has said he will raise the community’s concerns with Minister Ryan.
