Residents listened to as lane in Mayo town will not be named
Local area councillors in Ballina said they had to take on the board the views of local residents in coming to a decision not to give a name to the back lane at Healy Terrace in Ardnaree.
They had been asked to consider naming the lane at the June monthly meeting of Ballina Municipal District, held this week, after agreeing in April to go to public consultation on the matter.
After 212 submissions had been received, the choices came down to the following: O'Dowd's Lane, Michael Gaughan Lane, Michael Gaughan Way or leave as is (i.e. no name).
Combined there were over 130 submissions to name the laneway after Michael Gaughan (an Irish Republican who grew up at Healy Terrace and who died on hunger strike in a UK prison in 1974), but the majority of people living on Healy Terrace itself indicated that they didn't want it named at all.
Councillor Mark Duffy suggested it would be useful to give the submissions more scrutiny before making an informed decision on the matter, and proposed deferring it for a month.
But Councillor Michael Loftus said that if the residents didn't want any change they should be listened to.
Councillor Seamus Weir said he would not like to see division in the the area over a sensitive matter and suggested a plaque to remember Michael Gaughan could be placed in another part of town, perhaps on Pearse Street adjacent to the Jackie Clarke Collection.
Councillors John O'Hara and Jarlath Munnelly both felt the lane should be left as it is, as per the wishes of local residents.
The latter added that he did not necessarily think the council should commemorate Michael Gaughan arising out of this matter, which had to do with the naming of a lane solely and not anything else. Commemorating him would be a different process entirely.
In one of her final acts as cathaoirleach of Ballina MD, Councillor Annie May Reape said she didn't agree with deferring the matter and would go along with the view that the lane should not be named.
Councillor Duffy said he wished for more scrutiny to see how many of those in favour of naming the lane after Michael Gaughan were from Healy Terrace. “Michael Gaughan is a huge part of our story and can not be deleted out of history,” he pointed out.
Councillor Loftus said it was the community he was thinking of and when the community is looking for something, they (councillors) should support it.
Agreeing, Councillor O'Hara said he had to go with what the residents want.
Councillor Weir said there was nothing wrong with looking at it again in another light and maybe honouring Michael Gaughan in a different way.
Councillor Munnelly said he was happy to propose maintaining the status quo and not naming the lane. Councillor O'Hara seconded the proposal. With no seconder for Councillor Duffy's proposal to defer the matter, the result is that the back lane at Healy Terrace will remain unnamed.
The debate came to a conclusion with Councillor Duffy seconding Councillor Weir's proposal to consider putting a plaque in memory of Michael Gaughan at another location in Ballina.