At the most recent monthly meeting of Mayo County Council, Independent Ireland cllr Chris Maxwell brought a bag of turf into Áras an Chontae.
This demonstration by the Louisburgh cllr was aimed at highlighting concerns regarding any proposal to ban the burning and cutting of turf.
Cllr Maxwell has received both support and criticism from other council members as a result, with his stance being backed by fellow clls Patsy O’Brien and Harry Barrett, while cllr Peter Flynn accused cllr Maxwell of having a conflict of interest as he is a commercial turf contractor.
Furthermore, Green Party Election candidate and Erris native Micheál Boxty O’Connaill has hit out at the ‘stunt’, saying that his claims are indeed misleading.
Both Mr. O’Connaill and cllr Maxwell, who is also running for a Mayo seat in the General Election, joined Michael D. McAndrew on the Tommy Marren Show this morning to debate the issue of turf cutting:
