Crossmolina residents and Mayo County Council have clashed over whether a landmark statue of the Virgin Mary currently obstructing traffic in the town should be moved.
Mayo County Council wants to move the statue of the Blessed Virgin, which was erected in the Marian Year of 1954, to a graveyard in the town.
Mr Anthony Canavan, one of the original committee members which had the statue erected, said yesterday: "There was very little suffering in Crossmolina during the Famine compared to outlying areas. Fifty years ago it was decided to erect this statue as a mark of gratitude to the Blessed Virgin for being spared the worst ravages of the Famine."
Ms Dorothy (Dor) Lynn, whose house looks out on the statue, has been its "guardian" since 1972, at the request of the local community of nuns, placing flowers there on procession days. "For me the pain of seeing the statue go would be unbearable," she said.
Townspeople are sharply divided on the proposal that the monument be dismantled and re-erected in the new extension to the local graveyard.
This divergence of opinion was reflected in a narrow, 14-13 vote in favour of its removal, at a poorly-attended meeting organised by the community council earlier this week. It has now been decided to hold a second ballot in the hope that more people will show up.
Some years ago, the parishioners of Crossmolina voted by a majority of about 80 to 1 to keep the shrine in its present location.
Dr Michael Loftus, chairman of the Crossmolina Community Council, explained that the removal of the statue was a sensitive issue and would not be resolved without a further ballot.
In recent weeks, with a major sewerage scheme under way in the town, the county council suggested it would be an appropriate time to move the monument to a new location, Dr Loftus said.
As the debate continues, the clergy is staying neutral. Local curate Father Pat Munnelly said yesterday: "It is an issue between the local authority and the people. Our only concern - whether the statue is removed or left where it is - is that it not be damaged in any way."