Dún Laoghaire councillors express condolence for fire bereaved

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council yesterday adjourned its monthly meeting after councillors expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of the Carrickmines halting site fire.

Council cathaoirleach Barry Saul said the council had agreed to suspend the planned agenda and adjourn the meeting after councillors representing each political party had spoken.

Mr Saul said he wanted to extend his sympathies and those of the entire council to the bereaved, and to commend all those who had helped over the weekend, particularly the fire services and the Southside Travellers Action Group.

Independent Lynsey McGovern said the community was “in a state of deep shock”.

Fine Gael’s Neale Richmond said the tragedy of the fire, which claimed the lives of 10 people, including five children, in the early hours of Saturday was “unimaginable”.

Peter O’Brien of Labour said words could not begin to describe the “pain and torment” of what had happened.

‘Unspeakable’

Catherine Martin of the Green Party said she had taught one of the children who had died and the tragedy was “unspeakable”.

Condolences were also expressed by Tom Murphy of Fianna Fáil, Independent Kevin Daly, Lettie McCarthy of Labour and council chief executive Philomena Poole.

Hugh Lewis of People Before Profit said if anything positive could come from the tragedy it would be a change to “a more proactive Traveller accommodation programme”.

Sinn Féin’s Chris Curran said Travellers were still marginalised. “I would like to think the plans put forward in the past, we would deliver on them now,” he said.