Residents of Foxford, Co Mayo, have said they are considering a fund-raising campaign to "buy" an ATM for their town in the wake of the closure of its only Bank of Ireland branch.
Mr Frank Devaney, a member of a delegation from Foxford who met management of Bank of Ireland in Galway on Wednesday, told a packed public meeting that the bank had offered to make some contribution to local causes.
He also stated that the regional manager with the bank in Galway, Mr John McNamara, had advised that if the people of Foxford contributed a sum of £40,000 to the bank, it would install an ATM machine in the town in place of the former branch.
In a statement read out on local radio yesterday, Mr McNamara said the request for £40,000 was a throwaway remark in a two-hour meeting, during which a lot of options were discussed.
However, Foxford residents, although infuriated by the offer, have said they are seriously thinking of starting a fund-raising campaign to raise the £40,000 to give to the bank. The item is to be put on the agenda of the monthly Mayo County Council meeting on Monday.