Protesters heckle Taoiseach at Sligo chamber annual dinner

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen was heckled as he arrived in Sligo to address the local Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner.

Mr Cowen waved to chanting protesters as he was driven past a crowd of about 100 who had waited for two hours for his arrival at a hotel last night.

Protesters chanted “shame” and some carried placards which read “the northwest wants an apology too Brian”.

At one stage the mayor of Sligo, Cllr Matt Lyons (FG), dressed in a tuxedo and his chain of office, joined the picket saying he was there to “show solidarity with the people of Sligo” and to demand the Government to “come clean” about the future of Sligo General Hospital.

A letter was delivered to the Taoiseach from members of the Save Our Cancer Services Group who are angry at the transfer of the breast cancer unit from Sligo last year.

They warned against the “continued dismantling of services” at the hospital and said this would be a key issue in the forthcoming general election campaign.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore promised on local radio yesterday that the unit would return to Sligo if his party were in government.

Members of Sligo Workers Alliance said they were there to highlight the fact that the people who had caused the economic crisis were still in charge and forcing the less well off to carry the burden.

Spokesman Brian O’Boyle said that while the Taoiseach and other chamber guests were attending “a five-star tuxedo dinner” people living in a working class estate just 200m away were barely surviving.

This was Mr Cowen’s first visit to Sligo since his appointment in May 2008 and one shop window in the centre of the town had been transformed yesterday into a mock bar with a life-sized model of the Taoiseach sitting at a table clutching a pint.