CARRYING CROSSES and placards, about 600 people gathered outside Roscommon County Hospital yesterday to protest about the closure of the local accident and emergency unit.
Primrose yellow and blue – the Roscommon GAA colours – were predominant as the noisy demonstration, the largest turnout so far on the issue, assembled at 10am and continued to protest throughout most of the afternoon.
Blaring car horns added to the cacophony. One woman brought a megaphone to amplify her mouth organ.
Many jerseys, newly bought for Sunday’s Connacht football final between Roscommon and Mayo in the nearby Dr Hyde Park, got an early outing.
One man claimed the fact that a Mayo-born Taoiseach was presiding over the “lethal” cut at Roscommon County Hospital was giving an added edge to Sunday’s clash.
John McDermott, chairman of the Hospital Action Committee, announced at about midday that a major protest is being planned to coincide with the match.
“The game will go ahead,” he said.
“People need not be worried about that, but we will have a major protest there.”
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, a lifelong Mayo supporter whose late father, Henry, won an All-Ireland championship medal with the county in 1936, is expected to attend the game.
The hospital protesters are well aware he is likely to be coming.
“The Taoiseach may even have problems getting here with the crowds,” Mr McDermott said.
Yesterday’s protesters were joined in the early morning by Fine Gael TD Denis Naughten who lost the party whip because of his failure to support the Government in the Dáil on the controversial closure issue.
Mr Naughten told reporters that losing the whip was “very much like a family bereavement” but he insisted it was a stand he had to take as a matter of principle.
He added: “The reaction from the public has been tremendous. I have got phone calls of congratulation from places as far away as Goleen in west Cork and Letterkenny in Donegal.
“People seem to admire me for standing up for my principles and the fact I had given a commitment and was not going to go back on that.”
Mr Naughten said he felt no personal animosity towards the Taoiseach over the issue but he did feel that he should apologise directly to the people of Roscommon.
“The very least we expect is an apology from Mr Kenny and Minister Reilly – for them to put their hands up and say ‘we got it wrong’.”
Although the mood of the protesters was good-humoured throughout the day, there was no hiding their anger and determination.
One woman carried a large photo of the Taoiseach with the word “Liar” written across it.
Karen Jones, from nearby Roxboro, who spent 16 years in England with her husband David and children Chantelle and Richard, was worried about what would happen if there was a major weekend emergency in, for instance, a local nightclub. “The closure decision has thrown us back into the dark ages,” she said.
Lifelong Fine Gael supporter John Gaffney from Lanesborough was adamant he would never support the party again after what had happened.
“Next election it’s payback time,” he warned.