A 19th century building listed by ministerial order as a "protected structure" is to be demolished following a decision of Sligo Borough Council.
At a meeting on Monday the council voted by six votes to three to demolish the now disused, 150-year-old Harper Campbell warehouse at Union Place. At a previous meeting, seven of the 12 members had voted against demolishing the building. But at Monday's meeting, the town's mayor, Ms Rosaleen O'Grady, who had previously opposed the demolition, voted with her three Fianna Fail colleagues and two of the three Fine Gael members on the council in favour of the demolition.
The three Sinn Fein members on the council abstained from the vote in protest after Ms O'Grady ruled out of order a motion by Alderman Sean McManus calling for the building to be demolished and local authority houses to be built on the site.
Cllr Matt Lyons (FG) described the building as a "monument to slavery" belonging to a bygone age.
Local resident Mr Nicholas Prins, who led a High Court action to have the building preserved, said he was disappointed that one of the few remaining historically important courtyard buildings in Sligo town would now end up in a rubbish skip.