Enda's Boys Spend €3500 On Rome Pilgrimage

Teclo

Enda Kenny, heroic slayer of Rome, apparently didn't get the message through to the boys back in Mayo. Or maybe he sent them off with an apology, pointing out that dissing Rome is what is expected of a Taoiseach and nothing personal, or sincere.

Enda Kenny's constituency assistant in Castlebar, Co Mayo, has defended a trip to Rome earlier this week by two town councillors and a town manager, during which they stayed at a four-star hotel and had a personal audience with the Pope. The trip was at the taxpayers' expense and cost over €1,000 per person.

Councillor Ger Deere told the Sunday Independent that while he understood that there might be "legitimate concern" over spending €3,500 to send the Mayor of Castlebar Eugene McCormack (FG), Councillor Michael Kilcoyne (Independent) and the Castlebar Town Manager Seamus Granahan, on what Councillor McCormack termed "a pilgrimage" to Rome, he felt it was justified.

"The meeting with the Pope is only a part of the visit -- there were also meetings planned with German businessmen who are involved in wind farms and that's something we're trying to develop in the west of Ireland. Hopefully something will come of that and if it does it will be worth the cost."

Mr Deere also said that there was no disparity between the Taoiseach's strong criticism of the Catholic Church's hierarchy in the Dail on July 21 and a Fine Gael mayor having a personal meeting with the Pope.

"We were invited on this trip by our twin town in Germany, Hoechstadt, as the parish priest there has a very close relationship with the Pope. It would have been an insult to the people of Hoechstadt if we hadn't accepted their invitation to go to Rome."

In his speech to the Dail last month, the Taoiseach said of the Catholic Church that "the rape and torture of children were downplayed or managed to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and reputation".

He also accused the Catholic Church of attempting to frustrate the Cloyne inquiry into child sex abuse and accused the church's elite of a culture of "dysfunction, disconnection, elitism and narcissism".

While Mr McCormack said that he agreed completely with the Taoiseach's comments to the Dail, he said that he did not raise the issue with the Pope. "We didn't discuss the Cloyne report or recent events as it would not have been appropriate. They are two completely separate situations.

"The pilgrimage to meet the Pope had been arranged long before the Taoiseach's speech in the Dail and we could not cancel it at short notice."

Mr McCormack said that both he and the town manager met with a number of prominent businessmen, including the managing director of a medical devices company, but added: "I can't name names. Something may come of it or it may not, but I believe it was worthwhile."

The Fine Gael councillor earlier this week told the Mayo News that the Catholic Church was not alone in sharing blame for the rape and abuse of children in state institutions.

"The state is equally culpable too, which needed to be said. When judges sent young people to places like Letterfrack and gardai brought children back when they ran away, the state was complicit."

He added: "I see meeting a Pope as an honour all the same. Religion is still a key part of life."

The Castlebar Town Clerk Marie Crowley confirmed that during their sojourn in Rome, the two councillors and the town manager stayed at the four-star Grand Hotel Palatino in Rome, which styles itself as a "refined" hotel "only a short walk from the Coliseum and very near to the most fashionable Roman shopping area".

According to the council, the total cost for the trip will be "in the region of €3,500". When contacted by the Sunday Independent, one of the Mayor's Fine Gael party colleagues Councillor Noreen Heston said: "I've made my views known on this in the council chamber. I don't think it's appropriate for taxpayers' money to be used for a trip of that nature. That's my only comment on the matter."

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/taoiseachs-aide-defends-euro3500-junket-to-rome-2847967.html

bleg

Disgusting.

teol

Traitors.

im invisible

Don't see anything wrong with it myself, tbh. It was organised ages ago,,,

teol

im invisible wrote: »

Don't see anything wrong with it myself, tbh. It was organised ages ago,,,

The Vatican ordered the Bishops of Ireland to hush up child abuse.

"We were invited on this trip by our twin town in Germany, Hoechstadt, as the parish priest there has a very close relationship with the Pope. It would have been an insult to the people of Hoechstadt if we hadn't accepted their invitation to go to Rome."

Right, and not an insult to the people of Ireland.

Manach

County councillers go on junket on tax-payers expense. In other news water is still wet. At least it allows the OP to spew anti-Catholic vitriol in his claim to intuit the what "people of Ireland" want.

Sulmac

teol wrote: »

Right, and not an insult to the people of Ireland.

Was just about to point that out myself! I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the people of Höchstadt couldn't give a damn what some gombeen councillors in the west of Ireland do or not.

Absolutely disgusting waste of taxpayers' money - but not in the least bit shocking, sadly.

Laisurg

Sure the hitler youth, sorry i meant young fine gael buy themselves pizza at each of their little meetings and then charge it to the party which then comes out of tax payers money, heard this straight from two of the little brainwashed ****s themselves.

Dirk Gently

I look forward to the new jobs in renewable energy which will no doubt materialise as a result of these top secret talks with German businessmen.

im invisible

3,500 euro isnt that much really for a few more business contacts, chance of maybe getting a few jobs into the region,

The meeting with the pope is something altogether seperate, i agree that we should have had a response from the vatican by now, but it wouldnt have been right to bring it up at such a meeting,

Teclo

It is of no significance that this particular junket is a pilgrimage to Rome other than the obvious hypocrisy of Fine Gael wiping up anti-Rome hysteria before treating themselves to a Roman holiday. Personally I think the Swiss guards should have put the run on them.

nuac

I approve of the trip and I approve of any trip abroad that is likely to bring some business to Ireland.

1. We are a small country on the periphery of Europe. We need to develope as many international contacts as we can in all spheres - tourism, cultural, industrial etc. We have got to get out there.

2 I see a reference to Hochstedt with which Castlebar has had a very successful and longterm twinnng programme. If the meeting with German businessmen is part of that, it may be well worthwhile.

LeixlipRed

im invisible wrote: »

The meeting with the pope is something altogether seperate, i agree that we should have had a response from the vatican by now, but it wouldnt have been right to bring it up at such a meeting,

Absolutely, you can't go offending the Pope sure. What if he got annoyed at the suggestion he was involved in covering up child abuse? Sure he might just pull out of Ireland and leave us to our own devices. Resulting in the death of modern society. FG, doing what's "right" for Ireland.

nesf

Laisurg wrote: »

Sure the hitler youth, sorry i meant young fine gael buy themselves pizza at each of their little meetings and then charge it to the party which then comes out of tax payers money, heard this straight from two of the little brainwashed ****s themselves.

Less of the name calling please.

alejandro1977

Laisurg wrote: »

Sure the hitler youth, sorry i meant young fine gael buy themselves pizza at each of their little meetings and then charge it to the party which then comes out of tax payers money, heard this straight from two of the little brainwashed ****s themselves.

Hitler Youth? Grow up. Your punctuation is indicative of the thought gone into your post.

Political Parties can't charge whatever they want to the tax payer. Maybe you should look up funding of parties and how it actually happens- or better still get involved with a party instead of just being a keyboard warrior.
'little' this 'little' that. Real big, real clever :rolleyes:

nesf

alejandro1977 wrote: »

Hitler Youth? Grow up.
Political Parties can't charge whatever they want to the tax payer. Maybe you should look up funding of parties and how it actually happens- or better still get involved with a party instead of just being a keyboard warrior.
little this little that. Real smart :rolleyes:

Again, less of the name calling.