Councillor shocked over removal of Joe Deacy memorials

AN elected member of Mayo County Council is 'shocked beyond belief' over the authority's decision to remove memorials erected to the late Joe Deacy.

Councillor Brendan Mulroy, who is chairman of the council's Roads Strategic Policy Committee, said a murder investigation is ongoing into Joe's tragic death near Swinford in August 2017, yet the council "has behaved in the most insensitive way to the family by removing the memorials."

In a statement issued this morning, the Westport-based representative added: "I will lobby for the memorials to be reinstated.

"There are other unauthorised developments in Mayo that the county council choose to ignore.

"Why pick on a grieving family?".

In a statement issued on Thursday, the council said the reason the memorials were removed was because they were a visual distraction to passing traffic.