Yerra, boy, isn't that what you want, publicity?

The Angelus was deferred for 25 minutes while homage was sung to Michael Conlon at the November meeting of Cork County Council. Successive councillors of all political creeds tolled a litany of despair at the resignation (duly accepted) of their beloved County Manager, and noon had long since come and gone before they turned in intercession to the nearest other person to God. The Angelus was recited in full by the assembled councillors, the manager, the secretary and the pious press under the sorrowful gaze of a crucified Christ nailed to the wall above them.
Sixteen floors below, on the outside, looking dolefully up the glassy face of the County Hall skyscraper, a pair of statues of two workking class men stood rooted, necks craned, courtesy of the ITGWU, circa 1976.

Thus afflicted, blessed and beseeched, 40 councillors got down to work in the plush chamber amid expensive pottted plants, bearing in mind Conlon's farewell words that there was a big difference beetween that first meeting of his 18 years ago when they had considered "the placing of Council pumps for water supply" and their recent appproval of a £30 million water supply system for the county.

A Fine Gael councillor seized the opportunity to put in a plea for two extra pumps to be included in the group water plan for his district. Fianna Fail's J. Roche requessted the erection of telephone kiosks in four parishes in his bailiwick, citing hardship of eight miles from the nearest village, 60 miles from the hospital. Cornelius Murphy, Labour, rose to the passionnate heights about the teleephonic difficulties of the "island people of Bere". Barry Cogan, Fianna Fail TD from Carrigaline, exhorted the dialling difficulties of "those out in the hills and the valleys" and Michael Pat Murphy, Labour TD for Cork South West, :von unanimous acclaim with the observation that "kiosks which might not 'be an economic proposition should be regarded as an essential social service for isoola ted rural areas".

Dennis O'Reilly, Fine Gael, thought it might be better to concentrate their energies on getting existing services to function properly, bringing on his head the concentrated scorn of all parties and indeependents. (Fianna Fail 21, Fine Gael 17, Labour 5, SWFP 1, Ind. 2).

"We'll get the kiosks first and the service after", snappped Chairman Donal Creed, Fine Gael TD for Mid Cork.

They turned their attenntion to the roads and the reecommendation of the Skibbeereen-Schull area Committee that certain public rights of way be taken over by the Council and appropriately cared for. There was a scramble between Cornelius Murphy and Fine Gael's Paddy Sheehan to move adoption, both men having an eye to the public acclaim that would greet. the transformaation of ten bodhreens, and the lame duck status of standding the other party's vote.

While they played snap the Fianna Fail deputy for South West Cork, Councillor J. Walsh, played a poker bluff with a resounding attack on the Exchequer which had appropriated the EEC deveelopment fund of £ 16.5 milllion and failed to channel a fair-share toward Cork. Walsh thought they should get a few million, at any rate. Joe Sherrlock, SFWP, pressed the claim of the Ferrnoy to Mallow road in a modest cine minute speech. Gerry Cronin, former Minister for Defence, now Fianna Fail TD for Cork North East, engaged the County engineer in a close ten-minute scrutiny of a cerrtain bend between Mallow and Cork.

Dennis O'Reilly stayed on the straight and narrow. 'S orne artie trucks are mounnting the ditch to get into the farmer's door". In this age of the EE C, rural folk were still bringing milk to the side of the road and the farmers would "get sour and refuse to pay rates excepting someething be done about it".

His Fine Gael colleague Phil Burton, ex-TD, extor, and ex-County Chairman, provided the translation that bulk milk carriers and articullated trucks could not negootiate the bends in the roads of East Cork. Deputy Paddy Hegarty, Fine Gael TD for Cork North East complained that local bridges were "not geared to hold the axles of European trucks"." The gardai, he chided, were preoccupied with snatching one or two turnips off the tops of sugarrbeet lorries that were overrloaded.

Their pleas were referred to the General Purposes Commmittee.

On a more personal level Councillor Burton lammented the absence in County Hall grounds of parking space for Council members. He wondered if workers nowwadays were possessed of two cars each or what, such was the squeeze below. Michael Conlon, recalling the early days when there was space to the east and west .of the buillding, offered smoothly to rope off 35 spaces every time there was a council meeting. Would they like their spaces to the east or west? Charmed, they let him make the final decision. As Joe Sherlock said in his tribute, Conlon's Late Late television performance had impressed people with his obvious concern for the needs of simple individuals.

Equally simple were the urgently expressed needs of a deputation from the residents of Glounthaune who entered. the Chamber and dramaticallly unveiled a drawing board mounted on an easel, to show a placard bearing the legend "Death N o. 30 N ow Due" above a skull and crossbones. In Glounthaune last winter a CIE bus collided with a lorry, leaving five dead and many injured. Eddie Mooney of Glounthaune Development Association told the assemmbled gathering that the odds on death No. 30 were getting shorter all the time, 29 people having died over ten years on that short stretch of road. As his companion flippped the sheets on the drawing board, showing a pictorial sequence of mutilation, mourning, and meandering motorists, Mooney requested double white lines, traffic wardens and signposts. The Council noted his submisssions.

Another deputation, introoduced by Fianna Fail Counncillor Calnan of Dunrnanway , told the Council that Sam Maguire's ancestral home had fallen derelict for want of money to make it a National Monument. The man who had bequeathed the Allland Cup was a sports here and a national hero, they said. Submission noted.

After lunch a severely deepleted council had movved to piers around the coast. The Department of Fisheries and Forestry had agreed to pay 75 per cent, or £3000, toowards the cost of removing a submerged rock off Tra Bhad pier, Caherkeen. "I move" came the simultaneous shouts of Donal Harrington, Fine Gael, and Dan R. Harrington, Fianna Fail. "Donal's got it", chorused Fine Gael.

While they foundered on the rock, the Chairman noted that the Department had also agreed to pay £285,000 tooward the improvement of Schull pier. "'I move that", Fine Gael's Sheehan was gleeful. John Walsh, Fianna Fail, ponderously drew the Chairman's attention to a written motion in his name regarding improvements in Schull. Creed graciously awarded victory to Walsh.

"Let's talk a bit a bout it anyway and get some credit" came a Fine Gael voice. Michael Pat Murphy recalled at once that in his time as secretary to this very Fisherries Department, Schull had allways been top of his list, and the Coalition government had agreed with him. An unabashhed Councillor Sheehan reeminded them all that he had been the very first to produce photographs of the pier in this very chamber. He had been dismayed, on his recent return from a Spanish holiiday, to read a Fianna Fail cumann statement about the grant in the Southern Star. The government had a strange way of conveying news to the County Council. "But whooever gets the kudos, the people will remember that Deputy Murphy and myself bought Schull to the foreefront" .

"We brought the money" crowed Fianna Fail.

Phil Burton recalled them to their senses. "Take it easy. Where is the Council going to find its share of the cost? How much will this put on the rates?"

Conlon seized the opporrtunity to remind them of fisscal responsibility. "It's all right to vote £4000 for the removal of a rock. It's patenntly not so to vote £101,000 for Schull pier".

He put the hearts across them with the reminder that they had only last month voted £196 ,000 out of currrent estimates for increased pay for road workers. If they couldn't raise this new alloocation, even out of next year's estimates, it was gooddbye to the government grant.

"But we always accept a seventy five per cent grant", said Michael Pat Murphy simply. It was accepted.

Youghal Tourist Developpment Ltd. requested the Council to nominate forthhwith a representative to its newly formed board, that they might qualify for this year's Bord Failte grant of £1000. "Sound boy", said a helpful Fine Gaeler, leading the nods of approval.

"This will entail a financial commitment from us", said Chairman Creed, tighteening the purse. The request was deferred for further connsideration.

As they moved to any other business at four o'clock the chamber quickly emptied. "I want a public enquiry into the Department of P and T", Councillor O'Reilly called after his departing colleagues. "When I speak on the phone everyone gets word of my priivate informations over the lines. They're crossed or something. r might as well broadcast to the News of the World".

"Yerra boy," called a Fianna Failer from the door", isn't that what you want? Publicity?" .

The real Council work was in the paperwork under their arms which they took home to study. The minutes of the Joint Meeting of the Sheep Dipping Committees of Cork and Kerry Councils; of the special Council meeting on the Cork land use and transportation Study; of the National Monuments Advisory Committee; of planning permission granted or denied to nearly three hundred appliicants in the month of October.

One councillor would have good news for the Roscarberry farmer who wanted to erect a 30 sow farrowing and waeaner house. Another would have had bad news about bungalows in Ovens.

"If local democracy doesn't flourish" Conlon had told them, "democracy itself is in danger."

Some day women might flourish too. The sole female councillor, Eileen Desmond, Labour TD for mid-cCork, kept the standard flying when she recommended that Housing Loan applications be granted to females who are over 21, even if the man in the marriage be under that qualigying age. She soothed ruffled feathers with the announcement tha t the Law Reform Commission was considering lowering the qualifying age to 18 - "for all persons".