Brianeen having it both ways on the Lough Atalia one-way

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

It’s hard to know whether to admire or despair at the brass neck of Galway West TD Brian Walsh, who tried to straddle two sides of the road in the argument over the new traffic system at Lough Atalia and College Road.

For the duration of the works to lower the railway bridge, Lough Atalia was one-way inbound and College Road was one-way outbound.

Some people liked the new change, felt it brought a better flow to traffic, and want it made permanent. Others were not pleased at all with the temporary arrangement and are delighted it is going back to a two-way system. But flip-flopping Brianeen tried to have it both ways on the one-way.

On May 27, the Fine Gael TD issued a statement saying that further to his representations, the one-way system would be retained for three weeks with a view to making it permanent.

And then last week, as the backlash against the plan for a permanent one-way system was successful, Brianeen wrote to residents to say that, further to his representations, the one-way system will be scrapped and the roads returned to normal. If there was a Third Way – having it both ways – then he’d probably be for that too.

Frank’s dress

Frank Fahy, the new city mayor, has a secret – he’s been wearing women’s clothes.

The Fine Gael politician isn’t quite a cross-dresser. But he has, out of necessity, had to wear a woman’s ceremonial cloak this past year.

You see, since the City Council increased its membership from 15 to 18, the local authority has been short a couple of ceremonial cloaks, even though the three Shinners don’t use their ones.

Frankeen used to use Brian Walsh’s cloak at special ceremonies. But apparently since John Walsh, his brother, was elected a Galway City Councillor last May, John started using Brian’s old one.

That left Frankeen naked. Then along came Nuala Nolan, the ousted Labour Party city councillor, to save the day.

Our Nuala, who lost her seat in the local elections, is an old buddy of Frankeen, and so agreed to lend him her ceremonial cloak until the Council bought a new one for Frank.

Now that he’s mayor, Frank has finally been given a cloak of his own and so returned the women’s one to Nuala.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.