A historic first meeting of Mayo County Council in Knock Airport descended into chaos as councillors traded insults and the local authority's chief executive was called on to resign.

The meeting was intended to be a platform to propose ideas to save the airport from closure.

But the event was overshadowed by an accusation that the Mayo County Council chief executive Peter Hynes lied about his knowledge of a Garda investigation into allegations of planning permission fraud.

The heated exchanges were sparked by Independent councillor Frank Durcan, who asked for minutes of the council's November meeting to be changed.

Mr Durcan claimed Mr Hynes told a "barefaced lie" when he was asked if planning permission fraud allegations, which were revealed by the 'Sunday Independent', related to Mayo County Council.

He said the chief executive's position was "untenable" and called on him to resign.

Mr Hynes vehemently denied the allegations and demanded that Mr Durcan withdraw his comments. He said the councillor was a "disgrace".

The argument stemmed from a council meeting in November when Sinn Fein's Rose Conway-Walsh asked Mr Hynes if Mayo was the local authority mentioned in a newspaper.

Responding to the Sinn Fein councillor, Mr Hynes said the article did not mention the local authority involved.

"As of now we have had no communication from any agency or authority," Mr Hynes said.

At yesterday's meeting, Mr Durcan said: "Democracy is under threat at the moment from many things - a lot of it is cronyism, corruption and cowardice by people who will not stand up for the truth, which I am doing here today."

Mayo County Council chairman Damien Ryan told Mr Durcan to stop making personal attacks.

But Mr Durcan denied his comments were personally motivated. He said Mr Hynes held "a prime position" and his salary was paid for by the "poor people of Ireland".

In response, a number of councillors sided with the chief executive and accused Mr Durcan of making "scurrilous allegations".

Cllr Christy Hyland accused Cllr Durcan of giving "no thought whatsoever" to the hurt his comments might cause people's families.

Irish Independent