It was with mixed emotions that the councillors and Mayor Olive Corcoran held the final Fermoy Town Council meeting on Tuesday night and bid farewell to the town council, which has been part of life in the town for so long.

Fitting to the occasion, Mayor Corcoran was wearing the official mayoral robe and the chain of office and as she made her final speech in the chamber, she spoke about the deep history rooted in the town council and she said that it was indeed 'very sad to see local democracy coming to an end'.

"It's very sad that local democracy has come to an end, but everyone in here had the interests of the town at heart. It's very obvious to me that local democracy is gone. At best we will have one politician in the area, we had nine people here. I certainly can't see that it's an advantage to anybody," she said.

She concluded by saying that it was a great honour to be serving Fermoy as the last mayor and it is something she will always treasure. The Mayor also thanked the staff and fellow councillors and while they all had different agendas at times, they all had the betterment of Fermoy at heart.

Deputy Mayor Colette Dolan Moore, said that the people of Fermoy, while they have a mixed view of the town council and its function, the public will not, in her opinion, realise what they're missing until it's gone as the town councillors were the first port of call for many.

Going against the grain, as he did on many issues in the council chambers, Cllr Pa O'Driscoll reiterated that he has always believed in the abolition of the town councils and while he believes in local democracy, the town council as it exists today is not the answer.

Cllr Seamus Coleman added that he thinks the abolition of the town councils was a knee jerk reaction and was something that looked good on paper, but he said that now the town council is gone, Fermoy should have a forum or community council, so that there will still be a group of people working to improve the town.

John Murphy served on the town council for 36 years, so Tuesday night saw the end of a lifetime of serving his town and he said that in his time, he had seen the town improve an awful lot. He also agreed with Cllr Coleman's point about a community council, saying that it would be a great help in the town.

Councillors also wished Cllr Noel McCarthy the best of luck in Friday's election, as he is the only member going forward in the elections.

On the night, certificates were presented to the final Mayor of Fermoy, the councillors who are leaving the chamber behind them, retired councillors from over the years and also indoor staff. A minutes silence also marked the passing of those who had contributed to the town council over the years.

Full coverage on next week's edition.

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