Dublin councillors demand apology from lord mayor

Councillors will call on the Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Royston Brady to make a "fulsome apology" at tonight's meeting of Dublin City Council, for calling his council colleagues, "clowns", "pathetic" and a "waste of space".

Cllr Brady made his comments in the Sunday Times last month out of what he said was "frustration" with some of his fellow councillors. He was quoted as saying that the councillors were, on the whole, "so pathetic", and that "nobody in their right mind would listen to the crap that goes on over there".

He subsequently withdrew, by phone, personal comments made about the Labour party group leader Cllr Kevin Humphreys that he was "a clown, an absolute clown", but infuriated councillors by not attending the last meeting of the council to explain his comments.

Cllr Gerry Breen of Fine Gael, has said he expects Cllr Brady to attend tonight's meeting and offer an apology to all his colleagues.

"Royston Brady has urinated on a public institution that is 250 years old," Cllr Breen said.

"We won't allow the council meeting to continue unless he makes a fulsome apology."

Cllr Breen said he and his colleagues wanted to put the incident behind them, but it would be necessary for the lord mayor to retract his comments in a public way or it would be impossible for the council to work with him in the future. "He needs to recognise the seriousness of what he has done. He has insulted the council to the media and to the public. I fully expect him to take the initiative and apologise."

Cllr Brady could not be contacted for a response, but had indicated last month that he did not intend to apologise to the council as a whole.