Ex-councillor calls for removal of Ray Burke plaque

The effects of the Flood tribunal interim report are being felt in south Tipperary where a call has been made to remove a commemoration…

The effects of the Flood tribunal interim report are being felt in south Tipperary where a call has been made to remove a commemoration plaque bearing the name of former minister Mr Ray Burke.

A stone plaque, which was unveiled at the opening of a council housing estate in Tipperary town could now be in danger of being taken down, if local councillors agree to the move.

The plaque, which is located on the gable end of a house in the town's Pearse Park estate, marks the official opening of the estate in the early 1980s, which Mr Burke performed. His name appears on the plaque.

Mr Burke has since been the subject of inquiries by the Flood tribunal, which declared that he had received "corrupt" payments.

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Pearse Park was named in honour of one of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, Patrick Pearse.

The call to take down the plaque comes from a former chairman of Tipperary town Urban District Council, Mr Finbar Kissane.

Mr Kissane was a Sinn Féin councillor in Tipperary and a member of the UDC for nine years in the early 1980s, at the time Pearse Park housing estate was developed.

"I feel it is very wrong to have the name of Pearse associated with Ray Burke. I feel very strongly about that. I think it is an insult to Pearse to have it there," said Mr Kissane.

He suggested that a current Minister could travel to Tipperary to perform the removal of the plaque.

Local councillors were told of the request at a recent meeting. They agreed to consider the matter.