A parish priest in the area of north-west Mayo which was affected by landslides more than two months ago has expressed concern that humanitarian assistance promised through the Red Cross has still not come through.
Father Deaglán Mac Conghamhna also echoed unease expressed by the Dooncarton Residents' Committee that the Government had given no commitment towards funding a steel barrier deemed necessary to protect homes from the possibility of further landslides.
Father Mac Conghamhna, in whose parish, Aughoose, the worst-affected landslide areas of Glengad and Pollathomas are located, said that, although the Red Cross had been on site for weeks, no humanitarian funding had yet come through.
He added: "The situation regarding loss of earnings and other extreme hardship caused by the landslide has still not been addressed by the Red Cross. I feel that some of the action should be taking place already."
Reacting to Father Mac Conghamhna's remarks, a spokeswoman for the Irish Red Cross in Dublin said applications for assistance were still coming in, and this was one of the reasons why there had been no payout so far.
"There have been 58 applications for assistance to date," the spokeswoman continued. "Applications are still coming in. There were four this week. It will be a week or maybe a little longer before any decision is made on payments."
The Red Cross said the money for humanitarian payments to victims of the landslide had been placed in the organisation's bank account last Wednesday, and payments would begin as soon as processing of claims was complete.
The Dooncarton Residents' Committee, which was set up following the landslides, and the local parish priest have also been critical of the Department of the Environment for not putting funding in place to provide protective barriers which have been deemed necessary by Mayo County Council to protect against further landslides.
"In the long term, a protective barrier is essential," Father Mac Conghamhna said. "It is essential for the future peace of mind of the community."
The cost of the steel and earth barrier to protect from further landslides is in the region of €1.5 million.
The Department of the Environment has rejected suggestions that it has been niggardly in its attitude towards the community, pointing out that it has already committed itself to providing €2.5 million for road and bridge repair work.