Mayo County Council is ‘losing its marbles’ over bonfire rummaging

Mayo councillors hit out at Mayo County Council over St John's night bonfire crackdown

By Jack Good Published 30th Jun 2026, 18:00 BST Bonfire Mayo councillors hit out at Mayo County Council over St John's night bonfire crackdown Sign up to our Mayo Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Mayo Live within your account.

Councillors have criticised Mayo County Council for sending an eight-wheeler grab lorry to remove bonfire material on Achill Island ahead of the traditional St John's Eve celebrations on June 23, with one councillor accusing the local authority of "losing their marbles" over its environmental priorities.

Cllr Paul McNamara raised the issue at a recent council meeting, describing it as a recurring problem. "This issue happens every year," he said, explaining that the council routinely sends a grab lorry and two staff from the environment section to sift through gathered bonfire material on the night itself, removing items they deem likely to cause pollution.

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McNamara said the tradition, marked particularly in his area, is "still held in high esteem" by locals, with communities gathering material for weeks beforehand to build bonfires for the night. He questioned why the council singled out this one night for intervention while, in his view, neglecting other environmental and development priorities in the area, including a long-delayed pontoon installation and unfinished tourism facilities.

He also pointed to the months of wild camping that follow in the area, with campers lighting fires outside their tents every evening, asking why the council showed no comparable concern about emissions from that activity. Referring to air traffic passing overhead near Slievemore, he argued the council's focus was disproportionate given other, larger sources of pollution nearby.

Cllr John O'Malley backed McNamara's comments, contrasting the modest environmental impact of a local bonfire with global issues. He noted people have "one night to enjoy themselves" and said it was "incredible" that the council had directed resources toward the operation.

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Cllr Gerry Coyle suggested the grab lorry itself likely caused more environmental damage than the bonfire it was sent to police, while Cllr Chris Maxwell said the council had found money to send a truck to Achill but not for what he called the area's genuine priorities.

In response, the head of the municipal district committed the council's Environment section to prepare a report for the next meeting addressing the bonfire and air quality issue, including the rationale for using the eight-wheeler lorry and its impact on local residents.