February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Patrick Markey
Local politicians are infamous for their endless debates on the most trivial of topics.
But Ballinasloe’s nine urban councilors have taken political pontificating to a new level.
According to the Connacht Tribune, the town was due to have a Millennium Horse sculpture put in place shortly, and the council has been discussing a suitable location and material for the life-size model. They concerned themselves with such questions as, should it be brass or bronze? Or should the animal be at the town center or elsewhere?
But now they have another worry — what sex the animal should be?
Concerned over the sensibilities of their constituents, the councilors are worried that the "essential equipment" of protruding body parts could be an invitation to vandals or trophy seekers.
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The Tribune reports that with little sense of irony, the town’s managers feel the horse might become a source of ridicule. A similar equestrian sculpture in a nearby town had been damaged in a rather sensitive place, they said.
"If we make a decision that it is a stallion, I presume it has to be a stallion as God intended," one councilor said.
The sculptor in charge of the horse production assured the council that any easily damaged areas would be re-enforced. The debate continues.
Strolling for peace
Bjarne Normann is famous for his long walks.
Now the athletic Norwegian is taking his pacing prowess on a crusade for peace.
Strolling through Keady last week, Normann, who lives close to the Arctic Circle, set off through Armagh and Aughnacloy and then Ballygawley, according to the Belfast Telegraph.
The paper reports that, depending