Sandymount residents recently protested at proposed local electoral boundary changes by the local electoral boundary committee set up by Environment Minister John Gormley that reported in June.

Addressing the audience, Pat McCartan of Fine Gael asked that people should write to the Minister objecting to the change that will see the old Pembroke area split down the middle of Sandymount Green between the South East Inner City and a new Pembroke Rathmines ward on the southern side of the Green up to Rathmines. On the Sunday of the protest people gathered in a line across the Green to show how the new Boundary will split the Village.

Speaking to the crowd Catherine Cavendish spoke to say that the terms of reference for the Boundaries Commission required recognition of the historic, cultural and social mores of villages such as Sandymount and that what had been done was not in line with those terms.

John McAlinden, the Postmaster of Sandymount Post office said “I think that the integrity of the village and its surrounding areas is crucial for the welfare of the people who live here and the people who trade here and indeed the business people here also. The result of any division of the electoral areas can only take the focus off the representatives from the crucial issues of this specific area and is bound to cause long term-damage.”

Since the gathering in October Minister Gormley has written to residents stating that he had to accept the boundary proposals as an independent body had been charged with this responsibility.

He says that it is unfortunate that Sandymount has been split between two electoral wards by the revised boundaries and that the Green party had made a submission to keep Sandymount intact but that this was not adopted by the independent committee.