Environment Minister Mark H Durkan has been accused of trying to avoid responsibility for a recent Driver Vehicle Agency operation which disrupted the opening ceremony of Féile na nGael in Dungiven.
A number of buses full of children heading to the 20 June event at Derry GAA’s headquarters at Owenbeg were pulled over during a major vehicle-testing operation.
It was claimed children were held on the buses throughout while traffic backed up outside Dungiven and its is understood the operation only came to an end when the PSNI intervened.
Sinn Fein East Derry MLA Cathal Ó hOisín said: “DVA officers swooped on buses of young people to ‘carry out road safety inspections.’
“They claimed it was a targeted operation but they had no regard for the thousands of children attending the event who travelled from all over Ireland.
“The Minister claimed that the DVA decided not to proceed after ‘taking account of the circumstances’.”
However, Mr Ó hOisín said “this flies in the face of the facts,” claiming the DVA only pulled back after GAA officials, local representatives and the PSNI Neighbourhood team persuaded them “with some difficulty” to end the operation.
Mr Ó hOisín concluded: “The minister is clearly trying to avoid taking any responsibility for an operation which disrupted Féile and the area’s potential for tourism.”
Féile na nGael (Irish for Festival of the Gaels) is an annual tournament comprising the sports of hurling, camogie and handball organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and hosts approximately 25,000 boys and girls each year with all 32 GAA counties represented along with teams from London and Warwickshire.
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