Proposals for the restructuring of Fianna Fáil in Mayo after the ard comhairle decision to dissolve the Micheál Ó Moráin Cumann in Castlebar for alleged partisanship towards expelled TD Beverley Flynn were put to the party locally yesterday.
Minister for Communications Noel Dempsey and national secretary Seán Dorgan travelled to Mayo for meetings with the local comhairle ceanntar, county and town councillors and the various comhairle ceanntair (area councils).
As the first of the meetings began in Knock, Mr Dempsey said he would not be divulging details of the reorganisation before he had spoken to all interested parties.
It would be a consultative process whereby he would present the revised structures for consideration, the Minister said. He refused to say whether new cumainn were planned or whether other cumainn in the five-seater constituency would be disbanded.
But it is widely believed the reorganisation will involve the merging of a number of comhairle ceanntar and the reduction in the number of cumainn in Castlebar to two in order to weed out Ms Flynn's sympathisers.
In a local radio interview yesterday, Mr Dempsey made it clear to Ms Flynn's supporters that if their loyalty was to a Dáil deputy who was no longer a member of Fianna Fáil they should resign their position within the party and follow her if that was their choice.