Castlebar Town Council decided in a controversial vote on Friday to rename Sir Ernst Chain Road in Castlebar. There has been controversy over the naming of this road after an English ‘Sir' who had little to do with Castlebar.  The decision to remove the name plate from the link road that runs from Moneen to the Airport between Baxter and McHale Park was made by a 6 to 3 majority and was followed immediately a debate on whose name should now go on the road.

"Mr. Chain seems to be a mystery man. Had he any connection with Castlebar? The road should be renamed St. Mary's Road after the residents from St. Mary's Hospital who toiled so slavishly in the area for many years. It's the least that should be done to honour their name, fine decent people," said one councillor referring to a debate on the Castlebar website that brought the matter to a head.

A number of other suggestions including calling it Frank Durcan Way in honour of the county councillor's attempt to stop the road going through the Lawn back in the 1980s.

A few were in favour of honouring President Obama's visit to Ireland and naming it ‘Barack Hussein Obama Boulevard' but turned down when it was realised that the name plate was not long enough to fit 27 characters. One facetious suggestion was to call it Elizabeth II Road in honour of the visit of the Queen of England.

Finally agreement was reached with a 5 to 4 majority vote to honour Castlebar's most prominent road builder of recent decades. The roads into Castlebar - the N5 and the fine bypass that runs through the Lawn and the centre of the town are all due to the sterling efforts of Mr Padraig Flynn former Minister for Transport and subsequently EU Commissioner.

Not everyone was happy however and there was a call for a tribunal of enquiry into the vote but this was defeated by 8 to 1 vote - the town has been shamed enough by tribunals said one councillor. The meeting concluded at 10:00pm.