Update: Cllr Frank McBrearty Jnr suspended from council for three months

Donegal County Council has decided by 31-0 to suspend independent Raphoe councillor, Frank McBrearty Jnr from all council meetings for three months.

This follows a heated exchange of views between council cathaoirleach, Cllr Liam Blaney and Cllr McBrearty Jnr over several issues at this morning's meeting of the full council at headquarters in Lifford.

Tha Raphoe man, who was attending the meeting in an online capacity, accused Cllr Blaney of preventing him from speaking on several topics and continuing to mute his microphone when he attempted to address the meeting.

The meeting had to be adjourned four times as procedures were put in place to enact measures to suspend Cllr McBrearty Jnr and ultimately ban him from all council meetings for three months with councillors voting 31-0 in favour of the action. The suspension was proposed by two other independent councillors, Nicholas Crossan and Michael McClafferty with only independent councillor Micheal Choilm Mac Giolla Easbuig abstaining.

A number of other councillors were missing at the time of the vote.

Cllr McBrearty questioned the legality of his suspension and threatened High Court action would follow what he called their undemocratic decision.

The meeting is due to resume at 2pm.