An Independent Ireland councillor insists he didn’t have to declare a donation from a disgraced property developer for whom he helped rezone land.
Independent Ireland councillor Michael Clarke maintains that developer Cathal O’Connor, sentenced last week to two years for the false imprisonment and assault of three teenagers, played no part in his 2024 general election campaign.
But photos obtained by The Ditch show an O’Connor company van and staff being used to put up posters for Clarke on 8 November that year.
In September 2024, Clarke proposed or voted for at least eight separate rezonings – more than 120 acres of land – O'Connor asked for across sites he wanted to develop. He did so against the recommendations of the Sligo County Council chief executive. In several cases Irish Water and the Department of Housing objected.
Clarke didn’t disclose the donation though ethics legislation requires the declaration of donations in kind – like services provided free of charge – over the value of €600,
Clarke has defended his decision to not declare the donation as well as his efforts to rezone land for O’Connor, telling The Ditch, “ I supported all zonings in Sligo as did the majority of elected representatives in Sligo from all parties and none. You may not be aware, but making and adopting development plans that are fit for purpose for the people they serve, is a reserved function of elected representatives along with adopting the annual budget, setting local property tax rates, passing bylaws etc.”
A developer-led plan
Cathal O’Connor lobbied Sligo county council on at least 14 separate occasions between May 2021 and May 2025.
He asked elected officials – including Clarke personally in the period between May and August 2024 – to consider opening up land for development.
At a council meeting its chief executive warned about developer influence on a proposed development plan.
At a special meeting of Sligo County Council on 30 September 2024, chief executive Martin Lydon told the chamber he had received an email from a developer using the same language being used by councillors. He said the council could either make a development plan because its members were elected to do so or that it could choose to make a developer-led plan.
By the end of the meeting, councillors had adopted 303 of 308 proposed amendments – 40 of them against the recommendations of the Office of the Planning Regulator.
Clarke proposed three rezonings in Ballysadare, each submitted in the name of O'Connor and his business partner David McMunn. He also voted in favour of another five rezoning requests across two sites in Strandhill and three sites outside Sligo Town submitted by companies O’Connor owns and part owns.
On each vote he and others went against the council’s chief executive and the planning regulator.
That meeting came after the local elections in which Clarke held the seat he’s had since 2009. He ran as a general election candidate in November 2024 but was unsuccessful.
Photos taken during the general campaign show a Beldare Homes van and staff being used to put up posters for Clarke.
The Independent Ireland councillor didn’t declare this as a donation.
In a since deleted Facebook post addressed to The Ditch, Clarke said, “My neighbour, an employee of Beldare Homes, and my niece's first cousin did erect election posters along with many others on my behalf. Beldare homes played no role in my campaign and my SIPO form was returned correctly.”
He added, "Mr O'Connor is not a supporter and he played no role in my campaign," describing him as a “Fianna Gael supporter” with a "lifetime friendship" with two other councillors. In the same post Clarke claimed his rezoning votes had been vindicated by both the planning regulator and the government.
“While I have great respect and admiration for the chief executive and the role he carriers out, as is the nature of my role as an elected representative, I represent the people and ultimately there will be instances where we have differences of opinion on recommendations,” saying, “I voted in favour of all proposed residential zoning before me, and the minister now accepting this has asked the council to zone more land in Sligo.”
Two months after the September special council meeting government intervened to reverse several of Sligo County Council’s decisions.
Government sought to reverse one of the Strandhill rezonings, two of Clarke's three Ballysadare rezonings and two of the three Sligo town rezonings.
Earlier this month O’Connor admitted to Sligo Circuit Court that in March 2024 he attacked three 13-year-old boys in a Sligo business park.
The court heard he told the children he "owns this town", threatened to break their legs and choked one till he was unconscious. He pleaded guilty and on Friday was sentenced to two years in prison.
The Ditch previously reported that Michael Clarke got planning permission in 2022 to build six homes on a separate Sligo site, which he failed to declare in his ethics returns from 2021 to 2024.
A spokesperson for Beldare Homes told The Ditch, “One of our staff members is a neighbour of Michael's and likely used a work van to assist in erection of posters. No other services were provided to Michael, elected members of Sligo, or general election candidates from Beldare Homes.”
Independent Ireland declined to comment.
