City councillor Catherine Connolly has said she will not apologise to Mayor Tom Costello, following a heated dispute at a city council meeting on Monday night.

The December meeting of Galway City Council was dramatically adjourned as a result of ongoing conflict between Mayor Costello and Cllr Connolly. The dispute began at a meeting earlier this month when during discussions in the council chamber, Cllr Connolly accused the mayor of being "rude and ignorant".

Cllr Connolly was then asked to withdraw her comments, which she agreed to do. However at Monday's meeting, Mayor Costello requested an apology from the councillor who refused, saying she had already retracted her statements.

The councillors then took a vote on whether Cllr Connolly should be forced to leave the chamber if she did not apologise. The motion was passed but an irate Cllr Connolly refused to leave, instead demanding an update on the proposed Knocknacarra community centre.

Speaking to the Galway Independent, Cllr Connolly said that she did not see the need to apologise as she had withdrawn her comments "unreservedly". She appealed to the mayor to "have broader vision and get on with council business ".

"My comments came out a sense of frustration. I had spent five hours in a budget meeting, which was being handled very badly. The mayor was trying to push through a budget and we were not being allowed to discuss anything!

"I have withdrawn my comments unreservedly, which is more than most people do. The people of Galway were poisoned by the water and the city manager did not apologise. I don't know what else the mayor wants from me!" she said.

Mayor Costello said it was not a personal dispute and he only wished for Cllr Connolly to apologise to the office of the chair, as she must have respect for the position of mayor.

"This is not a personal issue, but we took a vote in the chamber and decided that she must apologise or refrain from joining in the meeting. The call now is her own. If she does not apologise, there are a number of steps that can be taken," he said.

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