Proposal to rename Cockhill Bridge in honour of Tip O’Neill

At this week’s Inishowen Municipal District meeting in Carndonagh, Councillor Nicholas Crossan said he thought it would be ‘fitting’ to name the bridge, which was officially opened in 2018, after the late American Politician and Statesman who served as Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Colr Crossan, who is also the chairperson of the Tip O’Neill Committee, outlined how Tip O’Neill’s grandparents hailed from Buncrana and Drumfries and said the bridge leads to his ‘ancestral home’.

He said that renaming the bridge in his honour would also boost tourism in Inishowen and outlined how, in the six years since it was constructed, no-one had come forward with an alternative name.

Colr Crossan told how a ‘large contingent’ of Tip O’Neill’s family is to visit the peninsula in September for the Tip O’Neill Diaspora award and it would be ‘very fitting’ for them to see the bridge named in his honour.

In response, Colr Rena Donaghey said renaming the bridge was discussed ‘at length’ when it was first erected and it was decided by councillors and the ‘people of Cockhill to keep it as Cockhill Bridge, as it is always going to be called that’.

Colr Crossan added that ‘sometimes when elected, we must take ownership of what we’re doing’ and said that if ‘someone wants to object’ to the change ‘let them come forward, with good, sound representation’.

"Since former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar opened that bridge six years ago, no-one has come forward about naming it and, in respect, the people of Cockhill don’t own that bridge – it’s Inishowen and Donegal.”

Colr Donaghey outlined how there is a ‘process’ in place for naming bridges, including consulting with businesses within a certain mileage.

Colr Johnny McGuinness said he supported Colr Crossan’s proposal and ‘if other names come in, we can take them if they come’.

Colr Jack Murray said the naming of the bridge must be done with public consultation.

He added that he did ‘not want to undermine the fantastic work of the Tip O’Neill family and what’s being done there’, but that there are other names who could also be recognised.

"We do have the statue, the walkway and we have the conference and awards every year. I’d like to think the O’Neill family feel very welcome. I also think there are other people who could be recognised, for example, Wolfe Tone, who was arrested upstream from there.”

Colr Crossan said the bridge will ‘probably’ always be locally known as the Cockhill Bridge, but that renaming it officially would be a ‘legacy’ for one of ‘Inishowen’s famous sons’.

He said the O’Neill family have been ‘very good to Inishowen and Donegal’.

Colr Crossan added that he was recently in Boston, during which he travelled through the Tip O’Neill tunnel and ‘thought it would be nice to also be able to go over the Tip O’Neill bridge’.

“Anyone who wants to put forward a name I’d ask them to do that.”

It was agreed that the matter will be open to the public to put forward ideas and views and a decision will then be made.