Rebel County Rejects Vote for Excess Deaths Inquiry

Council chamber told "What a Shower"

Cork County Hall

The topic of excess deaths was debated this morning at a general council assembly meeting in Cork County Hall. The discussion followed the proposing of a motion by Independent Councillor Peter O’Donoghue from Kilworth in North Cork.

In amongst the chatter of potholes and praise for St Patrick’s Day parades, Cllr O’Donoghue’s motion raised the issue of some 22,000 deaths that have taken place in Ireland since 2021.

Here is the full wording of Cllr O’Donoghue’s motion:

“That considering it is 5 years since the introduction of the Covid Lockdowns, Cork County Council would write to the Taoiseach and request that a fully transparent, Independent public inquiry into the previous government’s reaction to the Covid 19 virus be held within the coming 3 months and that this inquiry would also investigate the causes of the major increase in excess deaths in the last 3 years and if these deaths are linked to the covid restrictions.”

“I really want to emphasise the words, Transparent, Independent and Public in my motion today, as this is what is needed, not a closed doors inquiry, with handpicked individuals such as what the current government seems to be proposing.”

The motion was seconded by Independent Cllr William O’Leary, from Rathcormac.

Speaking on the motion, Cllr O’Donoghue said Cork County Council ‘has a clear choice to make.’

“We as councillors can continue to keep our heads buried in the sand, which means that we continue to be complicit in preventing any proper inquiry into the states reaction to Covid 19 or we can say that we want an independent, public inquiry into the State’s reaction to Covid 19 and that we also want the very concerning increase in excess deaths investigated as well,” he said.

What happened next is an illuminating example of democracy in Ireland at work.

The motion as outlined above was debated at length with much commentary from the elected representatives in the chamber but ultimately, no vote on the motion took place.

Cllr O’Donoghue, who tabled the motion, said ‘it went down like a lead balloon.’

Independent Cllr Peter O’Donoghue

Cllrs talked about their own experience of covid and restrictions and about how the government parties had done their best in the situation. Others turned on Cllr O’Donoghue for raising the issue.

“I was accused of making a political football out of covid, I was accused of fear-mongering and scare-mongering. I was accused of being insensitive,” Cllr O’Donoghue said, speaking after the meeting.

The chamber ultimately found that the motion was ‘premature’ due to the government’s proposed covid inquiry, preparations for which are underway.

It was then proposed that the motion be set aside in order to allow for the government’s inquiry into its covid response be completed before any vote could take place on the calling of an inquiry into excess deaths.

The amendment to the motion was proposed by Cllr Patrick Mulcahy (FF) of Midleton LEA and seconded by East Cork based Cllr Mary Linehan Foley (Ind) and it was passed overwhelmingly by the chamber.

Some 41 council members voted in favour, while three voted against. Cllr O’Donoghue, Cllr O’Leary and Cllr John Buckley (Ind) from Midleton, voted against, while eleven others either were not present or did not vote.

“Okay, the result of that amendment vote is 41 for and three against, therefore there will be no vote on the motion,” the Mayor, FF’s Joe Carroll, announced.

“Why is there no vote on the motion? There was a motion put before the council today. Why are you having a vote on something else and not the actual motion that was put in place?” Cllr O’Donoghue replied.

The council heard that there would be no vote on the original motion proposed, due to the creation of the amendment, under Standing Orders, which had been put forward and accepted.

“Well, that’s democracy for you,” Cllr O’Donoghue said. “My conscience is clear.”

“That’s good,” the Mayor replied, before pointing out the advice to all new councillors is to read the Standing Orders.

The Council then moved onto ‘Votes of Congratulations’ for Crosshaven Rugby Club for a performance at Thomond Park and to the Crosshaven Festival Committee for its ‘outstanding St Patrick’s Day Parade.’

Cllr O’Donoghue’s departure together with three supporters was marked by the delivery of a comment.

“What a shower.”

The council member who heard the comment was not sure which of Cllr O’Donoghues supporters had uttered the phrase.

“Is he referring to himself or us?” another councillor queried.

“Well he was clever enough to say it only as he was leaving,” Cllr Mary Linehan Foley quipped and the council continued on with its business.

Downstairs in the lobby of County Hall, there stands a lone table with a picture of a young woman, a book of condolences and a candle. Marian O’Driscoll, a wife and mother of two from Coachford and Eyeries Co Cork, passed away on February 15 2025 ‘peacefully at home, surrounded by her family.’ RIP.

Cllr O’Donoghue sat down for an interview with me after the meeting and I hope to share that footage later this week.

Thanks to those supporting this work. Option to ‘buy a coffee’ here

Cllr O’Donoghue’s full statement read out in the council chamber:

Before I start I’d like to acknowledge the presence of and welcome former chair of Shannon Doc, and current head of Adare Medical Centre, Dr Pat Morrissey and accredited Psychotherapist Josephine Keohane here today to Cork County Council chambers. Two courageous individuals who have come to support my motion today.

“My motion here today is:

That considering it is 5 years since the introduction of the Covid

Lockdowns, Cork County Council would write to the Taoiseach and

request that a fully transparent, Independent public inquiry into the

previous government’s reaction to the Covid 19 virus be held within the

coming 3 months and that this inquiry would also investigate the causes

of the major increase in excess deaths in the last 3 years and if these

deaths are linked to the covid restrictions.

‘I really want to emphasise the words, Transparent, Independent and

Public in my motion today, as this is what is needed, not a closed doors

inquiry, with handpicked individuals such as what the current

government seems to be proposing.

On the 12th of March 2020, our then Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar addressed the nation. He told us that from 6pm that day until March 29 th , 17 days later, our Schools, Colleges and childcare facilities where to close. This was in effect the start of the most draconian, authoritarian of measures ever taken by any government in the history of the Irish state, those measures being the implementation of the Covid lockdowns and the associated restrictions which went with them, these restrictions went on to last nearly two years, in the process having major implications for civil, human, constitutional and democratic rights in the country.

What did these restrictions consist of, lets remind ourselves. They consisted of locking down our society, locking down our economy, removing our elderly from our hospitals where they had proper care and packing them into nursing homes where the necessary care was often not there. Preventing these people from seeing their loved ones. The lucky ones getting to see them through a glass windowpane. Many of those in our nursing homes died alone. Preventing proper funerals. Preventing proper weddings. Preventing people from seeing their doctors. Preventing people from going to hospital with other illnesses and ailments. Literally preventing people from leaving their homes!

Coercing an entire population into taking trial Vaccines which were said to be safe and effective in preventing people receiving and transmitting covid but which was afterwards proved to have been a false statement. We also know now that these so called vaccines were far from safe with many getting very sick shortly afterwards and many unfortunately dying.

Id like to take a quick moment to acknowledge these people and their families today as they have not been acknowledged up to now but silenced. The restrictions also consisted of ostracising, alienating and discriminating against hundreds of Thousands of Irish citizens and residents who choose not to get the trial vaccine for their own private and personal reasons, something which in any free and democratic country they should have been entitled to do.

Ever since then the government and in fact our society has often tried to downplay the extremely damaging ramifications of the covid restrictions but what are the ramifications. These we still don’t truly know yet as we still have not had any proper inquiry, review or investigation but what we do have are facts for the following years after.

We know that the governments response to Covid 19 cost the state at least E30 billion euros. The cost of living in this country has gone out of control since the introduction of the covid lockdowns with inflation soaring to 9.2 percent in 2022 according to the CSO and continuing at a very high level ever since. Those presenting with mental health issues have increased dramatically, according to almost every mental health organisation.

Our childrens’ education has been severely hampered, as schools were closed for more than 140 days in 2020 and 2021. 80 percent of Junior infant teachers surveyed by Mary Immaculate College Limerick say that students today have more behavioural problems and anxiety issues, with more children unable to manage personal care than before the covid restrictions.

We know that those who suffered a loss of a loved one during the covid lockdowns are found to be three times more likely to be suffering from Prolonged Grief Disorder. We know that the greatest ever transfer of wealth from the middle and lower classes to the elite happened during covid. The wealthiest in our society, our billionaires, saw their wealth increase in Ireland during the covid lockdowns by 58 percent to E49.7 billion. This according to Oxfam Ireland in January 2022.

We know that cancer rates have increased dramatically. A recent report by the EU commission found that Ireland now has the second highest rate of new cancer diagnosis in the EU with the number of cancer cases projected to grow by 47 percent in Ireland from 2022 to 2040. And most worrying of all is that we know that deaths in the country have increased dramatically.

In fact we know from compiled data from the General Register Office and RIP.ie that excess deaths are up over 22,000 between January 2021 and February 2025. This in the years after the “pandemic” when the death rate should naturally be in decline. This is absolutely staggering data.

Why has this not been investigated? Why is there absolute silence about this? Why has our media been silent on this? This is the real Elephant in the room which nobody wants to speak about. In reality the real Pandemic is happening now, the deaths are happening now, that’s the fact. The statistics show this for everyone to see. We also know that the country with the least amounts of deaths in Europe during and after covid was Sweden, one of the only countries to never lockdown its society, one of the only countries which carried on as normally as possible. The other country not to lockdown was Iceland, again fourth lowest mortality rate during the covid years. This surely tells us something! This surely tells us that the covid restrictions in this country possibly did far more harm than good.

Either way, we have a clear choice to make here in Cork County Council today. “We as councillors can continue to keep our heads buried in the sand which means that we continue to be complicit in preventing any proper inquiry into the states reaction to Covid 19 or we can say that we want an Independent, public Inquiry into the states reaction to Covid 19 and that we also want the very concerning increase in excess deaths investigated as well.

I ask my fellow councillors to support this motion here today not only as it is the right thing to do for your constituents but because it is also the right thing to do for yourselves as the history books will not look back on you too kindly if you choose to continue to participate in the silence on this major issue.

Thank you.