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Wednesday December 10^th 2008.

Interview by Claire Byrne of the national radio station “Newstalk 106-108 FM” with Michael Healy-Rae, a Kerry County Councillor from the Killorglin Electoral Area of South Kerry following Pierce Brosnan's submission to Kerry County Council on the proposed LNG regasification terminal at Tarbert in North Kerry.

Here follows an exact transcript of that interview:

Presenter (Claire Byrne ): It's not often that a Kerryman feels compelled to take on James Bond but today, Kerry county councillor Michael Healy-Rae has squared up to Pierce Brosnan and he joins us now. Michael, good morning to you.

Michael Healy-Rae: Good morning Claire .

Claire Byrne: This is all about this liquefied natural gas terminal alongside Tarbert on the Shannon Estuary. Pierce Brosnan has decided to lodge an objection with Kerry County Council. You think he should butt out I understand.

Michael Healy-Rae: Well, to be honest, I'd prefer to see him stick with the acting and the singing and leave the politics and the bringing of jobs and much needed money to our region to ourselves because the local councillors, hard-working councillors like John Brassil, Liam Purtill and Dan Kiely - they're very supportive of this project as is 95% of the local population. The two local development associations in Tarbert and Ballylongford are supportive of it. We're taking about a project that would bring in a 50 million euro construction cost, 400 jobs during construction ,50 to 100 full time jobs.

Claire Byrne: To what long-term costs though? Because Pierce Brosnan who does consider himself along with his wife to be an environmental activist, indeed he has objected to a similar proposal in California where he lives. But he says there has been no coherent assessment of the serious and significant risks to public health.

Michael Healy-Rae: Well obviously he doesn't know what he is talking about. Because..

Claire Byrne: But have you done that. Has there been..

Michael Healy-Rae: Oh, 100%. This project has been more scrutinised and gone through more rigorous checks than any other project that I have ever known of; both by Kerry County Council, Bord Pleanala, Bord Pleanala, the safety authorities involved. This has been been checked and checked and has complied but 100% with the most rigorous of conditions. And really, when you think about this, California is an awful long way from Tarbert. I'd listen more 100% to the local development associations and the local politicians, than I would to a man, with all due respect – it's fine for him to be over in California lying in the sunshine singing his songs and leaving the people of Tarbert and that region without any employment. I think it's really high-handed and it's the biggest joke that I have ever heard of. Because if it is good enough for the locals and if they want it and the local politicians why should a man 6 or 7 thousand miles away see fit to stick his nose into our business?

Claire Byrne: But Michael, do you think that because Pierce Brosnan was once James Bond that he will be listened to perhaps more so than you might be?

Michael Healy-Rae: Well, I'll put it to you this way. If he wants to come over here and run for local politics and get involved in that way, let him come away and let him see how he'll get on. But I respect everyone's opinion, but it is the local people who should really be listened to. And if 95% of the locals, of the Tarbert and Ballylongford area are supporting this it'd be crazy to go taking notice of this individual who I admire for his own work by the way. But these type of activities ...

You have people like this you see who want to sort of have something to do for themselves and they have it like a hobby horse and they'll roam around the world objecting willy, nilly here and there to projects like this. But I mean

Claire Byrne: But do you think...

Michael Healy-Rae: But I mean we have families who need employment and this is a massive boost to our region if it can go ahead.

Claire Byrne: He has written Michael to Kerry County Council. That means, I would imagine, that you have the right to respond to him directly, being a member of Kerry County Council. Is that something you are going to do? Will you be writing to him in California?

Michael Healy-Rae: Every, Of course, Well I have no problem in the world letting the man know of my views because anybody who has stuck their noses into our affairs in the county before, I am not one bit backward about going forward. And really this opens up the whole can of worms that is it right and is it proper for people who are not affected directly or who are not living in a locality should they indeed have the right to object at all?

Claire Byrne: Well, he is well within his rights in doing it. I mean that's..

Michael Healy-Rae: I know that But what I am saying is: Is that policy right? It's like a person living in Galway objecting to a house in Clare. That's crazy. It should only be people directly involved or directly affected who should have an input into that type of thing. Because they are the people who know best, what's best for the region.

Claire Byrne: So are you, are you ....

Michael Healy-Rae: Who better to protect the countryside than the people who are born and reared there?

Claire Byrne: Are you telling us then that you are going to be contacting Pierce Brosnan directly to have a chat with him about this objection?

Michael Healy-Rae: Well, I'll put it to you this way. If he wants to talk to me about it, I'll talk to him about it. Because why should he come along and go interfering in something that, to be honest, he knows very little about? When was the last time he was in Tarbert?

Claire Byrne: Well, I am not sure. But perhaps we can check that out.

Michael Healy-Rae: Yes, or does he know the local hard-working councillors who are supporting this? Who have worked in local politics all of their lives? John Brassil, Liam Purtill and Dan Kiely, highly respected, well held individuals in the locality and is he trying to tell me just because he is Pierce Brosnan that he knows more than those locals? Not at all. Not...

Claire Byrne: Michael Healy Rae, thank you indeed for joining us this morning.

Michael Healy-Rae: Thank you.

Claire Byrne: Michael. Healy Rae from Kerry County Council. Squaring up, it has to be said, to Pierce Brosnan. Perhaps the two will meet at some stage and we'll get to figure out how that's going to play out.

Ger Gilroy: Fight, fight, fight.