‘You can’t eat a flag’: Chair

Cllr Donal Cunningham also added: “You can’t eat a flag”.

The issue came about at last Monday’s meeting when UUP councillor Joan Baird asked council officers to look into complaints she had received about several flags at Leyland Park in Ballycastle which were allegedly bearing “offensive slogans”.

Cllr Baird said she had not seen the flags herself but had received several complaints and asked council officers to look into the issue.

This prompted Sinn Fein councillor Cara McShane to reply that it “would be nice if the same councillor brought up the issue of flags all over our area”.

She also pointed out that if anyone drove through Dervock they would have difficulty finding Ballycastle as the name of the town had been blacked out on all the signs.

“It just shows the mentality of people,” said Cllr McShane.

Cllr Baird replied that she was simply bringing up an issue which was raised with her by her constituents “which is what I was elected to do”.

She also pointed out that Dervock was not part of the area she represented so it was nothing to do with her.

Stepping in, chairman Donal Cunningham said: “There is no point of going tit for tat over flags. I’m not a fan of flags and I prefer to use the phrase - you can’t eat a flag.”