Mattie McGrath on 0.47 Acre Rule: Defending Rural Ireland
Mattie McGrath addressed a bill affecting rural cottages and acreage, saying he and colleagues submitted an amendment and criticised a change that equates the customary acre to 0.47 of an acre. He said he was misquoted by journalists, rejected being lectured by the minister, and insisted he would stand up for rural constituents.
Amendment and procedure
He said he and others read and researched the bill, then put an amendment down to which they were entitled. He thanked the previous chair for allowing them to speak and said he had sent over the issues they wished to raise.
Acreage concern and European influence
He argued the shift to 0.47 of an acre reflects "European tunes" and objected to reducing the traditional idea of an acre and a cottage on an acre. He said the term ‘‘the typical acre and the cottage in the acre’’ carries strong connotations for rural people and that the technical change would not be understood in the countryside.
Accusations of being misquoted
He challenged words attributed to him in press coverage, saying those journalists had spun a narrative and that video evidence would show he never used the words attributed to him. He denied using certain offensive language that had been reported and emphasised the misattribution.
Response to the minister and defence of rural voters
He rejected lectures from the minister and said the public would judge the minister in due course. He stated he would stand up for rural people of Ireland and that it was rural voters, not "the Dublin floor set," who would decide whether to support him.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Very good. Cancola, we read this bill, we researched this bill, we put an amendment down to the bill, which we are entitled to, and thanks to the previous chair who allowed us to speak to it, and I sent over our issues, and it's not a question of, we're dancing again to European tunes, that now is 0.47 of an acre, because it's European desire. The House, but of course Deputy, or Minister Dunham would know anything about it, but the typical acre and the cottage in the acre, it has very strong connotations with people, and the charge of renews around people's league, that's commonly used about pressures of paying bids, it's not meant anything to do with anyone, you know, set a family or anything else, it's a common, and if you take off his fancy language and fancy spin, go down to the country, he'll understand what goes on in rural Ireland, but I will not be lectured, or dictated to, or insulted by Minister Dunham, the people will deal with him in good time, and they're fairly sick and tired of, they're paying to different tunes, but I will ask you again, Count Cola, words were attributed to me that I never uttered, and if he bothered to check the video that was there, and it's still online, everyone will see it, he'd know I never used those words, never. We can't go into that. No, but he just got into it. It happened the other day. No, no, he's gone into it, excuse me, Count Cola, please, just one moment, he's gone into it, and he's regurgitating words that were attributed to me by journalists, some same journalists that have been paying attention to me during the COVID debate, and newspapers, and publications, to go over the narrative, do the spin for it, and they attributed the words to me, and anybody that looks at it will know that I never used those words, with the A word and everything else, I wouldn't utter it, I never did. And I'll take no lecture from a pompous, arrogant minister this hour of the night, and I'll stand up for the rural people of Ireland, and they'll make the decision whether they'll vote for me or not, not the Dublin floor set.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
