A SINN Féin councillor has apologised after describing Bangor as a "sh*t hole" and somewhere she hoped never to visit in her life again.
Naomi Bailie wrote in a Facebook post that what should have been a lovely day turned into a "KultureFest session".
The Facebook post was made on the same day as junior Orangemen marched in Bangor.
Ms Bailie wrote: "I will never in my life again go near that s***hole that is Bangor.
"Thought, nice weather, ice cream, pop up market, I'll go for a wee walk here along the marina and have a look at the stalls knowing that Mange Tout Deli Downpatrick were going to be there...
"Disaster! What should have been a lovely day for everyone just turned into a KultureFest session! No surprise there then I hear you say! Well done Ards and North Down Council on yet another expedition of how not to do things for the whole community."
Ms Baillie describes herself as a Sinn Féin political advisor for South Down, a Downpatrick councillor and former mayor of Newry Mourne & Down Council.
Can @sinnfeinireland confirm that the person in this Facebook comment calling Bangor a sh*thole is one of their reps? pic.twitter.com/ycX0KN4esM
— Christopher Stalford (@CStalfordMLA) May 30, 2017
Last year Ms Bailie spent more than two months battling meningitis in hospital.
She was in a coma for five weeks and underwent six rounds of surgery after collapsing at home on December 7.
Ms Bailie has since apologised for the comment.
The comments I made earlier in the week about Bangor, were inappropriate and I withdraw them unreservedly.
— Naomi Bailie (@NaomiBailie) May 31, 2017
Sending this now
North Down Ulster Unionist MLA Alan Chambers called on Michelle O’Neill to disassociate herself with Ms Bailie's comments.
“Councillor Bailie appears to have been offended by the sight of a Junior Orange parade in the town involving lodges from Counties Armagh and Down.
"Ironically enough many of the participants will be constituents of hers. This parade is an annual event, taking place on the last Saturday in May each year.
"There is never any trouble at it, it attracts a large crowd of spectators, it passes by in a matter of minutes and causes no issues whatsoever, other than some extremely minor traffic disruption.
“Clearly Councillor Bailie has a problem with anyone who does not fit into her limited world view...
“From her comments it is quite clear that Councillor Bailie isn’t fully signed up to Sinn Fein’s so-called ‘Ireland of Equals.'
"It’s her choice of course, but if she never goes near Bangor again as she's promised, I doubt the people of Bangor will feel they are missing out on very much and I’m fairly confident that Bangor will survive.”
