Driving through Raphoe in Co. Donegal today a wannabe councillor was spotted up a ladder putting up posters! Now this was not just any candidate – so the car was stopped and camera rooted for.
My partner’s relatives are now confirmed in their thoughts that I’m a lunatic as I decide to approach Frank McBrearty Jnr, newest candidate and member of the Labour Party who is seeking election to the Stranorlar Ward of Donegal County Council.
I’m currently reading Gerard Cunningham’s book on the events surrounding the McBreartys and the Morris Tribunal titled Chaos and Conspiracy (Gerard also blogs at Faduda.ie and have always had a passing interest in the issues which led to the tribunal. I was surprised when I heard Frank jnr had joined the Labour Party and decided to run for the local elections.
Many thanks to Frank for agreeing to pose for the photo and for listening to my garbled explanation of being a current affairs/political blogger from Dublin up visiting for the weekend. I will be watching the results with interest and indeed was fascinated at the lack of posters from Fianna Fáil throughout the area. Maybe Donegal politicians are slow starters?
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I haven’t seen a single fianna fail poster down here. Mostly Fine Gael and Labour. Alan Kellys posters are the biggest though.
Thanks for the book plug, but my blog is at faduda.ie. Faduda.net contains some of my published work.
FWIW I posted there a few days ago on a west donegal FF candidate whose election literature contains no mention of his party affiliation.
Why are you surprised he has joined the Labour Party?
Think it was the fact that Joan Burton and Brendan Howlin were so to the fore in raising the issues in Donegal that brought Frank Jne into the Labour fold – the McBrearty’s were awarded the Jim Larkin Thirst for Justice award at Labour conference a couple of years ago too.
How was lovely Donegal? Sadly, it was lashing while I was in the North-West on Thursday/Friday – it was nice to meet Frank while I was there though.
Stephen Spillane - Monday Links - 11/05/09 // May 11, 2009 at 10:44
[...] Maman Poulet found a politican up a pole! [...]
Tutt tutt MP ye lie it was the lunatics relatives that egged ye on LOL
@Neil: Not to diminish the role that Brendan Howlin played in raising the Donegal cases in the Dáil, but it was Jim Higgins (FG TD at the time, now MEP) who led the charge in that instance.
Hi Suzy,
I got a leaflet today from Paschal Donohue for the ‘bye-election’.
Apologies! I always thought it was by-election but just read it can be written either way.
Aye it was a subject of speculation by myself a while back!!
Maman Poulet » So that was interesting // Jun 8, 2009 at 01:51
[...] Frank McBrearty Jnr got elected! (Despite vandalism of posters and rows in street with Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher and also Labour not having any organsiation of note in Donegal) [...]