Tag Archives: election

Well, what a week it’s been. I was down early on Saturday to vote as it’s important to exercise your right as a good doggy citizen. It was an amazing result although I didn’t make it up to the count in Ennistymon on Sunday. Not alone were no dogs allowed in the count centre but did you see the weather? I put my nose outside and decided it was a duvet day. That said, with all the uncertainty over choosing a new Taoiseach, I reckon there’s nothing to be lost by putting my paw in the ring. My Pawty promises more bones for every dog in the country, free access to pubs, restaurants and hotels by law and as many sausages as you can snaffle from the butchers. Surely that’s an enticing prospect and we could pay for it all by bringing in a tax on cats. Win win. I’d better sharpen up my negotiating skills a bit before I …

THE performance of Sinn Féin was the story of the election in Clare, with Violet Anne Wynne winning the party’s first seat here for a century, as the county’s two longest serving TDs fell from grace. En route to the Falls Hotel on Sunday morning everyone heard the same information on the radio programmes; exit polls showed it was going to be a great election for Sinn Féin. As the early tallies came in they showed that the Sinn Féin surge was putting Ms Wynne close to the top and despite having heard the national story, there was still huge surprise around the count centre. “I heard Sinn Féin were doing well, but I really didn’t think it’d happen here,” said one woman involved in compiling the tallies. Many other people around the count centre were making similar comments. How could anyone have seen it coming? Just last May she won a mere 385 first preferences in the local elections. …

ON Monday, Dr Michael Harty announced that he is not looking to be re-elected to the Dáil and in an interview with The Clare Champion, he said the outgoing Government has failed rural Ireland, while the administration didn’t accept obvious solutions to major problems facing the country. Dr Harty also revealed that he had turned down invitations to stand for established parties in the General Election. “Obviously, the economy has recovered and that brings benefits to everybody. But I think there is still a huge dissatisfaction within rural Ireland that they are being left behind, that services are still being withdrawn to rural Ireland,” he commented. As it stands now, he feels that the likes of Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris and Eoghan Murphy do not understand the needs of a county like Clare. “I think that the Government is urban-orientated. We have the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Housing, who are all urban-based …

WHILE it had been expected, it was only this week that former TD Michael McNamara confirmed that he will be standing in the General Election. Having started his political career as a European election candidate, he stood for Labour in the 2011 General Election and won a seat. With Labour taking a hammering in 2016, he failed to hold the seat, despite putting up a credible display and winning 4,472 first preferences. He had sought Labour’s nomination to run in the Ireland South constituency in the European election, but has now left the party and will be running in the General Election as an independent. His chances will have been boosted by this week’s announcement by Dr Michael Harty that he will not be in the race. There is a feeling in local political circles that there is a strong possibility of one candidate from beyond Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael being elected, and the departure of Harty from the …

NOELEEN Moran, who stood for Sinn Féin at the last general election, and who had been expected to do so again in 2020 has ruled herself out of the race. Ms Moran had actually been on the originally selected Sinn Féin ticket, but because so long had passed from the time of her nomination, it became invalid and another selection convention was required. That is about to take place but on Friday afternoon in an angry statement Ms Moran said she would not be in the race. “I will not be putting my name forward at the Sinn Féin selection convention for the forthcoming General Election. Sinn Féin has had since last August to select a candidate in Clare, yet they chose to leave it until this very late stage to do so. “I do not think that is an appropriate or fair way to treat someone who was willing to put their name forward and had been selected for …

DR Michael Harty has announced he will not seek to retain his seat in the upcoming general election. In a statement on Monday afternoon the West Clare based TD said, “I am announcing today, 13th January 2020, that I am not putting my name forward as a candidate in the upcoming general election for personal and professional reasons. “At the outset, as a leader of the No Doctor No Village campaign, I committed to maintain general practice services in Kilmihil by putting in place a locum GP, while taking my seat as an Independent TD to fulfil all the responsibilities and duties associated with that position both nationally and locally. Finding a full-time locum GP has proved increasingly difficult over the years. It is now not possible to fulfil both commitments. I have had to make a choice between seeking re-election or keeping my promise to my local community. I have chosen the latter.” “It has been an honour and …

NOELEEN Moran, who polled more than 4,000 first preference votes as a Sinn Féin candidate in the last general election, will be aiming to win a seat on Clare County Council in next year’s local elections. At a recent election convention in Lisdoonvarna, Ms Moran was selected to run in the new North Clare Constituency. Noeleen, from Ballyvaughan, narrowly missed out on a seat in the West Clare area in the 2014 local elections. She also ran for Sinn Féin in the 2016 general election and the strong showing copper-fastened her position as one of the party’s key figures in the county. “There are a number of important issues that need to be addressed for the people in North Clare, among them housing, health, decline of rural services; we face big challenges in terms of investing in upgrading our public infrastructure, as well as addressing environmental and traffic management issues,” she said Ms Moran said it is important to address …

Councillor Cathal Crowe may become one of the youngest public representatives to contest the next general election in Clare but he chose an old style Fianna Fáil rally-type event to officially launch his bid on Wednesday afternoon. Standing on an open top trailer surrounded by political posters from the last three local elections, Councillor Crowe also turned back the clock by launching his election campaign outside the home of the last Dáil deputy from South-East Clare, Paddy Brennan. The fact that the Brennans were Free Staters and staunch Cumann na nGaedheal members didn’t deter the 34-year-old from declaring his intention to run in the next general election at Brennan’s Cross in Meelick. The passionate historian recalled that while on the run, the Brennans often took shelter at his grandparents’ house in Woodcock Hill, just three miles from the cross. With former Clare hurler Niall Gilligan providing the warm-up speech, Councillor Crowe then outlined his vision. “For 95 years, this corner …