Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin met residents in flood-hit communities during a whistle-stop tour of South Galway and Clare on Friday. Accompanied by Clare FF Deputy Timmy Dooley, Deputy Martin stopped off in some of the areas worst affected by the recent flooding, which has left numerous residents cut off from their own homes. His tour started in South Galway where he spoke to householders in the Gort area and his itinerary included New Quay, Boston, Tubber and Springfield on the outskirts of Clonlara. According to Deputy Dooley, the Fianna Fáil leader doesn’t want to make a “political showcase” out of his visit but was anxious to show his empathy with people who have been badly hit by flooding and hear first hand their experiences. “Micheál Martin wants to inform himself on a nationwide basis about the individual situations so that FF can devise comprehensive solutions to the flooding problems, which have arisen. “Every political party needs to engage with …
Read More »Shannon not into moaning or whinging
Shannon Group chairperson, Rose Hynes has launched a stinging broadside at critics who are bemoaning Shannon Airport’s dramatic growth. In what could be perceived as a swipe at Fianna Fáil leader, Michéal Martin, Ms Hynes said she focuses on earning market share every day in Shannon, instead of “moaning, whining and blaming everybody else”. Deputy Martin recently claimed in the Dáil that deals being offered by Shannon Airport to grow traffic with airlines such as Ryanair, “do not add any value to the country”. A special award for service to tourism was presented to Ms Hynes at the third annual Irish Hotels’ Federation Mid-West Fundraising Gala Ball in the Greenhills Hotel, Limerick recently. Shannon branch chairperson of the Irish Hotels’ Federation, Elaina Fitzgerald-Kane, said Ms Hynes is responsible for a “monumental turnaround” in the airport’s fortunes, which is revitalising tourism across the region. In 2013, the first full year of operation since becoming an independent entity, the airport succeeded in …
Read More »Neylon sees FF turning the corner
FIANNA Fáil was among Europe’s most consistently successful political parties until its bubble burst rather spectacularly and the 71 Dáil seats it held going into the 2011 General Election were just 20 afterwards. While it can now be said, with some certainty, the party won’t disappear from the political landscape, it also looks very unlikely that it will hit the heights of the Bertie era for some years. One of its major problems is that huge swathes of voters who would have regularly opted for Fianna Fáil, now see it as being the natural home of self-interested chancers. While he doesn’t claim the Soldiers of Destiny were blameless in the crash, Eoin Neylon, who was abroad for three years himself due to the economic crisis, claims Fianna Fáil has turned a corner and is poised to be a different type of organisation in the future. Presidency After 10 years of activism, Eoin is running for the presidency of Ógra Fianna …
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