A decent politician who was in touch with his grassroots

World of Politics with Harry McGee

Noel Treacy was a Fianna Fáil politician of the old school. And when I say that I meant the best possible old school. Of all the politicians I have met over the years he was one of my favourites – personably, passionate, fiercely loyal to Fianna Fáil, to the GAA and to Galway.

When I heard of his passing, I texted a former eminent colleague of his to express my sadness. “Tá mo chroí briste,” was the succinct reply I received.

The last time I met him in a political context was during the European elections in 2019. I came down to Galway to see how Fianna Fáil were doing in the sprawling Euro constituency that takes in 13 counties.

Anne Rabbitte had drawn the short straw and had been selected late enough in the day to be the party’s second candidate.

Together with a group of local councillors, party workers and supporters they canvassed the town of Loughrea that morning, starting with Loughrea Mart, where we met the former Galway hurling great Jimmy Cooney.

As we moved into town, Noel Treacy arrived, and the canvass was given a jolt of electricity. Sure, for the native of Gurteen, this was home turf – and being Noel, he was his usual ebullient self.

He whisked us into every shop and house along the main drag, greeting everybody by name, giving enough time to everybody to chew the cud. Rabbitte, pretty nimble on her feet herself when it came to canvassing, had to give way to the master.

Every time I met Noel over the years we spoke Irish – he was a keen Gaeilgeoir – and always enquired about my family, especially about my late mother when she was alive. With Noel, the interest was always genuine.

He was first and foremost a constituency TD. And that too was a good thing.

Over the years there has been a strand of commentary that somehow Irish politics was too stuck in localism. The Dáil, the argument went, should be for legislators thinking up grand national policies – but instead it was somehow sullied by TDs clamouring for their own constituencies.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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