Coup sees FF shafted out of deal on new Galway city Mayor

Fianna Fáil is set to be ‘shafted’ out of the mayoral pact – as Fine Gael, former Progressive Democrats’ independents, two non-party independents, and Labour do a deal to share the spoils on the new Galway City Council.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the three former PDs, now independents, held the power – and the mayoral pact – on the existing City Council but that is now set to change following negotiations over the weekend.

The Sentinel has learned that Fianna Fáil has been ‘frozen out’ of the pact as Fine Gael (Cllrs Pádraig Conneely, Frank Fahy, John Walsh and Pearse Flannery) have formed new alliances with independents Declan McDonnell, Terry O’Flaherty, Donal Lyons and newcomers Noel Larkin and Mike Cubbard, as well as the two Labour Party representatives, Billy Cameron and Niall McNelis.

It now looks certain that the next five mayors will be Donal Lyons, Frank Fahy, Pearse Flannery, Noel Larkin and Niall McNelis.

Fianna Fáil has hit out at their former pact colleagues, attacking their “lack of integrity” during negotiations.

City Councillor Mike Crowe, the FF whip, claimed he had reached agreement last Friday with Cllr Conneely, the FG whip, and Cllr McDonnell, who was negotiating on behalf of the former PDs.

Cllr Crowe said the finer detail of the deal had been struck – including the mayors, deputy mayors, and chairpersons of committees – yet the ‘plug was pulled’ on signing up on it as FG and independents entered into negotiations elsewhere over the weekend.

Cllr Crowe said neither Cllrs Conneely nor McDonnell had the “decency” to inform Fianna Fáil that they were reneging on what had been negotiated on Friday.

See full story in this week’s Sentinel.