Does Ó Cuív’s successor need to be fluent in Irish?

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Fianna Fáil would want to start planning for the future in Galway West without Éamon Ó Cuív.

There’s life in the old dog yet, of course. And it’s quite possible he’ll run again in the next Dáil election. But succession planning is needed for when the ‘King of Conamara’ retires, or, as was mentioned in this column last week, he makes a bid to replace Michael D Higgins in Áras an Uachtaráin.

Galway West was once a heartland for the Soldiers of Destiny but unless it gets its candidate selection right, then without Éamó on the ticket, it could be vulnerable to losing its sole seat in the constituency.

The obvious solution for the party is nepotism. An Ó Cuív name on the ballot paper would mop up votes but his children have previously ruled out entering political life. Unless Dev Óg’s family change their minds, the party needs an alternative.

The next obvious candidate is Ollie Crowe. City-based Oliver had a decent showing in the last General Election but Fianna Fáil was still a distance off winning a second seat.

His subsequent election to the Seanad has given him a base to launch another bid for Dáil Éireann. Right now, two years out from an election, he’d be in pole position to succeed Éamó.

The publican’s chances of success could hinge on whether Noel Grealish (Ind) runs again. They’re both pulling out of the same pool but even if Noeleen stays, with Ó Cuív off the pitch, Ollie would be confident of increasing his first preference.

Ollie’s big problem when it comes to wanting to be the Fianna Fáil Dáil representative in Galway West is his fluency, or lack of it, in the Irish language. That’s not a problem for his city electoral base; it would be tolerated by many within the party.

And yet, to represent Fianna Fáil, The Republican Party, and supposed champion of the Irish language (although Sinn Féin has somewhat stolen that thunder), in Galway West, which includes Conamara, the country’s largest Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, you surely need to have a certain level of ‘Gaeilge’?

You won’t pull votes in Conamara without more than a ‘Cúpla Focail’. Former FF TDs and Ministers for the constituency Máire Geoghegan Quinn and Frank Fahey knew that.

Voters instead may turn to Deputies Mairéad Farrell (SF) and Catherine Connolly (Ind) and Senator Seán Kyne (FG), who are all regular comfortable contributors to Irish language media such as RnaG.

Two obvious running-mates for Ollie, on a ticket without Ó Cuív, are Councillors John Connolly and Daithí Ó Cualáin.

Both are impressive performers on the HSE West Regional Health Forum. And both are leaders on their respective local authorities; Connolly, on Galway City Council and Ó Cualáin, on Galway County Council.

More importantly from the perspective of winning first preference votes in Conamara, they’re fluent in their native tongue and regulars on RnaG and TG4.

(Photo: Unlike the Godfather of Conamara, Eamon Ó Cuív, lack of fluency in the Irish language couldl impede Ollie Crowe’s plans to win a Dáil seat for Fianna Fáil in Galway West).

This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. See this week’s Galway City Tribune for more. You can buy a digital edition HERE.