FF leadership contender has cuppa at canvass in Crowe’s

Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Michael McGrath, a Fianna Fáil leadership contender whenever a vacancy arises, was in Galway last week schmoozing local councillors.

McGrath, a Cork TD and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, holidays in Galway nearly every year with his young family.

During his stays in the Bearna area, he always pops into Crowe’s Bar in Bohermore, to catch up informally with the Crowe Bros, Ollie and Mike, the local Fianna Fáil public reps.

McGrath launched Oliver’s Dáil campaign in the Menlo Park Hotel before last year’s General Election; and they are closely aligned since Ollie became a senator.

The annual visit to Crowe’s for a cuppa is usually not formal; this year was different.

In a sign that Fianna Fáil is in turmoil after the recent, humiliating Dublin Bay South by-election result, McGrath invited all FF city and county councillors in Galway to meet with him in Crowe’s last week.

The disastrous by-election was high on the agenda during the two-hour briefing that was attended by about 13 councillors.

“He’s got seven kids under 14, and he’ll always meet for a coffee and a chat when he’s on holidays here but it was a lot more formal this time,” said one attendee.

This was being taken as a sign that McGrath is laying the groundwork for a leadership contest, which could come sooner rather than later given the state of the party in recent polls and how shaky the Coalition with Fine Gael and the Greens has become.

The second-favourite to succeed Micheál Martin also discussed other issues with the elected foot soldiers in the City of the Tribes, including the Galway Transportation Strategy, the National Development Plan and how it relates to Galway, and housing.

“Housing is very important. For us (Fianna Fáil), it’s the sword we’ll fall on, if we don’t deliver on housing by the next local and general elections. Probably more general than local but it will certainly be a problem if we don’t start building houses,” said one councillor who was at the briefing.

Though it was apparently not mentioned, attendees were under no illusions but that McGrath will throw his hat in the ring if and when Martin resigns or is taken out as leader.

“He’d be a great leader. But he’s a little bit too nice; has he the edge you need?” asked one councillor. Time will tell.
This is a shortened preview version of Bradley Bytes. To read more, see this week’s Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.