Please ignore contents, apologies for confusion

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

“Hi there,” began the email-writer.

“I mistakenly included you in an email sent to a party member yesterday. Please ignore contents therein and apologies again for any confusion caused.”

The message was from a guy called Patrick Bourke, who works in the Dáil Éireann office of Derek Nolan, the Galway West Labour Party TD.

We had no recollection of being sent an email in error but obviously Patrick’s ‘mea cupla’ aroused interest.

So back we went looking for the original email, the contents of which we were told to “please ignore”. Ha! Fat chance!

The email correspondence that Patrick released to media organisations ‘in error’, was between himself and a woman called Carmel, who works in a printing company.

Here goes:

“Hi Patrick

Hope all is well. John was wondering could you run off 318 letters for him for Corrib Park. The text is the same as the Innishanagh one, just insert Corrib Park instead, I think it’s mentioned about 3 times in the letter. He could collect these on Thursday morning if that suits. We were wondering as well could you email John’s photo to the newspapers so that when he sends in his press releases they will have his photo on file.Thanks Patrick, Carmel”

Patrick replied:

“Hi Carmel,

The letter for Corrib Park have been printed and the marked register is ready for collection on Thursday as well. I also sent the photo to all newspaper editors and journalists.

Thanks, Patrick.”

Not long after these two gems were inadvertently sent to media, along came another email from Labour of a photo of their local election candidate, John McDonagh. That was intended for general consumption.

We trust John – and not the taxpayer through Derek’s Oireachtas allowances for printing – is paying for these election letters, hundreds of which, we presume, are already dispatched through the letterboxes in Corrib Park and Inishannagh.

And no doubt Derek would be just as obliging with his office staff if say, the sitting Labour Councillor – John’s rival in Shantalla – Collette Connolly, was looking for letters to be printed, and for a ‘marked copy’ of the electoral register. Of course he would . . . sure Derek doesn’t have favourite candidates, does he?

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.