Galway East
Senator’s launch hits high notes
Labour Party Senator Lorraine Higgins joined Caherlistrane singer Dolores Keane in an impromptu rendition of ‘Caledonia’ last Saturday night.
The sing-song was the climax of the Athenry-based politician’s official general election launch in New Park Hotel as she bids to retain the seat won by Labour in 2011.
Colm Keaveney, who was elected on the strength of her transfers five years ago, broke ground for Labour in the constituency but subsequently defected to Fianna Fáil.
Senator Higgins would remain true to Labour, however, the launch heard.
Former leader of the party and former Minister, Pat Rabbitte who is retiring from the Dáil after 27 years, was the guest speaker. Rabbitte said he had great admiration for Higgins, who had opted to go into public life despite being a barrister who could make a lot of money in the private sector.
He spoke about the financial disaster that faced the country when Labour entered a Coalition with Fine Gael. He even gave an anecdote of a Cabinet meeting that then leader, Eamon Gilmore had missed.
When Rabbitte asked him why he was absent, Gilmore confided that he had been at a meeting about bringing back the Punt in the event Ireland had to leave the Euro in the financial upheaval.
A former president of NUI Galway Students Union, Rabbitte said he wouldn’t have travelled to Athenry for the launch if he thought Higgins hadn’t a chance of taking a seat.
Even though the constituency has been reduced from four seats to three, Higgins expanded on this theme in her speech to about 200 of the party faithful. “I’m in it to win it,” she declared.
And Higgins predicted that the prophets of doom who predict she isn’t going to be elected would be proved wrong once the ballot boxes are opened. “The perception that as a Labour candidate in Galway East I have no chance does not apply,” she said.
Senator Higgins added: “In the last few weeks the number of people gravitating towards me is astounding. People of all colours and creeds. And when you piece that goodwill together with the fact the Labour Party took almost 8,000 first preference votes in 2011, we now all know that there are enough votes for me to take a seat.
“The great thing about a democracy is, it is the voters who get to make the choice on whether or not they will vote for me and I’m winning them over one by one, street by street, estate by estate. It’s not the commentators, the bookies or the pollsters who want to call the result before the match has finished. It is voters who get to mark a number one in the box of their choice and set the future direction of Galway East.”
Fine Gael will struggle to hold its seat in Galway City East.
With just over half the boxes tallied for Galway City East, Fianna Fáil’s Alan Cheevers looks set to take a seat, polling at over 17 per cent of first preferences.
With Mervue, Ballybane and Tirellan polling stations still to be tallied, Cheevers has taken the lead, with Independent councillor Terry O’Flaherty slipping into second with 16 per cent.
Incumbent Fianna Fáil councillor Mike Crowe is on 10.5 per cent, with Independent councillor Declan McDonnell on 8 per cent.
The Green’s Claire Hillery looks to be benefitting from the party’s nationwide jump in the polls, collecting 6.5 per cent of first preferences.
Sitting Councillors Noel Larkin (Ind), Mairéad Farrell (SF) and John Walsh (FG) are polling at 7.5 per cent, 5.7 per cent and 6.7 per cent respectively.
Also still in contention is the Social Democrats’ Owen Hanley with 6.6 per cent of the vote.
City East Tallies with 50% of boxes open
A concession on turf cutting, an examination of the decision to close rural Garda stations and post offices – as well as flood alleviation – are all on the shopping list for at least two of Galway’s independent TDs before any agreement to support a new Government.
Both Michael Fitzmaurice from Glinsk and Sean Canney from Tuam have been in discussions with the main parties since the general election with a view to securing their support.
They are part of the six-strong Independent Alliance which also includes Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran and Shane Ross – but top of their list concerns they have regarding rural Ireland.
It is understood that part of any deal would see some concession on the whole turf cutting controversy, while the issue of the closure of rural Garda Stations and rural post offices are also high on the agenda.
Deputy Canney said that so too was the recent flooding crisis and added that many farmers and individual householders were still suffering.
The Independent Alliance will hold further discussions with the parties and Deputy Canney emphasised that they were not demanding ministerial positions but just a better deal for rural Ireland.
They are demanding, however, that there will be a full Minister for Rural Affairs appointed once the new government is formed.
Deputy Canney added that it was being suggested that a TD in each constituency would report back to this department.
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