The Galway Tent is dead, long live the Galway Tent

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The famous ‘Galway Tent’ at Ballybrit may have been abandoned in 2008 when Brian Cowen became leader of Fianna Fáil . . . but you wouldn’t think it given how often today’s politicians talk about it.

The Galway Tent is alive and well: A trawl of Dáil speeches shows that our politicians cannot let go of the ‘tint’ that was synonymous with Celtic Tiger excess, as much as it was for Fianna Fáil fundraising.

Since the last general election, the Galway Tent has had dozens of mentions in our national parliament.  On the eve of the 2013 Races, we thought we’d give you a flavour of the name blackening the mythical Galway Tent has taken these past few years in the Dáil.

“. . . this party never had a tent in Galway and never shepherded people into it on a regular basis for contributions.” – On his high horse, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny declared to FF leader Micheál Martin in March, 2011.

Seven days later, that other guardian of the moral high ground, Sinn Féin’s Martin Ferris wondered is FG, “genuine about putting an end to the culture of the Galway tent and cosy dinners and golf classics”.

In April, Cork TD Jerry Buttimer wondered, “Is the Galway tent being brought back”; and why not, because according to a Cork colleague 10 days later, “the Galway tent did a roaring trade”.

Buttimer, again, in May 2011, said his constituents are “not the high flyers or the socialites who were drinking in the Galway tent”, and the following month, that he would “not pander to the developers in the Galway Tent”; and in September 2012 he referred to the “Punch and Judy politics . . . of the Galway tent”. And earlier this year he wondered was the “Galway tent a mirage”.

For someone not keen on the Galway tent, Buttimer sure is obsessed with it and mentioned it more than any other TD since the last election, closely followed by Independent Seán Barrett.

Another TD who “never once visited the Galway tent” but who talks about it nonstop nonetheless is Joan Collins (Ind), while Senator Jimmy Harte also never darkened its door but knew that the Galway Tent was a place where “champagne corks popped”. Insightful, is Jimmy.

It took outspoken Tipperary TD Mattie motor-mouth McGrath to point out to FG last June that they were not exactly holier than thou when it comes to fundraising. “Fine Gael attacked the last government for the Galway Tent but those in the party have a fair number of tents themselves and a fair amount of money”. Touché Mattie.

The Galway Tent was accused of a lot of things, since the last election, the most bizarre being, “the destruction of the sugar industry”. That particular gem was a contribution to the Dáil by Tom Barry TD last October. Haven’t the foggiest what it’s about, either.

Long after its demise, the ‘tint’s’ Dáil and Seanad mentions go on and on and on. The Galway tent reference was once a poor attempt at a political putdown . . . now it’s still a tired cliché from lazy TDs who couldn’t be arsed coming up with new insults.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.