Virulent South Mayo disease is spreading

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

The Mayo Disease is spreading. At this rate, it will soon have infected all politicians in Galway West.

Certainly the South Mayo strain of the Mayo Disease appears particularly virulent. Or is it more a disorder than a disease? It seems to be contagious anyway, whatever it is.

We’ve told you in previous Bytes about Galway West TD, Seán Kyne, who was first to be infected with the disease. He’s now calling himself a Galway West/South Mayo TD.

Even though no such constituency exists until after the next General Election. And even though there has been no name change to the constituency to reflect boundary changes which see parts of South Mayo added in to Galway West.

His party colleague, Hildegarde Naughton, a senator, also caught the disease – she started to call herself a “South Mayo/Galway West” senator. This despite the fact that, unlike TDs, no senator represents a geographical area, regardless of whether it is Galway West or Galway West/South Mayo.

The other Fine Gael TD in the constituency, Galway West TD, Brian Walsh, initially appeared to have a stronger immune system and was resistant to the South Mayo Disease.

Alas, we can confirm, Brianeen, too, has been struck down with a bout of South Mayo-itus. In his most recent press statements, he has described himself as a Galway West/South Mayo TD.

The disease, so far, seems to have infected only Blueshirts but surely it can’t be long before Independent TD Noel Grealish, Fianna Fáil TD, Éamon O Cuív, and Labour’s Derek Nolan catch it.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.