This article is from page 29 of the 2011-02-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 29 JPG
COME what may there will be massive changes in the representatives put forward by the Galway East constituency after this month’s General Election.
That much was signalled early on when three of the four sitting deputies – Fianna Fail’s Noel Treacy and Fine Gael’s Ulick Burke and Paul Connaughton – announced their decision not to run, leaving Michael Kitt as the only member of the current Dáil left standing.
Despite the decision of Libertas leader Declan Ganley to sit this election out, there is still plenty to talk about in Galway East during this campaign season.
Possibly the biggest talking point is the emergence of the Labour Party with long serving party activist Colm Keaveney in with a fighting chance of taking a seat.
With his Labour Party running mate Lorraine Higgins also pooling well for a first time candidate, inter parties transfers could see the party take it’s first seat in Galway East in living memory.
Another major talking point in the constituency is the wrangling over who would make up the Fine Gael ticket.
With three men – Paul Connaghton Jnr, Jimmy McClean and Tom McHugh – left standing after the party convention, the Fine Gael top brass put a cat amongst the local blue-shirts by adding the former Progressive Democrat leader, Ciaran Cannon, to the ticket.
Cannon, who switched allegiances following the collapse of the PD’s last year, was added to the ticket in what has been seen by party insiders as pay-back for defecting to Fine Gael in 2009.
There could be a further twist to this tail as Cannon, despite being relatively unpopular within the local party, is proving very popular with the public and looks in line to take a second seat for Fine Gael ahead of both McClean and McHugh.
The one certainty, if such a thing exists in this election, is that Paul Connaghton Junior looks set to take the seat vacated by his father.
As for Fianna Fáil, many within the local party organisation have consigned themselves to retailing only one seat in what was always considered a party stronghold.
Unless there is a major shock, sitting TD Michael Kitt will have enough to see him home with running mate Michael Dolan unlikely to have a major impact on election day.
Independent Sean Canny looks likely to end up in a dog fight for the last seat with Labour’s Colm Keaveney, Fine Gael’s Jimmy McClean and Independent Tim Broderick.