*Taoiseach Micheál Martin flanked by Senator Timmy Dooley and Deputy Cathal Crowe. Photograph: Natasha Barton
CONFUSION continues to cloud around the supposed appointment of Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) to a commission assessing the aims, ideology and objectives of Fianna Fáil.
In October, Deputy Crowe took to social media to announce his selected appointment by the Taoiseach Micheál Martin (FF) to the commission chaired by Kildare North TD, James Lawless (FF) looking at Fianna Fáil’s aims and objectives for the coming years. Creation of a commission was recommended by Junior Minister, Sean Fleming (FF) following the General Election of February 2020.
Senior figures in the party nationally have said Crowe was never appointed to the committee which is comprised of Deputy Lawless, Junior Minister Mary Butler (FF), Christopher O’Sullivan TD (FF), Paul McAuliffe TD (FF), Senator Lisa Chambers (FF), Cllr Kate Feeney (FF), Cllr Rob Power (FF), Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi (FF), Aideen Ginnell of the Ard Chomhairle, John O’Neill Chair of the Wicklow CDC, Seána Brady of Ógra Fianna Fáil and General Secretary Seán Dorgan.
Meelick native Crowe told The Clare Echo, “I was appointed some months back” but is to instead be part of a new committee which the Taoiseach has “asked me to serve on”. While Crowe engaged with Deputy Lawless “on a number of occasions,” members of the commission have facilitated meetings with constituencies across the country but Crowe confirmed he did not organise any engagement of this nature.
In response to queries from The Clare Echo, Deputy Crowe said he was “surprised, we’re still in a peak COVID situation” that his involvement or not in a commission was worthy of questioning. “If there was a discussion to be had, it is a discussion that should have been internally rather than on the pages of a newspaper”.
When contacted by The Clare Echo, senior officials in the party said they “can’t speak to exactly what happened” regarding the former Mayor of Clare’s involvement but confirmed he was likely to have a role to play in a new party committee.
Chair of the Fianna Fáil Clare CDC, Mike Enright said members were initially delighted to read Crowe’s social media post and subsequent report in The Clare Champion on his appointment to the Commission but admitted they were left confused when question marks on his involvement first emerged.
Senator Chambers facilitated the Clare meeting for the commission in the past fortnight with Enright asking the question following queries from party members on whether Crowe was actually appointed. “We’re still none the wiser, I got no straight answer” the Newmarket-on-Fergus man outlined. “We have no clarity, our members need to know who is and who isn’t on it. Why make the announcements, you’re either on it or you’re not, it’s very straight forward”.
Deputy Lawless confirmed to The Clare Echo that his Clare colleague was not on the commission but praised the “great level of knowledge and information on the Fianna Fáil party’s heritage and customs” that he brought to the table during discussions. “I know Cathal for a number of years, he has a great knowledge and understanding of the party right back to its origins from the Civil War,” he added.
Subsequent to this report appearing in Thursday’s print edition of The Clare Echo, Deputy Crowe moved quickly to announce that he was appointed by the Taoiseach to the party’s Northern Ireland and Good Friday Agreement Committee.
