Cllr Tom O’Callaghan, Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy and Cllr Pat Daly.
FIANNA FÁIL MEMBERS HAVE KEPT faith with their sitting trio of councillors in the Ennis Municipal District by opting to select them on the ballot paper for next year’s local elections.
Hotel Woodstock hosted Monday’s selection convention of the Ennis Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceanntair which was chaired by Cork North-West TD, Aindrias Moynihan (FF).
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) was joined at the top table by Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Templemore’s Tim Maher who is on the party’s national executive, Kevin Considine the party’s chair in Ennis and Angela Coll the Ennis branch’s PRO acted as secretary for the convention.
A total of 109 votes were cast for the convention with 75 to 80 people in attendance when the results were announced.
Exact votes were not revealed to the membership but Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) received the highest amount of votes. She was elected on the first count along with Cllr Pat Daly (FF).
Colleran Molloy’s surplus resulted in the election of Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) on the second count plus the elimination of Antoinette Bashua Baker (FF) and Amanda Major (FF).
Highlighting the anticipation surrounding the convention was the attendance of Cllr Pat Hayes (FF) and Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) in Ennis along with a handful of members outside the Ennis Fianna Fáil Comhairle Ceanntair.
Addressing the convention, Cllr Colleran Molloy admitted it was “hard to think it was five years since we were here last and I was asking for the opportunity to represent you for a second term”. First elected in 2014, she told the gathering, “I am pleased to say that after ten years in the role, the fire is still in the belly to go again”.
Quin native Clare welcomed the competition for places on the party ticket and expressed particular pride as the party’s only ever female councillor in Clare that more women were putting their hand up to represent Fianna Fáil, “we’ve had a competition here tonight, it has come about because two other females wanted to represent Fianna Fáil in the Ennis Municipal District, that is to be applauded because in other parts of the county there is a struggle to get candidates to come forward”.
She was confident a “progressive strategy” would be put forward by the party in their bid to retain three seats in the Ennis MD. The Ballybeg resident said the backing of members for the selection convention was “an overwhelming vote of confidence, it was clear in the numbers”. She added, “we must be a confident optimistic and progressive county and you have to have councillors to reflect that ethos”.
“Democracy was done tonight,” Cllr Daly remarked. “I’m one of these old fellas going around Ennis trying to plámás people and trying to get favours done but I’m surviving,” he added. He referenced the threat of Sinn Féin to Fianna Fail, “I believe they peaked two years ago, I believe we will beat them in the local election and the general election but we have to be wary”. Selling three Fianna Fáil candidates to the public in the electoral area is the challenge, the longest serving of the councillors in the Ennis MD stated.
To get confirmation that he was an official candidate for the local elections was a moment of delight for Cllr O’Callaghan. “One of the hardest things when you put name out there is that you are putting yourself out there,” he said. “I have made it my business since I was co-opted when saying I’d do something that I would do it,” the Kildysart native commented of his work on the Council since taking the seat of Mark Nestor last year.
O’Callaghan took time to remember his late grandfather Michael Lawlor who he described as “a dev man” from Ballynacally. “We’re now a team and our objective has to be to bring those three seats back, I will do everything I can to achieve that”.
To get a nomination was an honour, Hermitage native Antoinette reflected. “Even though I was not successful I have committed to the Fianna Fáil party and I am conscious that I’m among people who have given a lifetime of service”. She said the work of Mark Nestor over three years “reignited the importance of Fianna Fáil to the Cloughleigh community”. She committed to working with the successful candidates when it comes to canvassing next year.
An engineer, Amanda who contested the 2019 local elections as an Independent and was unsuccessful contested O’Callaghan for the co-option to the Council last year paid tribute to the membership for allowing her forward. “It is a great experience standing here and being nominated to run, I’m grateful and I will keep working with the Fianna Fáil house and the councillors that we have, I’ve never shied back and I’ll keep pushing”.
Senator Dooley told the convention of his confidence that the party would retain all three seats next year. He gave sincere thanks to Amanda and Antoinette for prompting a contest, “it is about democracy, you could have said there’s three candidates there and there’s no chance for me, if everyone took that approach Fianna Fáil would dither and die”.
Of the three selected candidates, he said, “I’m not surprised you would come through with the level of support you have and I won’t be surprised when you’re re-elected because each of you have shown tremendous commitment to public service, you put it ahead of your families and you are it in day and night, you are regularly in the media and doing work behind the scenes”.
Dooley added, “Now we have a campaign and each of the three of you have committed to together, yeah there can be tension, me and Cathal have tension from time to time but you can’t have one trying to undermine the other, there has to be respect”.
Sinn Féin’s approach was also referenced by the Mountshannon native. Although he didn’t name check them, he said they “have a solution for everything and they have an eleven second soundbyte for everything, it is soft language, I was brought up being told that if it is too good to be true then it is”. He encouraged the councillors to challenge the electorate when they reference the promises of other parties.
Micheál Martin’s (FF) role as leader was hailed by Senator Dooley. He said by analysing the opinion polls, the respect for the Cork man was evident. “Micheál Martin has worked tirelessly in opposition and Government, he doesn’t dangle carrots, he is a honest broker, the sub text behind polls, they have seen he is an honourable decent man and is fair”.
Deputy Crowe praised the capability of Colleran Molloy, the experience of Daly and how O’Callaghan has “excelled” since entering the Council Chamber. He recalled how a single vote nearly dented his aspirations of getting on the ticket for the Council election back in 2004. Councillor’s do not get paid enough, the Meelick native commented for their high workload.
Election time is welcomed by many people in the Crowe household, he quipped, “Clare, Pat & Tom supported me in 2020 and I will return the favour next year, my wife always looks forward to election time because I lose weight burning shoe leather”. He told delegates a wise present for any of the candidates would be a pair of walking shoes as he urged them to row in behind them when it comes to canvassing.
In his address, Deputy Crowe praised the work of the party’s Ministers, Norma Foley (FF), Stephen Donnelly (FF) and Darragh O’Brien (FF).
A spread of members “across all ages, rural and town,” was observed by Deputy Moynihan. “It is a great sign of Fianna Fáil strength that we have so many strong candidates contesting for those seats next summer,” he said.
Concluding proceedings, Kevin Considine stated, “the turnout shows there is interest, we’re not gone away and we’re here to stay”.
