Keaveney gracious in defeat
THE rumour mill had been running at full steam in the run-up to the election with talk of the intense rivalry between Anne Rabbitte and her running mate Colm Keaveney – but as the dust settled on Saturday evening, the former Labour man was gracious in defeat.
He paid tribute to all of the candidates who had put their names forward for election but had special words of praise for Anne Rabbitte.
“She’s been a really good candidate and a great mother to her children and she’ll be a worthy representative for East Galway. I was involved in her move to stand for the County Council and she has done a wonderful job. I wish her well in Dáil Eireann,” he said.
The only hint of frustration from Keaveney was in the 2012 revision of the constituencies that reduced seats from four to three and also sheared off natural parts of the Galway East constituency from places like Dunmore, Mountbellew, Caltra and Ballinasloe.
“I don’t have any regrets. When I left Labour in 2012, I predicted the way things were going in Government that we would end up with a divided society and that’s the way it worked out. I always felt that Fianna Fáil were going to do well in this election and so it proved to be,” said Colm Keaveney.
He is certainly not convinced about the impartiality of the constituency carve-up that he felt amounted to ‘political gerrymandering’. Like Paul Connaughton, he knew that he would be ‘up against it’ when the seats were cut from four to three.
“As to my future, I’m certainly not making any decision this evening. I’m proud to have worn the jersey [Fianna Fáil] but next week I’ll be able to bring my children to school — I’ll take a little time out and catch up on some time at home,” he said.
Sean Canney’s geographical proximity to Colm Keaveney was always going to make it difficult for the two of them to be elected. Years back, Mark Killilea always maintained that Tuam and its surrounds would only ever elect one TD.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.