Bonfires, bubbly and the Obama links as FG celebrate West Galway victory

There were bonfires in Mervue on Friday night, and a few bottles of bubbly were broken out among the 150 supporters who gathered at an open-air celebration of Fine Gael’s two-seat victory in Galway West.

It was the first time in 29 years the party had taken two seats in the five-seater, though, truth to tell, some of them were still pinching themselves to make sure it was all true.

For, during the four days of counting in Galway West, there were times when it looked like the elusive prize might just slip through their grasp and Independent Catherine Connolly might take that second seat because FG simply had too many candidates in four.

Privately, there are many who still question the idea of running four candidates (Brian Walsh, Sean Kyne, Fidelma Healy-Eames and Hildegarde Naughton), as inherently dangerous. They had a few very bad moments when Catherine Connolly went seriously ahead, but then Fidelma Healy-Eames delivered a vital transfer, not to speak of Brian Walsh’s small but vital surplus.

I have to say, however, that former TD Padraic McCormack never lost the faith in FG taking the two – through Brian Walsh and Sean Kyne – but, even as he predicted as early as Sunday morning that ‘it will be close but FG will take it,’ he was asking me outside the count centre in Leisureland if I knew if there was a 12.30 Mass in Salthill!

Quite a few of the FG handlers headed for Mass, but they were off their knees, however, in Mervue on Friday night as a victory cavalcade of cars made its way through the area ..... local followers of Brian Walsh TD, and indeed admirers of his late father Councillor Pascal Walsh, had lit bonfires and a big crowd gathered on the green as the bottles of bubbly were opened.

Then the party moved on to The Trappers, on the Tuam Road, where one of the guests of honour was Billy Lawless, home for two weeks from Chicago to work with Brian Walsh, but celebrating an historic win, and preparing for his return flight to Chicago.

Billy is one of the most successful restaurateurs in Chicago, but dropped everything to be home for the election campaign to work for Brian Walsh ...... and he is looking forward to another in US in the not-too-distant future. For Billy is a close personal friend of the Obama family, has been a guest in the White House (along with his City Council buddy Councillor Padraig Conneely), and President Obama has his bid for re-election looming up.

Billy Lawless became friends with Michelle and Barack Obama years ago when the Obamas were living in Chicago and Michelle Obama had a law practice in Chicago, just down the street from The Cage bar, which was owned by Lawless.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.