FF haven't gone away you know but FG can 'sense' power within weeks
Date Published: {J}
There was a unique opportunity in Galway in the past week to look at the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael party machines, and followers, in action – both welcoming their respective leaders to Galway and both taking a trot down the main street.
The difference was quite palpable. In the case of Fianna Fáil it was a party with its vote under pressure but fighting a good campaign. The mood was businesslike and determined. Micheál Martin says they believe they can hold on to their two seats in Galway West and East.In the case of the Fine Gael crowd, you could tell they were people who sensed they were heading for power – barring disasters. There was a ‘buzz’ among the crowd that only comes with the prospect of success.
Accompanying the candidates – Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames, Councillor Brian Walsh, Cllr Sean Kyne and Cllr Hildegarde Naughton – they had waited in the pouring rain for an hour for Enda Kenny, but their spirits were not dampened.
One presumes the reason Kenny was late was that Lough Atalia Road was closed that afternoon. From a traffic point of view Galway always ‘hangs on a knife edge’, and one major road closed leads to disaster. Which means there is something to be said for Frank Fahey pursuing that outer bypass campaign of his!
Kenny was openly talking of two seats out of five in Galway West, a gain of one. He said they would retain two out of four in Galway East – and he wasn’t ruling out the possibility that one of the Fianna Fáil seats in Galway East could be vulnerable to Fine Gael or Labour.
And, despite the entry of Independent Michael Kilcoyne into the race in five-seater Mayo – Kilcoyne was a poll topper in the Castlebar area in the Local Elections –Kenny still thought that FG winning an unprecedented four out of give in Mayo was a real prospect.
It was confirmed as a possibility the following morning with a new opinion poll showing FG just a few tantalising points short of four quotas, but Kenny might need to do some vote management on his predicted 37% of the first preferences on his own!
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.