Peter’s Mayo gamble falls over constituency review

The runners and riders in the Galway West constituency have been keeping a close eye on the Fianna Fáil stable’s newest jockey, Peter Keane.

He was a non-starter last time out, choosing instead to watch from the stands – a wise decision given the Fianna Fáil colours, associated with economic collapse, were toxic with punters.

But the party is likely to be treated more favourably by the handicapper at the next general election, as an amnesiac electorate allows itself to contemplate backing the Soldiers of Destiny again.

That’s why Peter is eager to get into the saddle, alongside stablemate Éamon Ó Cuív, the perennial front-running favourite in this tricky renewal where the first five past the post go on to Dáil Éireann.

Signalling that even if the official white flag hasn’t yet been raised, the race to become Galway’s next TDs has well and truly started, Peter Keane was spotted wining and dining with his political supporters at the Ballinrobe Races.

Though he’s more tried and tested on city ground, his latest foray into less familiar country ground, north of the border, set tongues wagging that the solicitor was setting the early pace by angling for votes in the South Mayo section of the constituency.

He needn’t have bothered, as it turns out. The day after Peter was spotted schmoozing with the Fianna Fáil faithful at Ballinrobe racecourse, the review by the Constituency Commission dealt a blow to his early manoeuvring for position by taking large swathes of voters from South Mayo, including Ballinrobe and Garrymore, out of Galway West.

Keeping enemies closer

There was jockeying for position of another kind back in the city on Saturday, as local politicians made fools of themselves, vying for the attention of An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar.

The Blueshirts were ‘bating’ each other black and blue trying to get closest to the Fine Gael party leader, who had an ‘informal’ walkabout at Galway Docks to coincide with SeaFest.

It was his first official engagement in the city since succeeding Enda Kenny and the party’s local glitterati were beside themselves with excitement, hovering round him like flies over cow dung.

Cathaoirleach of Galway County Council, Eileen Mannion, and Galway West TD, Hildegarde Naughton were most eager, and appeared surgically attached to his shoulder all day, side-lining the city’s new mayor, Pearce Flannery, and Junior Minister Seán Kyne, who were left trailing in their wake.

Hypocrisy is par for the course in politics, but FG aficionados were mightily miffed that the pair shadowing Leo closest – Eileen and Hildegarde – were the very two local public representatives who publicly backed Simon Coveney in the leadership contest.

Cleary, the duo felt they’d some ground to make up on the local Leo loyalists in the ass-licking department.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.