Galway voting public deserves reasons why Seoighthe resigned
Bradley Bytes - A sort of political column by Dara Bradley
In September 2013, when former Galway West TD, Brian Walsh was expelled from Fine Gael, voters knew it was because he opposed the Government’s abortion legislation.
He was readmitted 10 months later. And when he resigned from the Dáil, months before the 2016 General Election, Walsh cited medical grounds for quitting politics.
When his former constituency colleague, Éamon Ó Cuív, resigned as deputy leader of Fianna Fáil in the Spring of 2012, nobody was in any doubt that it was because he disagreed with party leader Micheál Martin’s stance on a European treaty.
Whether supporters of Walsh and Ó Cuív liked it or not, they were at least kept informed about their rationale. That’s as it should be. When you are paid by the public purse, you are answerable to the public.
The same was true of former Galway City Councillor, Owen Hanley, who resigned from the Council, and Social Democrats, in January 2023.
The party’s first ever councillor in Galway cited “serious accusations” levelled against him online for his decision to step away.
Politicians resign for many reasons. They leave or change parties for many reasons. But whether it is due to policy, or for personal or health reasons, or whether there are other factors at play, the public has a right to know.
This brings us to Galway City Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe, who recently left the Social Democrats.
As of July 31, she has been an Independent or non-party councillor.
Why? We do not know. She deflected in a statement to Galway Bay fm, when expressing ‘disappointment’ at her departure being leaked to the Irish Times. She apparently said ‘no comment’ to the Galway Advertiser when asked if her resignation had anything to do with the controversy over Dublin TD Eoin Hayes. She circulated a statement to this newspaper, which did not give reasons for resigning, and ignored an invitation to explain more.
Media has moved on, and that’s fair enough. But Seoighthe was elected in City Central on the 11th count in June 2024, with almost 600 votes. And she garnered 2,172 first preferences in November’s General Election, before being eliminated on the 10th count, with almost 4,000 votes.
Many of those voters backed her because she was a Soc Dem — and they are entitled to an explanation from Eibhlín Seoighthe as to why she has left.
Pictured: Former Social Democrat now Independent City Councillor Eibhlín Seoighthe, pictured with Galway West TD, and Presidential hopeful, Catherine Connolly, at the General Election count in Salthill last December. Seoighthe has remained tight-lipped about why she quit the party.