The face of Galway politics changes - as Connaughton says he's retiring
Date Published: {J}
The face of Galway politics is changing as it hasn’t done in years – first there was the retirement of Labour’s Michael D. Higgins TD, and on Tuesday came that shock announcement that Fine Gael’s Paul Connaughton TD is calling it a day.
The retirement of Connaughton, after more than 30 years in Leinster House in the Senate and then the Dail, removes one of the best known names in Galway politics.
But the moves will now be on among the big Connaughton camp following in Galway East to get Councillor Paul Connaughton Jnr. on to the ticket and elected in a constituency where FG have consistently shared the Dail seats 2-2 in recent elections.
‘Young Paul,’ as he is known in party ranks, was elected a Councillor for the Ballinasloe area in the Local Elections of 2009, where he started by topping the poll in the district with over 2,500 first preferences. It was the way anyone would have wanted a new political career to start and the Connaughton troops will now be out in a bid to ensure that ‘the youngster’ succeeds his father in a political dynasty that has one of the most formidable political machines in the west.
But there has been one hell of a battle ongoing in FG circles for the nominations and all the Connaughton experience, influence and delegate-courting abilities will have to be used in the coming weeks to ensure that ‘Young Paul’ makes it on to the FG ticket at a time when the FG vote must be up in the constituency.
In East Galway, FG are nurturing thoughts of winning three-seats-out of four, which will mean that Paul Connaughton’s call to FG Leader Enda Kenny to tell him of his retirement, will have come as a bit of a shock to Kenny and party planners who always ‘chalked down’ Connaughton as one definite winner over the years since 1981 when he first entered the Dail after a few years in the Senate.
Paul Connaughton senior’s withdrawal means that the front runners now for FG nominations as candidates are: Ulick Burke TD, Senator Ciaran Cannon, Councillor Paul Connaughton Jnr. (Mountbellew), Councillor Tom McHugh (Tuam), Councillor Michael Mullins (Ballinasloe) and Councillor Peter Feeney (Athenry).
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.