Fianna falls from glory

The Fianna Fáil organisation in Co. Cavan is licking its wounds this week after taking a hammering in the local elections. The results throughout Co. Cavan saw the party lose control of Cavan County Council for the first time in history, as well as losing power on Cavan and Belturbet town councils. There was small reprieve for the party as it retained power sharing on Cootehill Town Council with Fine Gael. At the time of going to print, Fianna Fáil stood to lose a third seat on Cavan County Council in the Belturbet area if a challenge by Seamus McGahern for the final seat is unsuccessful against Sinn Féin"s Damien Brady. The seat in this area was previously held by Cllr. Anthony Vesey, who is now an independent candidate and failed to secure re-election to the county council. In a shocking snub of the party in Belturbet town, just one Fianna Fail candidate was returned to the town council - newcomer Liz McDermott. Five independents have now taken control of Belturbet Town Council, while the three sitting Fine Gael candidates were returned. In Cavan town, the government party lost the seat on Cavan Town Council previously held by the late Veronica Sharkey and by Dr. Eamon McDwyer who has now retired. Fine Gael"s Jacqui Lewis, who missed out on a seat by six votes last time out, now holds the seat. Four Fianna Fail councillors on Cavan County Council have lost their seats, including party whip Clifford Kelly in the biggest shock of the elections in the county. The other casualties were TP Smith in the Cavan area, Michael McCarey and Francis McDermott in Bailieboro. Sitting Fine Gael councillors Freddie Kettyle in Bailieboro and Mary Brady in Ballyjamesduff also lost their seats, as did former Fianna Fáil Cllr. Anthony Vesey. With the exception of young Fianna Fáil candidates performing exceptionally well and bucking the national trend including Shane P. O"Reilly, John Paul Feeley and newcomers Niamh Smyth and Fergal Curtin, Fianna Fáil took a real bashing from the electorate. Other newcomers to the council chamber include Fine Gael"s Val Smith, David Blake, John O"Hare and former Cllr. Dessie Boylan. All sitting Sinn Féin TDs were returned. Speaking to the Anglo-Celt, Clifford Kelly said: 'I will return.' Thanking his supporters, voters, party colleagues and family members, Mr. Kelly said that he was hurt, not by losing the election, but by an alleged smear campaign against him, which included the distribution of a letter making certain claims about him. 'It is my intention that I will be putting an advertisement in the Anglo-Celt giving a €5,000 reward for the conviction of those who drafted and posted that letter,' he said. Interestingly, Fianna Fáil polled 41.4% of first preference votes in the Bailieboro electoral area, compared to Fine Gael"s 42.8% and Sinn Féin"s 8.4% But despite the fact that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were neck and neck on first preferences, Fianna Fáil lost dramatically on transfers to take just two seats in Bailieboro compared to Fine Gael"s four and Sinn Féin"s one in Paddy McDonald. Speaking to the Anglo-Celt in Cootehill, the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith, said that some party candidates had suffered as a result of tough Government decisions that had to make for the long-term benefit of the country. 'They are not popular decisions and naturally our party candidates felt the brunt of the disappointment of the electorate,' he said. Minister Smith was in the Dáil yesterday afternoon, by the Taoiseach"s side, defending a motion of no confidence in the government put forward by the Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny. Overall on Cavan County Council, Fianna Fáil"s first preference vote was down 6.4% on the 2004 local elections, while Fine Gael increased its first preferences by 1.7%. The Sinn Féin vote was down by 0.8%, though the party fared well on transfers. Labour increased its vote by 0.8% on 2004.