Niamh Bhreathnach in her first electoral outing in 1985. She was elected to the Dail for one term in 1992 and had a spell as Minister for Education.
Nice leaflet with running mate Kevin Cronins name stamped on.
Marian White -Workers Party 1991 LE -Blackrock
Two leaflets, the first coming after the election.
On the front Marian White thanks voters, she came within 28 votes of winning a seat in Blackrock (First Count Details Here). It illustrates the inroads made by the Workers Party at the time and the future potential.
On the reverse we have Eamon Gilmore proclaiming ‘In Dun Laoghaire The Workers Party are Winning’ detailing the vote increase and election of himself, Denis O’Callaghan, Colm Breathnach and how close Marian White came to being elected.
The Second leaflet was ‘and the last shall be first’…..
ACRA letter regarding ‘Local Government Service Surcharge’ 1985 Local Elections November 9, 2009
Letter from ACRA to householders in the Dun Laoghaire area during the 1985 local elections campaign.
Already only Eight years after Domestic Rates had been abolished by the 1977 Jack Lynch government, Local authorities were looking for ways to supplement their income.
Fianna Fail opposed the Local Government Service surcharge, Labour were split and Fine Gael proposed it!
Tony O’Toole, who signed the leaflet is/was very active in the movement to abolishing ground rents.
I’m curious if the Philip Gillick listed is the same Philip Gillick who was Justice Floods Tipstaff?
It would be an interesting coincidence, especially considering who and what was being investigated.
Kevin Fitzpatrick- Sinn Fein Dun Laoghaire -1989 November 6, 2009
Kevin Fitzpatrick who fought a number of elections for Sinn Fein in Dun Laoghaire in the 80s and early 90s. He was involved with the Concerned Parents Against Drugs and the Premier daries in Monkstown refered to is long gone.
‘We buy our homes and developers buy the big parties’-Eamon Gilmore -Workers Party-1989 Dun Laoghaire November 5, 2009
How apt was this, If all of the below propositions had been in place at the time, we may not be in as bad a state as we are now.
Its this 1989 election where Gilmore was first elected to the Dail.
Alan Dukes Led Fine Gael- Dun Laoghaire 1989 November 3, 2009
An Alan Dukes led Fine Gael in the 1989 General election. “Putting the Country First” was the Slogan. The Tallaght strategy is not mentioned by name but refered to as ‘The revolution of Consensus Politics’. The ‘Alan’ of his signature looks as if it may have a letter or two too many.
The familiar Barnes , Barrett, Cosgrave ticket was running for Fine Gael. Both Barnes and Barrett held their seats.
Richard Conroy, Mary Gray, Owen Hammond, David Kane- FF -Ballybrack 1985 November 1, 2009
One of Professor Richard Conroys runs for public office (He served in the Senate). Conroy has been involved in many exploration projects through various companies such as Conroy Diamonds and Gold and also Conroy petroleum.
From David Kanes profile you’ll notice a number of local issues such as Dun Laoghaire Baths that are still contentious.
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Geraldine Kennedy- PD- 1989 Dun Laoghaire October 31, 2009
The 1989 General Election where Geraldine Kennedy loses her seat. The profile of her on the reverse is interesting in that she was the PD spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Northern Ireland. She was also their chief whip and has a number of other plaudits there too.
Geraldine Kennedy -PD -Dun Laoghaire 1987
A sorry I Missed you card from a ‘stylish’, now Irish Times Editor, Geraldine Kennedy in 1987. Madams profession is listed as a Journalist, Larry Lohans as a Teacher and Helen Keogh as ‘Housewife’.
Kennedy served one Dail term and lost her seat in 1989.
Mary Hanafin -“A legislator for the 21st century” – 1997 October 30, 2009
The 1997 General Election and Mary Hanafin advertises herself as ‘A legislator for the 21st century’. She was first elected to the Dail in this election. She has a few words here for ‘The Elderly’…
Win £10 – ‘Dun Laoghaire People’ – Eamon Gilmore -Workers Party 1986 October 29, 2009
A couple of nice things in this from Summer 1986. A number of Workers Party ‘papers’ had the ‘People’ title. A ‘Dublin People’ was produced for the 1994 European elections and of course the Workers Party weekly paper was ‘Tomorrows People’.
This was produced in part as a reaction to the proposed introduction of Water Rates. There’s a great competition to win £10. I wonder how many entries B Maguire had through the door and indeed who won?
So on the front they were giving away money , however on the reverse they were looking for money! … Whilst others had big business and Unions to fund them, The Workers Party relied ‘entirely on contributions from our members, supporters and friends’.
874 houses in Dun Laoghaire didn’t have bathrooms, yet there were over 1000 on the dole. Why not get them to repair the housing stock?
Michael Quinn -‘Independent For Life ‘-Dun Laoghaire 1992 October 16, 2009
Michael Quinn was a pro- life Independent who later ran for the National Party. He polled over 1700 first preferences in the Dun Laoghaire 92 election.
He later became involved with the Democratic Right Movement.
Jackie Fahey letter and FF candidates (Fahey,Donal Ormonde, Brain Swift) Waterford 1987 October 7, 2009
From the 1987 General Election in Waterford.
A letter from Jackie Fahey who pleads with voters to help him out after the constituency has been redrawn.
Also Profiles of the 3 Candidates, Brian Swift, Donal Ormone and Jackie Fahey.
Brian Swift looks as if hes listed his mundane hobbies to fill space.
Faheys brithplace of Clonmel, County Waterford is still the postal address for some parts of West Waterford, such as The Nire and Ballinamult. Fahey and Swift won seats for Fianna Fail. That election also marked the election of the then PD Martin Cullen to the Dail and the defeat of Fine Gael TD Eddie Collins who had held a seat since 1969.
Ivor Callely 1992 Dublin North Central September 30, 2009
From the 1992 General election. A boyish looking Ivor Callely was ‘typical of the new generation of Public Representatives’ and ‘Always at your Service’.
Noel O’Hanrahan ‘Stop The Rot’ – Dublin North Central 1992 September 26, 2009
An unusual leaflet (and he had posters similar to the main picture around at the time too.) In 1992 he reckoned “.. by reducing expenditure on the border by 100 million pounds….creating 30,000 new jobs in Dublin from this saving…” Lots more good plans in the leaflet. Nice Dig at Taca in it too.
For his troubles Noel got 363 votes….. Still, its the picture at the front that makes it!
Barry Desmond -Labour Dun Laoghaire Feb 82 September 24, 2009
How times have changed…. Food Subsidies, AnCO and still no Garda Station in Ballybrack either.
Barry Desmond served 7 Dail Terms before in 1989 he was elected to The European Parliament for Dublin. He held a number of ministerial appointments and also served as deputy leader of the Labour Party. He then served on the European Court of Auditors.
Fianna Fail- Dun Laoghaire – Nov 1982 , David Andrews, Lady Valerie Goulding,Martin O’Donoghue and Owen Hammond September 23, 2009
Fianna Fail Dun Laoghaire November 1982.The line up including Lady Valerie Goulding.
How often, if ever has a ‘Lady’ or ‘Lord’ run for Fianna Fail? (Henry Mountcharles ran for Fine Gael in Louth in 1992 and later as an Independent for the Seanad.)
Included too are David Andrews, Owen Hammond and the supposed author of the infamous 1977 Fianna Fail Manifesto Martin O’Donoghue. David Andrwews won a seat, O’Donoghue lost his seat at this election as Fine Gael took 3 of the five seats in Dun Laoghaire.
It was also the first electoral outing of now Labour Leader Eamon Gilmore who stood for the Workers Party.
Click on Images to make them larger.
Slightly Bizarre… Pat ‘Abel’ O’Reilly- “You will never Vote Better” -1987 Dun Laoghaire September 18, 2009
There’s some pretty funny stuff in this…
First off he changed his name to ‘Abel’ O’Reilly to be top of the ballot paper. What alternative to alphabetical order would he have proposed?
I gather he was a member of the PDs and had sought the nomination, hence ….
“Sean Doherty TD has described the addition of Geraldine Kennedy to the PD ticket as Hitler Politics”
You’d never have guessed either that he was once a policeman in the US.
The Vote yourself into Money is quoted too, with his odds of being elected at 50-1. lots more odd stuff there too. He polled 233 votes.
Irish Election Literature 
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