Another Judge who had a Political Career was Pat McCartan. Elected initially in 1987 for The Workers Party, he retained his seat in the 1989 General Election.
McCartan was One of the Six TDs that formed Democratic Left in March 1992. This Leaflet is for the Novemver 1992 election where he lost his seat. The list of organisations he is associated with is very much of the time, CND, The Irish Anti Apartheid movement etc. The DLs 7 point plan is there also.
This was sent to me by the wonderfully helpful Maureen O’Sullivan. Its over a year on from the letter and 9 months since Tonys Passing on the 2nd of January. I gather it was his last communication with all his constituents. Gracious and humble as ever.
Maureen O’Sullivans literature has the same picture of herself and the Late Tony Gregory as that on the Gregory Leaflet.
The newly formed Democratic Left give the arguments for a No to Abortion, Yes to Travel and Yes to Information. The leaflet also gives a background as to why we had the referendum.
As the debate over the X case and the right to information gained momentum, SPUC (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children) put this four page leaflet (complete with graph) out regarding Information. The referendum hadn’t yet been announced, but there was undoubtedly going to be one regarding Abortion Information as well as the other issues.
The 1992 abortion referendum had 3 separate ballots. The first regarded Abortion itself. The Second was to do with the Right To Travel and the Third was to do with the Right to Information.
The ‘X’ case led to the referendum. Its odd that they had the referendum date wrong on the leaflet.
The thing that strikes me when reading this is …
Have the reasons to vote in favour actually happened and if they have ,have they made a positive difference?
are we any closer to a “..just and equal Europe for all”?
His last of four attempts at winning a Dail seat, the now Judge Michael White poses with Tomas McGiolla and Prionsias De Rossa. He polled a respectable 13% of the vote in the By-Election. He is one of a number of our judiciary that have electoral records, amongst them George Birmingham, Henry Abbott, Adrian Hardiman and Pat McCartan.
This is a poster, I had at home, advertising a meeting to be held on the 12th September 1985 against the ‘Free’ State pay Freeze. A public sector pay freeze had been announced and the ‘Workers and Unemployed Movement’ had organised the meeting. During that period the North Star Hotel was a regular venue for such meetings, it appears to have fallen out of fashion these days. The Blue Tac marks in the corners are due to it being hung on my bedroom wall for a number of years.
The ‘Workers and Unemployed Movement’ was part of the Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist). Attached also in the post is the cover of Marxist Leninist Weekly dated September 4th 1985 giving a background to the meeting. Many thanks to Conor for taking the time to get that and helping me link the CPI-ML with the meeting. Thanks also to the others that helped make the link between the ‘Workers and Unemployed Movement’ and the CPI-ML .
Ben Briscoe was elected in 1997, despite according to this letter , not putting up posters on lamposts.
Charlie McCreevy sends a letter looking for support for the FF candidates in the area, Mairead Byrne,Tim Cotter and former TD Gerry Brady (husband of Aine Brady TD)
A flyer from Gerry Brady looking for the Toilets in Maynooth to be replaced (Weren’t they just knocked down in the end?) and saying there’d be no Road Tolls in Kildare.
‘Outspoken’ on the issue of Halting sites, Tony Kelly was elected in these 1999 local Elections for Fianna Fail in Dundrwum polling 1,108 votes. He lost his seat in 2004 and failed again in 2009.
This is from the 2009 Dublin Central By-Election (He may well have stood elsewhere too.)… I love the way they are Anti Bin Tax .
Note too where the candidate mentions that he is the Nephew of Chief Justice Rory O’Hanlon!
This is a Survey that was attached to the Progressive Democrat 1992 General Election manifesto. Some interesting questions and also interesting that the proceeds derived from telephone calls were going to the Rape Crisis Centre.
From the 1997 General Election a leaflet from Michael D. Higgins running for Labour in Galway West. The leaflet sings the praise of the Rainbow and lists their achievements in Galway.
An Edition of Socialist Student from 1991. It was to be the “Autumn of Action”…. Features an article by Prionsias De Rossa “…I see no role for the Workers Party as another middle of the road populist party, trying to be all things to all people“…. He writes, Months before the Split.
A wonderful looking Super Hero called ‘Condoman’, alas we cant make out his full catchphrase. A Trip on “The Condom Train ” is advertised too.
The article on the condoms mentioned Student Referendums in Maynooth on the condom issue. These may well bring back memories to those who studied there at the time. It was always my regret that I never took one of the “Self Control -Not Condoms” posters to add to my collection…
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!
Pamphlet advertising a meeting in Cork in 1995. “Peace Through British Withdrawal”. Indicates Sinn Fein policy of the time , “Central to the resolution…. they will have to withdraw from our country….”
Irish Election Literature 
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