Irish Election Literature

… what you maybe meant to keep…

Eamon Gilmore -Workers Party -1987 General Election Dun Laoghaire May 15, 2010


From the 1987 General Election, the now Labour Party Leader Eamon Gilmore running for the Workers Party in Dun Laoghaire.
Although polling a respectable 4,054 votes he failed to get in. He did though increase from his November 1982 total and build on the winning of a Council seat in 1985. In the 1989 General Election he was elected.
The Roches Hill Compensation scandal referred to was where in 1986 the Council paid out £2.375 million in compensation for refusal of a residential development at Roches Hill in Killiney, the land had been bought for £40,000. To add insult to injury even after the compensation,the Council did not become the owner of the land.

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Larry Lohan -Progressive Democrats -Dun Laoghaire 1987 April 15, 2010


From the 1987 General Election in Dun Laoghaire, Progressive Democrat candidate Larry Lohan.With Geraldine Kennedy and Helen Keogh also on the PD ticket Lohan didn’t win a seat.
He was elected as a councillor in 1991 , Left the PDs stood again as an independent in 1999 and in 2009 stood for Fianna Fail but failed to win a seat.

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‘National Government -Our Only Hope’ Tom Sharkey -Independent -1987 Dublin South April 1, 2010


‘National Government -Our Only Hope’ wrote Independent candidate Thomas Sharkey running in the 1987 General Election in Dublin South.
Not many agreed with Thomas Sharkey as he polled 189 votes, even then getting more votes than 3 other candidates.

 

Roger Garland -Green Alliance -1987 Dublin South March 31, 2010


From the 1987 General Election in Dublin South the Green candidate Roger Garland. Garland later became a Ireland’s first Green TD in the 1989 General Election, before losing his seat in 1992.
He had also stood in the Ecology party’s initial electoral outing in November 1982 getting 950 votes in Dublin South.

In 1987 the Green Alliance policies were very much left of centre. There was no mention of such thing as Global Warming or depleting ozone layers. From memory of the times Acid Rain was what we were really scared of. The European Greens got a far bigger mention then in Green Literature, than they do now.
Reposting this leaflet as earlier Garland post had leaflets from 2 different elections.
Click on the images to make them more readable

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Christy Dunne, John Noonan -Sinn Fein -1987 GE Dublin South West March 29, 2010


From the 1987 General Election, Christy Dunne and John Noonan running for Sinn Fein in Dulin South West. Christy Dunne got 378 votes whilst John Noonan got 1001 votes. Neither were elected.
The Leaflet gives mention of the issues of the time, Unemployment , housing and the establishment of a 32 county Socialist Republic.

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Minister Martin Cullens First General Election. March 8, 2010


Martin Cullen Fianna Fail Minister retires
Reposting this to the front page.
A young Martin Cullen from his first General Election in 1987. Martin Cullen had been an Independent councillor(as his father had been too) before joining the PDs.
Here in 1987 he was ‘A fighter for Waterford’ …….
Martin was, amongst other things, looking for ‘……a more Professional Dail with fewer TDs….’
He switched to Fianna Fail after the 1992 General Election.

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Hugh Hall, John Guinevan -Progressive Democrats- Cork East 1987 March 7, 2010


From the 1987 General elections in Cork East, where the Progressive Democrats ran two candidates Hugh Hall and John Guinevan. Between them they got over 10% of the vote, however it wasn’t enough to see either elected.

 

Charles Haughey- Message to Electorate Fianna Fail 1987 February 26, 2010


The generic Fianna Fail 1987 leaflet which would have had candidate details inside. The Message from Charles Haughey to the electorate is interesting.
In similar enough times to now, Haughey had an emphasis on providing employment.
“..People are looking for leadership, for the restoration of confidence and better management of their affairs..”

*A 6 page version of The Programme for National Recovery’ is posted here

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Mary McAleese ,Gerard Brady, Michael Donnelly and Eoin Ryan -Fianna Fail -Dublin South East 1987 February 25, 2010


From the 1987 General Election in Dublin South East. The fianna Fail candidates of Mary McAleese, Gerard Brady, Michael Donnelly and Eoin Ryan.
Gerard Brady won a seat. (result at electionsireland.org)  
The profiles of all the candidates have items of interest.

For instance Mary McAleese was a member of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Delegation to the New Ireland Forum. Who remembers her now from her time on RTE Radio and Television. Eoin Ryan is a graduate of Kildalton Horticultural College.

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Eddie Collins, Austin Deasy -Fine Gael -Waterford 1987 General Election February 7, 2010


Fine Gaels Eddie Collins and Austin Deasy from the 1987 General Election in Waterford.
Having been first elected in 1969, Eddie Collins lost his seat in this election.
Austin Deasy, Father of John Deasy, was first elected in 1977 and served until 2002. He served as Minister for Agriculture from 1982 to 1987. He was behind attempts to remove both Alan Dukes and later John Bruton as Leaders of Fine Gael.
How many of the Factories listed as having Increased Government Grants still survive today?

 

Mairead Duchon -Tax Reform League- flyer 2 Dublin South 1987 February 5, 2010


The Tax Reform League candidate, Mairead Duchon from the 1987 General Election in Dublin South.
The Tax Reform League stood in the 1987 General Election (I’m not sure if they were a registered party). Aside from Mairead Duchon, who got 1253 votes, they fielded at least 3 other candidates.
Camella Cummins stood in Meath getting 636 votes.
Timothy Cahill stood in Dublin South Central and got 711 votes.
Patrick McKiernan stood in Cavan-Monaghan getting 1,868 votes.

Mairead Duchon Tax Reform League

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Eamonn O’Liatháin- Workers Party -Dublin South 1987 General Election January 20, 2010


Eamonn O’ Liatháin from the 1987 General Election in Dublin South. (O’ Liatháin at electionsireland.org).
He polled over 1000 votes. His membership of groups such as CND, The Irish Anti Apartheid movement and,support of ‘Nicaragua must survive’ tells much of the International politics of the time.
In the 1987 election The Workers Party doubled their Dail representation from 2 to 4.

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Gemma Hussey, Godfrey Timmins -Fine Gael- Wicklow 1987 January 7, 2010


Gemma Hussey and Godfrey Timmins from the 1987 General Election. Having been in government since November 1982 Fine Gael lost 20 seats in the 1987 election amongst them Godfrey Timmins. The advent of the PDs hit Fine Gael badly.
Gemma Hussey only served as a TD from 1982 to 1989 yet made an impact. Hurricane Charlie is mentioned too.

 

Ruairi Quinn “Achievements in Difficult Times” -1987 GE Dublin SE January 5, 2010


From 1987 Ruairi Quinn outlines the achievements of the Labour Government and himself in the previous four years, especially his time as Minister for Labour and Public Service.
It’s quite a good read,especially the final page which has examples of the Social Employment Scheme (SES) –which he set up in action. Also there is the work done by AnCO on the renovation and restoration of the Irish College at Louvain.
The “Did you know?..” lists some of the worthy achievements of Labour in government…. alas one “Politics have been taken out of planning” didn’t last too long.

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Padraig O’Neill -Independent -Dublin South 1987 December 20, 2009


‘Thatcherism has not Worked in the UK. It will not work in Ireland’ proclaims Padraig. Also shows the Tax rates of the times in a little chart. He got 142 votes….

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Paddy Gallagher, Tony Wright – Workers Party 1987 Waterford. December 8, 2009


Paddy Gallagher had briefly been a TD between February and November 1982 when won a seat from Fianna Fails Billy Kenneally.
In November 1982 Fianna Fail won the seat back.It had been felt that Gallagher hadn’t done enough to protect jobs in Waterford.
Aside from Fianna Fail Gallagher was also hit on the left by two Independent candidates, Terry Moroney who had been part of a march from Dungarvan to Dublin protesting against Youth Unemployment and also Thomas Brennan who had been formerly a leading light in the local Labour Party.
Brian O’Shea of Labours vote held steady at around 4% in both the February and November 82 elections.
Tony Wright was added to the 1987 ticket to cover the Dungarvan side of Waterford.

Amongst the policies listed in this 1987 campaign leaflet… The idea of an agricultural Development Authority seemed innovative and, as now, Health and Social Welfare cuts are part of the bigger parties plans. Plenty of other things of interest there also.

We also have the achievements of the Workers Party TDs in the previous Dail.

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Anne Colley -Progressive Democrat- Dublin South- 1987 December 5, 2009


Anne Colley, Daughter of George Colley, Granddaughter of Henry Colley (who lost his seat to Charles Haughey!) from the 1987 general Election.
With such a background it was no surprise when she joined the Progressive Democrats and subsequently topped the poll with well over a quota.
She lost her seat in the 1989 election and retired from politics.

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(Judge) Henry Abbott -Fianna Fail – 1987 Longford-Westmeath December 3, 2009


Another member of the judiciary with a political past, Judge Henry Abbott.
He had one term in the Dail in 1987 (where the specimen ballot paper below is from) before losing his seat in 1989.
Note Helena McAuliffe Ennis has her occupation as ‘senator and housewife’.
She was also the only Labour member of the Oireachtas to join the PD’s in the months after their formation.

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