Sinn Fein candidates Pat Doherty, Dermot Guy and ‘gifted orator’ Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin from the 1989 European Elections Connaught-Ulster constituency. (The result from electionsireland.org). Pat Doherty is now an MP whilst Caoimhghin O Caolain is the Senior figure for Sinn Fein in the Dail having been first elected in 1997.
Sinn Fein at the time were anti EC (EU) , the issues covered in related to Connaught-Ulster indicate the state of the country at the time.
From the 1989 European Elections Leinster. Paddy Cooney and Charlie McDonald.
Cooney was Minister for Justice in the 1973 to 77 Coalition government and later served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Minister for Transport, Minister for Defence and Minister for Education. He was elected to the Dail in 1970 for Longford Westmeath, lost his seat in 1977, regained it in 1981 and held it until 1989 when (in the election the flyer is from) he won a seat in The European Parliament.
Charlie McDonald had a number of spells in the Seanad and also in the European Parliament. He served one Dail term from 1973 to 1977 for Laois Offaly.
Fine Gael emphasised their link to the Christian Democrats to imply that they had a bigger influence than Fianna Fail in the European Parliament.
Sinn Fein Candidate Anne Speed from the 1989 European Elections in Dublin where she polled 11,582 votes (2.58%), down from the 14,604 (5.17%) achieved by John Noonan in 1984.
Sinn Fein are still anti EC in 1989. “Sinn Fein is the only party standing in this election saying that there is an alternative to the EC…”
Also “Please transfer your preferences to other anti-EC candidates” Presumably this meant to Ray Crotty.
Chris O’Malley was Co-opted to replace Richie Ryan in the European Parliament in 1986.He then lost his seat here in 1989. The Reference to being an Expert on 1992 is to down with the Single European Act where Europe was to be a Single Market by 1992. His fluency in French and German may have been a dig at some of the Mark Killilea stories that were about at the time.
Chris O’Malley later surfaced as a Labour Councillor on Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council having been co-opted to replace Eamon Gilmore.
He lost his seat the following year in the 2004 local elections.
A Letter from Bobby Molloy to voters from the 1989 European election campaign. He polled well but failed to win a seat finishing 5th.
Molloy First elected to the Dail in 1965, was one of the first Fianna Fail Politicians to join the newly formed Progessive Democrats in 1986. He retired from politics prior to the 2002 General Election in a controversy over representations made in a rape case.
Click on Image to enlarge
Eileen Lemass- Daughter in law of Sean Lemass and Sister in law of Charlie Haughey. Here she mentions the Sean Lemass connection, but not the Haughey one.
The Double jobbing reference is a bit rich considering that she had a spell from 1984 to 1987 double jobbing as both an MEP and TD.
I presume the double jobbing jibe was against Prionsias de Rossa and Mary Harney who both stood for the Dail the same day.
Eileen Lemass failed to retain her seat .
In 1989 both the General and European Elections were held on the same day.
Both Lalor and Fitzsimons were elected here as Fianna Fail held its 2 seats, despite a drop in the Fianna Fail vote since the 1984 Euro Elections.
Laoisman Paddy Lalor, previously a TD for Laois-Offaly since 1961 had been elected to the European Parliament in 1979. Lalor, in his time, had served as a Minister for Posts & Telegraphs and Industry and Commerce.This 1989 election was to be his last. Lalor was a noted hurler and was part of the 1949 Laois team that won the Bob O’Keeffe Cup (Leinster title).
Meathman Jim Fitzsimons, who had briefly been a Minister of State in 1982, had been elected to the Dail in 1977. He stood in four European Elections from 1984 to 1999.
There were high hopes that both Michael Enright and Catherine Murphy could put down a marker for future Dail progress. A General election was held on the same day and it was hoped that their candidacy in the Euro Elections would give them a boost.
Although the Workers Party vote increased from 1984s Euro Election, both candidates lost their deposits with a combined 4.38% of the vote.
In the General election Enrights vote actually fell, whilst Murphys 1,520 vote was decent enough in the circumstances (An ‘Army Wives’ candidate, Carol Tiernan also stood in Kildare polling 2,690 votes, some of which would have gone to Murphy).
The thorny issue of party policy towards Farmers must have also had an impact on the vote. “Reorganisation of Agricultural production…”
wasn’t the policy to have rural voters flocking to the party. Also we had another new party ‘Logo’.
The 1989 Euro elections, a breakthrough as Proinsias DeRossa wins the seat. The style and content of this leaflet was refered to in ‘The Lost Revolution’. The centrepiece where he has the three people was novel at the time.
“Sean is from the Southside ..Dolores is from the Northside..” I wonder where they are now?
Also the leaflet is addressed to my family rather than to each of the then 5 voters in the house. Similar for the Workers Party General election Candidate, probably illustrates how tight funds were at the time.
Sean Doherty and Mark Killilea from the 1989 Euro Elections. Killilea was elected. Doherty will always be associated with the phone tapping scandal and later on that interview on Nighthawks’ that led in part to Haugheys downfall…. and yes I did pick the second leaflet off the ground.
Ray (Raymond) Crottys 1989 leaflet. It was Crotty who took the case that stopped the Dail ratifying the Single European Act, so it is because of that Supreme Court Judgement we now have Referendums on all EU treaties…. How those in power must rue the day he took that case.
He was also an opponent of Irelands entry into the EEC. The Trustees listed are a varied and interesting bunch in Kevin Boland, Hubert Butler, Desmond Fennell, Noreen Kearney, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, Matt Merrigan and Senator John Robb.
Neil Blaney was originally elected as a Fianna Fail TD in 1948 (a by-election caused by the death of his Father Neal Blaney). After a successful Ministerial career, he was sacked from cabinet over what led to the ‘Arms Trial’. It wasn’t though until 1972 that he was expelled from Fianna Fail for ‘conduct unbecoming’.
Neil Blaney then set about the foundation of the Independent Fianna Fail organisation in Donegal. He was returned 8 times to the Dail and twice to the European Parliment. After his Death in 1995 the subsequent by-election was won not by his Brother Harry, but by Cecilia Keaveney, daughter of former Independent Fianna Fail TD Paddy Keaveney….
These are from the 1989 Euro Elections. I have three different leaflets with the same picture but different slogans. The back of each leaflet was different and where you will get an idea of the policies and the experience of the man. His ‘Record’ reads like a historical document of the 50s, 60s,70s and 80s.
In an age where most politicians were members of GAA clubs, Blaney continued the tradition of soccer in Donegal as he had a spell as President of the FAI. You will also see the ‘Troops Out’ heading, Blaney was unashamedly Republican.
Irish Election Literature 
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