A Leaflet from well known singer (and founder of the RISE Foundation) Frances Black who is running for The Seanad as an Independent on The Industrial & Commercial Panel.
Her website
Many thanks to the sender
Leaflet from Frances Black – Industrial & Commercial Panel #Seanad16 April 14, 2016
Flyer for Sean Ardagh, Sonny Knowles, Gerrard Mullally and Seamus McGowan -Fianna Fail -Terenure -1985 Local Elections March 24, 2014
From the 1985 Local Elections a flyer for Sean Ardagh, the ultimate celebrity candidate Sonny Knowles, Gerrard Mullally and Seamus McGowan who were running for Fianna Fail in Terenure. Sean Ardagh and Seamus McGowan were both elected. I’ve included the result below also.
Many thanks to the sender.
“Keeping it Real” -leaflet from Kenneth Egan -Fine Gael – Clondalkin February 13, 2014
A leaflet from Olympic medalist Kenneth Egan who is running for Fine Gael in Clondalkin.
Many thanks to the sender.
“Lets make the seat count” -Barry Caesar Hunt (Ex Apprentice Contestant) -Independent -Dublin West By-Election November 2, 2011
From the 2011 Dublin West By-Election the Litir Um Thoghchan from former Apprentice contestant Barry Caesar Hunt who was running as an Independent. He polled 775 votes.
Geraldine Kennedy (large leaflet) -Progressive Democrats – Dun Laoghaire 1989 General Election March 11, 2010
The now editor of The Irish Times, Geraldine Kennedy running for the Progressive Democrats in the 1989 General Election in Dun Laoghaire. Having been elected in the 1987 General Election in the wave of PD success, Geraldine Kennedy lost her seat in this 1989 General Election.
You will see reference to Mr Haughey getting an overall majority, a theme later revisited with success in 2002 due to their ‘Single Party Government – No Thanks’ posters and leaflets. Also covered are local issues such as the Shankill bypass and Dun Laoghaire Harbour.
You will also notice The ‘agreed agenda for action with Fine Gael’. Its forgotten now but the PDs went into the 1989 election with a pact with Fine Gael.
Brody Sweeney -Fine Gael -Dublin North East 2007 February 9, 2010
Brody Sweeney election flyer
From the 2007 General Election in Dublin North East, Fine Gael candidate Brody Sweeney. It was seen as a coup to get the O’Briens Sandwich man on board.
Although polling well, it was his party colleague Terence Flanaghan that won a seat for Fine Gael.
An Irish ‘Celebrity’ Candidate rundown (with links to their election flyers)
So Kenny Egan has finally taken the plunge and announced that hes running for Fine Gael in the Local Elections. I thought I’d update this post on celebrity candidates. There have been quite a number of candidates with public profiles before they ran for election. Some with success, others with a total lack of success.
There are those who were Celebrities or well known to the public prior to going for election.
Amongst those from Television and stage came Orla Guerin , Frank McNamara, Pat Cox, Mairead McGuinness, Jeananne Crowley, Donagh MacCarthy-Morrough, Ted Nealon ,former RTE reporter Mary McAleese and of course George Lee. There were singers too like Dana , Sonny Knowles ran for Fianna Fail , as did TR Dallas (Tom Allen). Of these Cox, McGuinness, Dana, Nealon, Allen and Lee had success at the polls
From Sport came such GAA men as Barney Rock, Seán Flanagan, Tommy Murphy, Jack Lynch, John Doyle, Seamus Kirk, Paddy Lalor, John O’Leary, Michael Donnellan, Graham Geraghty, Tony Dempsey , ex GAA president Sean Kelly , John O’Mahoney , Kerry legends Mick O’Connell, Joe Keohane and Jimmy Deenihan. Rugby gave amongst others Dick Spring , Gerry ‘Ginger’ McLoughlin and Jim Glennon.
From other walks of life came Eamon McCann, Christine Buckley, , Tom Parlon , Shane Ross, Fergal Quinn, Colm McEochaidh, Geraldine Kennedy, Brody Sweeney, Mick Wallace,
, Adi Roche, Nuala Fennell, Colm O’Gorman, Mannix Flynn, Olive Braiden and Ivana Bacik. Of these Parlon, Kennedy, Flynn, Wallace, Fennell, Ross and Quinn all had success
There are those that become Celebrities partly from Politics
The likes of Jackie Healy Rae , Richard Boyd-Barrett , David Norris , Luke ‘Ming’ Flanaghan and the Late Bernie Murphy.
Those that became more well known in the media after political careers or election attempts
Such as Noel Whelan and Ivan Yates
The Judiciary is another area with a lot of ex politicians or election candidates,
Judge Henry Abbot, Michael White, Adrian Hardiman, George Bermingham, Pat McCartan , Seamus Hughes
There are candidates too that gain national prominence for a small time because of their posters.
Recent examples would include John Brackenand Clifford T Reid.
Kenny Egan is by no means the first and will by no means be the last ‘Celebrity Candidate’. Celebrity does not mean electoral success either. Oh and here he is on the front of a Fianna Fail newsletter…..
On the other side its rare enough that you will have Celebrities endorsing Politicians or Parties here. Duncan Stewart has done some work with the Greens.
Here John Stafford is endorsed by such luminaries as Dickie Rock and Barney McKenna. Whilst here John Colgan has a picture of himself with Esther Rantzen.
In the 2010 UK election each party had Celebrity backers.
For instance from Coronation Street Vera Duckworth and Ken Barlow backed different parties.
Labour had a leaflet with endorsements from amongst others Alex Ferguson, Ross Kemp, Eddie Izzard, JK Rowling and Patrick Stewart.
‘Orchestrating a better Future’ -Frank McNamara- PD -Dublin South Central 2007 February 3, 2010
Former Late Late Show pianist Frank McNamara from his 2007 General Election campaign in Dublin South Central. He polled 474 votes (result at electionsireland.org)
‘Orchestrating a better Future’ has to be one of the corniest slogans around.
The aim to “cut income tax to 18% and 38%” seems a long way away now.
Jeananne Crowley -PDs- Pembroke 1991 October 16, 2009
Actress Jeananne Crowley in her one forray into politics standing for the PDs in the 1991 local elections. She didn’t win a seat but got over a thousand first preference votes.
You’ll need to click on image to see it in a fuller size
Irish Election Literature 
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