From 1992 , A post leadership Alan Dukes and running mate Bernard Durkan. Both were elected.
Alan Dukes has of course gone on to better things since such as his role with Anglo Irish Bank.
Alan Dukes, Bernard Durkan-Fine Gael Kildare 1992 September 19, 2009
PJ Coghill, Sean Fallon, George Ledwith, Kieran Molloy, Egbert Moran, Cieran Temple -Fianna Fail- Athlone LEA 1991
From the 1991 Local Elections in Athlone. Fianna Fail candidates PJ Coghill, Sean Fallon, George Ledwith, Kieran Molloy, Egbert Moran and Cieran Temple. A strange layout of the candidates in this leaflet. Its unusual that there are no names beside the candidates pictures.I’d hazard there haven’t been too many ‘Egberts’ put before the electorate either.
Roger Garland- Ireland’s First Green TD -1992 Dublin South September 18, 2009
Roger Garland made History when he became Ireland first ever Green TD in the 1989 General Election. He was elected in Dublin South. He lost his seat however in 1992. His first preference vote went from 4771 in 1989 to 2258 in 1992.
Here we have a 1992 flyer.
Willie Kennedy , Michael Lowry -‘Lowry Team’ – 2009 Thurles
This is from the 2009 local elections. The first bit of ‘Lowry Team’ literature to come my way.Willie Kennedy and Michael Lowry were both elected.
These days many Independents such as Lowry and Healy-Rae have small organisations around them that contest council elections. Thus with our clientelist sytem the TD can stay in touch with local issues and whats going on on the ground.
Divorce Action Group -“Vote Yes to Divorce” 1986 Referendum
Given that it was a contentious issue and parties were split by the issue, the main parties produced little on the 1986 Divorce Referendum.
This is a leaflet from the main Divorce pressure group of the time, The Divorce Action Group. Also refered to as DAG they had been founded in 1980.
Slightly Bizarre… Pat ‘Abel’ O’Reilly- “You will never Vote Better” -1987 Dun Laoghaire
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.
Tim O’Brien -Independent Socialist Dublin North 1997
From the 1997 General Election, running in Dublin North Independent Socialist Tim O’Brien. Tim O’Brien polled 376 votes and failed to be elected.
Here he lists religious figures, Peter McVerry, Sister Stan and Sean Healy as influences
The Workers Party – A Democratic Convention in Defence of Public Life from 1991
A proposal from the Workers Party to organise a Democratic Convention against Terror.
Its an interesting read.
John Colgan meets Esther Rantzen….but he has a past…..
You got your picture taken once with Esther Rantzen ….so have it as the centrepiece of your campaign for the 1991 Local elections…..
Wonder did the electors know you had your picture taken with Alice Glenn and Michael Keating 10 years earlier though?
Democratic Left 1997 Manifesto- ‘Make The Future Work’
A well produced booklet for the 1997 General Election. The Democratic Left had been in government for the previous 3 years as part of the Rainbow Coalition.
‘Dessie Can Do It’ -Progressive Democrats -1987 General Election
1987 was the PDs first Gerneral Election. There was a bit of a buzz about Dessie (another such as Bertie,Charlie and Garret that the electorate were on first name terms with). This shows what their initial policies were.
They included abolition of the Seanad and Ministerial Pensions……
Leaflet from Brian Lenihan “The People’s President” -1990 Presidential Election
In 1990 Brian Lenihan was the favourite for the Presidency…… Pee Flynns championing of stay at home mothers, the “on mature recollection” statement about phone calls in 1982 and other happenings led to the loss of the Presidency for the first time ever by Fianna Fail. Mary Robinson became our first female president.
It also ended Lenihans Ministerial career as the PDs called for his head on a plate…. and Charlie duly obliged..
The Below doc has a lovely photo of Lenihan lovingly gazing at Haughey…. the man who would sack him months later. In the family photo you may spot Conor Lenihan with hair and a young Brian junior amongst others.
Referendum Commission- Introductory Nice Leaflet ‘The EU and How it works’ September 17, 2009
As I’m on an EU Referendum buzz…..
I couldn’t find this on the Referendum Commission website nor elsewhere online. Its a leaflet delivered to each house entitled ‘The EU and How it works’. (or at least worked prior to the Nice Referendum).
Its done in a simple manner and is pretty good in giving the reader a grounding into ‘The EU and How it works’ prior to the Nice Treaty.
Young Fine Gael- Yes Yes Yes To Amsterdam
A leaflet produced by Young Fine Gael for the 1998 Referendum to ratify the Amsterdam Treaty
There was a bit of fuss when this Young Fine Gael Leaflet came out. Not about the content but about the cover….. the content was full of possible double entendres….
Young Fine Gael Yes to the Amsterdam Treaty.
The National Platform – No to Maastricht – ‘Seven Good Reasons for Voting No’ from 1992
Given the proximity of Lisbon 2, I figured I’d post stuff from previous European Referendums (or is it Referendi?).
Here is the National Platform asking us to Vote NO to Maastricht. with Seven good reasons to do so.
As you can see it’s roughly the same core arguments used for each European Referendum…
The Convenors of the National Platform are listed as Raymond Crotty and Anthony Coughlan. It was a court case taken by Raymond Crotty that led to us having a Referendum to ratify each European Treaty.
Fine Gael – Yes To Nice Treaty
Given the proximity of LIsbon 2, I figured I’d post stuff from previous European Referendums (or is it Referendi?).
Heres Enda asking us to Vote YES to Nice….
As you can see its roughly the same arguements for each European Referendum…
Fine Gael 1987 – ‘Guaranteed Irish Jobs’ Leaflet.
Election 87 after five years in Government Fine Gael play on the highly popular (and important) slogan of
the time ‘Guaranteed Irish’. They had inherited a country in bits and some of the text such as “You’ve worked hard- don’t throw it all away” gives an idea of the sacrifices the public (or the PAYE sector) were making. Mind you there was still an awful long way to go….
We have the front page, the middle pages which are “What Fine Gael have done” and “What Fine Gael will do”
Amongst what they had done was… “Started the first ever reform of the Public Service”,”The Anglo-Irish Agreement”,
“Biggest road building programme ever” and so on.
Amongst what they would do was “Build regional sports centres”. Also with regard to creating jobs- “get fares down further and increase tourism”. There were no low budget airlines back then. The low budget was the supabus to London, which many had taken but not come back.
1987 was also the Progressive Democrats first General Election.
Roscommon Hospital Action Committee -Tom Foxe 1989
The Roscommon Hospital Action Committee (H.A.C.) was founded in 1977 and still has a number of councillors (Paula McNamara and Valerie Byrne) in Roscommon today. Eithne Quinn stood for the HAC in the 1987 General Election but failed to be elected. However in 1989 Tom Foxe stood for the HAC and was elected. Below some of his literature from that election. (I have some of his later literature also). He was re-elected for the new constituency on Longford-Roscommon in 1992, however lost his seat in 1997.
Aside from the Hospital issue the Leaflet illustrates some of the issues in the West at the time.
Irish Election Literature 
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