A 2002 election flyer from Senator Joe O’Toole.
A Senator since 1987, O’Toole has also served amongst other things as president of ICTU, General Secretary of the INTO.
A prominent figure in both the media and the Senate, O’Toole has particular interest in amongst other things ,Education and Human Rights.
From the 1999 local elections in Rathmines ward. A flyer for Fianna Fail Candidates Loughlin Deegan and Michael Donnelly.
Loughlin Deegan a former President of the UCD students Union,
Michael Donnelly a former Lord Mayor and long serving councillor.
Michael Donnelly was elected.
One of Fine Gael candidate Leo Varadkars election flyers from the 2007 General election in Dublin West.
Leo claims to have been the only “..candidate…
…who has had to suffer the nightmare of commuting from Dublin 15 to the city centre, Tallaght, Crumlin, Beaumont and Swords for the past four years”.
…who has to pay management fees.”
Fine Gael were also going to introduced an SSIA type scheme for first time buyers.
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.
From the 1989 European Elections in Connaught-Ulster a Paddy Harte election flyer with the Fine Gael team of Paddy Harte, Angela Lupton and Joe McCartin on the back. Despite the ballot paperish look on the back there isn’t a ‘1’ beside Hartes name.
Donegal based Paddy Harte and Galway based Angela Lupton both failed to get in. The Leitrim based Joe McCartin retained his seat which he held from 1979 to 2004.
From the 2007 GEneral Election, Cork East Green Party candidate Sarah Iremonger.
Sarah Iremonger is a founder member of the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, She (along with many other Greens) is also ‘active on … the Anti Incinerator campaign…’
Sarah Iremonger polled over 1500 votes but failed to win a seat.
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.
From the 2009 Dublin South By Election. A larger version George Lee election flyer. Contains a now Brilliant message from Enda Kenny.
George Enda writes “…..has a proven and outstanding economic ability, a willingness to stand up to vested interests…” (Vested interests Like top FG people trying to keep their own patches?)
A Longer message from George Lee and lovely picture where Olivia Mitchell and Alan Shatter ‘endorse’ Goeorge Lee.
This time with a longer message from George Lee and also a longer message from Enda Kenny.
George Lee having resigned as RTEs economics correspondent was a huge capture for Fine Gael. He topped the poll and got in on the first count.
He resigned his seat on the 8th of February 2010, less than a year after his election.
(A rundown of Irish Celebrity candidates with their flyers)
George Lees election flyer.
From the 2009 Dublin South by-election Fine Gael poll topper George Lee. Lee at the time RTEs economics correspondent was a huge capture for Fine Gael.
I wonder would Enda be as enthused now? I always felt that Alan Shatter and Olivia Mitchell were grimmacing in the photo with George.
(Amongst other ‘celebrity’ candidates posted to date are Frank Mc Namara, Jeananne Crowley , Geraldine Kennedy and Orla Guerin)
An election flyer from The Labour Party in the 1992 General Election Campaign. With Dick Spring so popular the slogan is smaller and the picture of Dick dominates the page.
Looking back quite a few of the aims were done between 1992 and 1997.
From 1997. The Democratic Lefts Eamon Gilmore sends out a detailed leaflet about the 1997 Budget.
It’s interesting to look the tax allowances, tax rates, mortgage interest relief of the time. Also covered are the PRSI/Levies , various Social Welfare rates, Education and Health schemes.
Fianna Fail candidate Noreen Ryan from the 2007 General Election in Limerick East.
Despite Fianna Fail getting the bones of three quotas, the fact that Willie O’Dea got over 2 quotas meant that they only won the two seats and Noreen Ryan lost out.
Very clever electioneering by Lucinda Creighton of Fine Gael in the 2007 General Election in Dublin South East.
A Beer mat with a play on a common drink related slogan.
Another Election related Beer Mat posted here
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?
From the 2007 General Election, Eoin Tierney in Dublin South East where he received 102 votes.
(Thanks to the candidate for sending me this)
Independent candidate Dean O’Nualláin from the 1997 General Election in Dublin South Central. He received 80 votes.
With all the immigrants coming into the country he wanted Dubliners to be a higher priority than them.
The Now BBC journalist Orla Guerin from the 1994 European Elections in Dublin. Orla Guerin had been a journalist with RTE and was a national name.
She was added to the Labour Party ticket after the selection convention had selected The sitting MEP Bernie Malone, who had been co-opted to replace Barry Desmond.
Many within the party felt that Malone may struggle to hold on to the seat, especially under pressure from The Democratic Left and The Workers Party.
There was a great rivalry between Malone and Guerin and it added to the campaign.
In the end Bernie Malone won a seat, although Orla Guerin polled well.
Just posting this message from Garret Fitzgerald, to illustrate the state of the Country in the Feb 1982 election.
Irish Election Literature 
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