From the 2009 Local Elections in the Galway West ward Fianna Fail candidate Val Hanley. The ‘Straight Talking’ Val Hanley polled 499 votes and failed to win a seat. He is the proprietor of the Hanley Oaks Hotel and Murty Rabbits Bar on the West side of Galway.
A Sinn Fein Leaflet from the 1998 Assembly Elections. The referendum on the Good Friday Agreement had been passed a month earlier.
We have pictures of Gerry Adams with Bill Clinton and with Bertie Ahern. There is a confidence in the wording.
Amongst the items in the leaflet, Sinn Fein were ….
‘working to ensure … the right of Irish citizens in the north to:-
-Send representatives to Leinster House.
-Vote in Presidential elections.
-Vote in Referendums.’
many thanks to the donor
From the 2007 General Election in Kildare North, Independent candidate Doctor John Corish.
Amongst his polices, he was looking for a 500 Bed Teaching Hospital in Naas and a New Medical School for NUI Maynooth.
He polled 234 votes.
From the 2004 European Elections Independent candidate Marian Harkin running in the North West constituency where she topped the poll. She is pictured with Pat Cox. She was a TD at the time and notice how her substitutes were Paudge Connolly and James Breen.
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.
From the 2009 Local Elections a letter from councillor Clare Daly urging voters to vote for The Socialist Party candidate Terry Kelleher in Balbriggan. She also asks voters to vote for Joe Higgins in the European Elections.
Terry Kellher was elected to Balbriggan Town Council.
Click on the image to make it larger
Many thanks to the donor who writes…..
Sean Downey ran for Sinn Féin in the 2009 local elections for Newbridge Town Council and Kildare County Council. He was the first SF candidate in over 20 years in the town and recieved 662 votes in the county and 245 in the town, Sean was not elected.
Also included are the Sinn Fein European Election candidates Kathleen Funchion and Tomas Sharkey.
From 1992 Fianna Fail candidate Batt O’Keefe running in Cork South Central. Batt O’Keefe was re-elected having lost his seat in 1989 and has held it ever since.. He had been elected on this his first attempt at the Dail in 1987.
In 2004 Bat O’Keefe was appointed Junior Minister at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. In 2008 Brian Cowen appointed him as Minister for Education and Science and in 2010 he was appointed Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation.
He played in the half forward line in Corks Munster Under 21 winning Gaelic Football team of 1965.
From the 1970s a selection of images of Republican Clubs and Sinn Fein posters kindly sent to me by a donor.
An Anti EEC poster presumably from the 1973 Referendum (with the Slogan Fight your corner – Don’t Emigrate), a poster criticising The Cosgrave Government , a Republican Clubs poster and one also for the Freeing of all Political Prisoners.
This version of Sinn Fein / Republican Clubs was the precursor of Sinn Fein The Workers Party which became The Workers Party although I’m not 100% sure they all are.
Two wonderful and unusual posters for Independent candidate Seamas O’Neill for the 2009 Local Elections in Dundrum.
Seamus O’Neill polled 603 votes and failed to be elected. Still his posters were very noticable for their uniqueness during the campaign.
(many thanks to Seamus O’Neill for sending me these at the time)
From 1992 Progressive Democrat Michael McDowell bids to regain his seat, won in 1987, lost in 1989, in Dublin South East. Its polling day and this is has arrived overnight. It’s a practice that isn’t as prevalent as it used to be.
Over his career Michael McDowell never held his seat for more than one Dail term. (Michael McDowell at electionsireland.org)
From the 1997 General Election the dashing Fianna Fail candidate Dick Roche.
Amongst other things we learn that Dick was the ‘first Irish winner of United Nations Human Rights Fellowship, 1978’. It was Dicks lobbying that got a new sewage plant in Greystones.
Theres plenty more in the leaflet which appears to be tailored towards the Greystones area.
A flyer from the Cork South Central Green Party candidate,the now Senator, Dan Boyle from the 1992 General Election.
It was his first General election and he polled 1,166 votes.
A few nice lines about building houses rather than motorways, fundamental changes in our taxation system and looking after the young and the elderly.
Another from the Alan Shatter stable of imaginative/ corny leaflets. This time from the 2007 General election campaign. The jacket slung over the shoulder and the silhouette of it in reverse on the back…..
The pink almost takes away from the serious issues he mentions.
Originally elected to Kildare County Council as an Independent, the Late Kate Walsh joined the Progresive Democrats in 2000.
In 2002 , the highly respected candidate polled 3,919 in Kildare North but failed to win a seat. Kate Walsh was appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern in 2002.
Kate Walsh passed away on the 24th April 2007
From the 1997 General Election in Dublin South Gerard Dolan who recieved 75 votes.
I doubt if POW were a registered party.
Dolan planned to ask voters each month their views on issues that were to come up in the Dail.
It was an idea later used by Ross O’Mullane in the 2009 Dublin South by-election.
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.
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.
Irish Election Literature 
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