From the 1991 Local Elections Fine Gael candidate Sam Carroll. Carroll failed to win a seat in the Glencullen ward.
Sam Carroll is a well known face around the Foxrock/Deansgrange area.
Sam Carroll -Fine Gael – Glencullen 1991 LE February 21, 2010
Mary Jackman -Fine Gael -1998 Limerick East By-Election February 20, 2010
From the 1998 Limerick East by-election ( won by Labours Jan O’Sullivan) the Fine Gael candidate, the then Senator Mary Jackman.
Mary Jackman stood for the Dail on 5 occasions but was never elected.
Pictured with Michael Noonan (who was yet to be Party Leader) most of the issues are local to Limerick.
leaflet from Jim Mitchell -Fine Gael- 1994 European Elections February 17, 2010
From the 1994 European Elections in Dublin, Fine Gael candidate the late Jim Mitchell. Despite his popularity, his colleague Mary Banotti won a seat for Fine Gael.
Mitchell, despite a long career in Politics is remembered by many for his role as chair of the Dail Public Accounts Committee.
Paddy Kavanagh ‘Free Draw’ -Fine Gael -Enniscorthy 2004 Local Elections February 12, 2010
From the 2004 local elections Fine Gael candidate Paddy Kavanagh. He was standing in the Enniscorthy LEA for Wexford County Council and for Enniscorthy UDC. He was elected to the UDC.
Paddy Kavanagh had been co-opted onto the council to replace Ivan Yates.
I wonder how many entries he received for the competition, the draw took place a week before the election. Given the size of the electorate there must have been good odds on winning. He was also looking to see what the most important issues for voters were.
George Lee as a Team Player….in 1981! February 11, 2010
Found this clipping and given the criticism of George Lee that he wasn’t a ‘Team Player’ , here he is in 1981 on the Ballyboden St Endas Junior Football team!
12 reasons to vote for Leo Varadkar -Fine Gael 2007 General election- Dublin West February 10, 2010
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 -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.
‘You gotta have …’ Paddy Harte, Angela Lupton, Joe McCartin -Fine Gael 1989 European Elections Connaught-Ulster
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.
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.
George Lee -Poster size leaflet (with great message from Enda)-Fine Gael 2009 Dublin South February 8, 2010
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 Lee -Fine Gael -Dublin South By-Election 2009
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)
Lucinda Creighton’s Beer Mat -Fine Gael -2007 GE Dublin South East February 7, 2010
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
Eddie Collins, Austin Deasy -Fine Gael -Waterford 1987 General Election
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?
Give Garret the go ahead Feb 82 February 5, 2010
Just posting this message from Garret Fitzgerald, to illustrate the state of the Country in the Feb 1982 election.
‘Good morning to a Better Ireland’- Jim O’Leary -Fine Gael -2007 Dublin South February 2, 2010
As positive looking a leaflet as you’ll find. Fine Gael candidate Jim O’Leary from the 2007 General Election in Dublin South.
Despite it being mass produced, the smile on the candidate and the “P.S if your number 1 vote is committed, please give me your highest preference” make it almost personal.
Liam Cosgrave – Fine Gael – Dun Laoghaire 1989 February 1, 2010
The now disgraced former Fine Gael TD Liam T. Cosgrave from the 1989 General Election in Dun Laoghaire.
From a Fine Gael dynasty, Liam T Cosgrave is son of former Fine Gael leader and Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave and also grandson of another former Fine Gael leader W. T. Cosgrave.
Having lost his seat in 1987 Liam Cosgrave again failed to win a seat in 1989 despite having won the fourth most first preferences in a five seat constituency.
In 2003 he resigned from Fine Gael, after evidence in the Mahon tribunal heard that Cosgrave had accepted illegal payments from property developers in return for voting to rezone property in Dublin. In 2005, Cosgrave pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to disclose to the Standards in Public Office Commission a political donation of £2,500 received from lobbyist Frank Dunlop. He was sentenced to 75 hours Community Service.
Leo Cox -Fine Gael -2004 LE Roscommon January 31, 2010
Rooskey based Fine Gael candidate Leo Cox from the 2004 Local elections. Leo Cox stood in the Strokestown LEA but failed to win a seat on Roscommon County Council.
Michael O’Dowd -Fine Gael – Louth 2004 Local Elections January 27, 2010
Michael O’Dowd, brother of Fine Gael TD Fergus O’Dowd and publisher Niall O’Dowd from the 2004 Local Elections in Drogheda. He won a seat.
Irish Election Literature 
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