Fine Gael candidate Brendan Brady from the 1997 General Election where he failed to win a seat in Dublin North West.
Brendan writes “… The Country has had its fair share of Fianna Fail Governments and the people have had enough of Golden Circles and scandals…” yet it was Fianna Fail that were voted in.
Lucinda Creighton From the 2007 General Election in Dublin South East. A Fine Gael Stronghold in Garret Fitzgeralds time, Fine Gael won no seat there in 2002. In the end it was Michael McDowells seat that Creighton took.
From the 1991 local elections. Donal Marren retained his seat and Barbara Culleton lost her seat. Colm Brophy, former President of Young Fine Gael, turned up again in 2008 when he was co-opted to South Dublin County Council and won a seat in Tallaght Central in 2009.
From the 1992 General Election, Dr Pat Lee of Fine Gael attacks Labour.
With the Spring led Labour party on the up, they were being attacked not just by Fianna Fail (an example) but by Fine Gael also.
Pat Lee (electionsIreland.org record) had originally been elected for Dublin Central, however due to boundary changes he ended up standing in Dublin North Central, where he lost his seat.
Items such as the Residential Property tax and means testing Childrens allowance get a run out as Fine Gael try to portray Labour as about to attack the middles classes again.
I got emailed these by a kind donor, apparently they are from Life Magazine.
First off the Posters are all pasted on to the wall in billboard slots, not a poster to be seen on the lamppost!
The 1948 election will be remembered for the coming of Clann na Poblachta. Here in Dublin North Central constituency. (Result from Electionsireland.org) they didn’t win a seat.
There is also a picture of Fine Gael Leader General Richard Mulcahy Fine Gael leader from 1944 to 1959. When Fine Gael did come to power in 1948 it was John A. Costello rather than party leader Mulcahy who became Taoiseach. This was due to Mulcahy having been in government during the post Civil War executions. In the 1948 government he held the role of Minister for Education.
Note how the Fianna Fail poster has been defaced with ‘And Emigrate!’.
The sender notes …”I found a TIME article about the election which stated that adulterating and appending derogatory statements to posters was a frequent occurrence during the campaign”
John Bruton stands for the last time in 2002 in Meath where he was elected on the 8th count. Former Taoiseach and Fine Gael Leader, Bruton resigned his seat to take up the role of EU Ambassador to Washington in 2004.
1994 and the Labour/ Fianna Fail coalition announce that they intend to introduce a ‘Property Tax’. The arguements here against the tax still stand, so its just as relevant today as it was in 1994. The 1994 tax seemed to take into account both the value of the house and the income of householders.
Joe Leonard, John Perry and Gerry Reynolds from the 1997 General Election in Sligo-Leitrim. With Ted Nealon having retired and Labours Declan Bree holding a seat, Fine Gael had a challenge to win a second seat. In the end John Perry and the Leitrim based Gerry Reynolds won seats, with Decklan Bree losing out.
John Perry mentions work having started on a 15 acre Tourism park in Ballymote. Was this completed?
Gemma Hussey and Godfrey Timmins from the 1987 General Election. Having been in government since November 1982 Fine Gael lost 20 seats in the 1987 election amongst them Godfrey Timmins. The advent of the PDs hit Fine Gael badly.
Gemma Hussey only served as a TD from 1982 to 1989 yet made an impact. Hurricane Charlie is mentioned too.
Mary Flaherty who at this stage had been a TD since 1981. She was also married to former Fine Gael TD Alexis Fitzgerald. She lost her seat in this 1997 election and retired from Politics. She was outpolled by her party colleague Brendan Brady who also failed to get in.
The long awaited Luas to the airport and Ballymun is amongst other things mentioned here.
It was here in the 2002 General Election that one of the Flaws of the electronic voting system was made apparent.
The result was just announced by the returning officer with little or no indication to the candidates as to their success. On live TV Nora Owen lost her seat without any prior indication that she had done so. It was deemed as cruel and the proposed system was changed to give updates after each count rather than just deliver the end result.
The Fact that Nora Owen was a Minister added to the drama.
The Leaflets below also show how Fine Gael were not exactly spendthrift given the promises listed.
From the 1997 General election, Ruairi McGinley and Gay Mitchell. Mitchell was returned with over a quota, McGinley failed to win a seat.
Another from the Alan Shatter stable of oddities, this time Alan Shatters X-Factor from the 2007 General Election…… Where he compares himself to Simon Cowell and more
It was quite a coup when Fine Gael secured Journalist and TV presenter, Mairead McGuinness on its ‘East’ ticket for the 2004 European Elections. A hard-fought campaign and rivalry between herself and Avril Doyle led to Fine Gael winning two of the three seats on offer. McGuinness topping the poll with just over a quota.
From the 1989 European Elections Leinster. Paddy Cooney and Charlie McDonald.
Cooney was Minister for Justice in the 1973 to 77 Coalition government and later served as Minister for Posts and Telegraphs, Minister for Transport, Minister for Defence and Minister for Education. He was elected to the Dail in 1970 for Longford Westmeath, lost his seat in 1977, regained it in 1981 and held it until 1989 when (in the election the flyer is from) he won a seat in The European Parliament.
Charlie McDonald had a number of spells in the Seanad and also in the European Parliament. He served one Dail term from 1973 to 1977 for Laois Offaly.
Fine Gael emphasised their link to the Christian Democrats to imply that they had a bigger influence than Fianna Fail in the European Parliament.
Not quite sure when this is from, as some of the press cuttings look to be from different years. Young Fine Gael went to the USSR, they called for State Funding for Parties, Weren’t too happy about a rugby tour to South Africa and lots more in the press clippings. Hugh Gillanders is listed as the National Youth Officer.
Athlone Town Councillor Mick O’Connell from the 2009 local elections. A fantastic take off of a certain brand of Stout. Also gets in the drink driving message and the local cab companies on the back.
(thanks to the sender)
A Lucinda Creighton Beer Mat posted Here
Irish Election Literature 
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