Irish Election Literature

… what you maybe meant to keep…

‘Workers Party News and Views’ – Kildare 1990 October 14, 2009


In the late 80’s North Kildare was seen a major growth area of the Workers Party. In 1988 Catherine Murphy and Colm Purcell (who later joined Labour) had been elected to Leixlip Town Commission, although Murphy didn’t do brilliantly in the following years General and European Elections. The recently formed Maynooth branch get a mention at the back. Among them Fiachra O Ceilleachair who served as a Democratic Left and later a Labour councillor in Waterford. Also there is Geography lecturer Prionsias Breathnach who is still a regular contributor to various publications (as well as his own).

1989s marked shift in party policy is illustrated by the welcome given to Intel. Not just that but we have Catherine Murphy acting as a conduit for Intel recruiters. What we also see here is that Water Quality issues are not a recent thing!

 

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Emmet Stagg- Labour – Kildare 1989


A Socialist Emmet Stagg, complete with Starry Plough in 1989 . The issues mentioned and the organisations he is a member of tell us a lot about the time.

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Kildare Labour News- December 1989- Stagg, Howlin ,Kemmy October 2, 2009


This is an interesting little pamphlet where we have a Labour party ‘a socialist alternative’. Very much of its time in both the articles on the falling of Communism, The National Question, our Health Service, Women at Work and also the ads.
It also features some of the late Jim Kemmys poetry.
Click on the images if you have difficulty seeing the whole page.
kln1

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Gerry Brady, Mairead Byrne,Tim Cotter with Letter form Charlie McCreevey- Fianna Fail Celbridge LEA 1991 September 28, 2009


Charlie McCreevy sends a letter looking for support for the FF candidates in the area, Mairead Byrne,Tim Cotter and former TD Gerry Brady (husband of Aine Brady TD)

A flyer from Gerry Brady looking for the Toilets in Maynooth to be replaced (Weren’t they just knocked down in the end?) and saying there’d be no Road Tolls in Kildare.

 

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Alan Dukes, Bernard Durkan-Fine Gael Kildare 1992 September 19, 2009


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.

 

Euro 2004- Seamus Kirk mock GAA Programme. September 15, 2009


6th of June 2004 outside Croke Park… Westmeath are playing Dublin and Kildare play Wexford. Seamus Kirk and his team give out mock programmes. The Kildare and Westmeath lineups are listed as well as a message from Seamus in the middle, with a play on a slogan used by the Bank Of Ireland in its GAA themed ads.

Seamus uses the leaflet to copy an article from the Sunday Independent which tells the reader of his political career, his triumph over adversity and his GAA pedigree both on and off the field. You would do well to have something more tailored to your potential audience.

It’s very clever too as it covers a team from both matches and may well be looked at for the afternoon. Given that Westmeath beat Dublin that day (on their way to their first ever Leinster title), it may well have been held on to by a few Westmeath fans. Sport is theme used by many politicians to try to get the voter interested. (more on that another day).

You may also notice that the leaflet is printed by BCR press. (On the List of TDs expenses at   http://thestory.ie/2009/08/31/donation-to-tds-1997-2008/    BCR  contribute over €10,000 to Fianna Fail Meath TDs  Noel Dempsey and Johnny Brady).

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