Someone remarked that the two local Fianna Fail candidates, Anne McEllistrim and John Joe Culloty pulled off something of a coup by having party leader, Micheal Martin at their disposal for so long.
Anyone who thought Fianna Fail is on its knees locally would have to think again if they encountered the tour de force by the faithful in Castleisland on Friday afternoon.
Spring was in the air and in the steps of the canvassers as they dipped in and out of shops and private dwellings along the main street.
The party leader gladly posed for photographs every few steps along the way. He fixed himself in Tom Brennan’s Barber’s Chair and slipped inside the counter at The Meat Centre to pose with John O’Keeffe and Jerome Stack.
All the while the handlers were making sure their man and woman was where he / she should be all the time – as the
Carly Simon song goes. But this had nothing to do with vanity – there’s an election looming and the candidates are developing that stare again.
Neutrals – if such an animal exists within the political system – noticed the tension between the Culloty and McEllistrim camps. One seasoned campaigner was amazed at how it revealed itself – to the point of naked aggression at times.
Overall, the canvassers were pleased with the reception they got at the doors and on the street here. There’s great credit due to them. They stand up to be counted and if they fall on the appointed day – then it’s in full view of the public.
There are times when you’d be inclined to think that the term ‘Blood Sport’ was coined, and too kind a description, for what’s involved in politics. It’s all going to make an interesting last five or six weeks to polling day.
