Michael Commins
THERE is growing unrest among sections of the Fine Gael organisation in Mayo over the role played by some prominent Mayo GAA activists in the recent General Election campaign. The matter was further aggravated at the weekend when a south Mayo branch held a victory social in Cross at which newly-elected TD, John O’Mahony, was the guest of honour and to which it is alleged that no invitations were extended to party leader Enda Kenny or Deputy Michael Ring.
A party source told The Mayo News that there was ‘considerable annoyance’ over the fact that invitations had not been extended to two of the three party TDs elected for Mayo and that the event in Lydon’s of Cross also clashed with the Mayo Constituency Fine Gael Victory Social in the TF in Castlebar on the same night.
“I think it is time that the GAA in the county pulled back from such blatant involvement in the political scene in Mayo. There is a lot of concern about this and a lot of Fianna Fáil supporters are very annoyed about it too. People are certainly entitled to have their own views but sport and politics should not become intertwined in the way that has happened in Mayo over the past few months. The GAA should stay out of politics.
“There was considerable annoyance that Enda Kenny as party leader was not asked to the party night in Cross and that Michael Ring, who has served that area so well for the past 13 years and whose territory it was for the party in the recent election, was not asked to attend. It was a sore point with a good many party members who were at the celebration night in the TF. There is growing tension under the surface over the way this whole issue has been allowed to develop,” said the party source.
