Murray in the mix

FF ructions not surprising

Grape Vine
Michael Duffy
michaeduffy@mayonews.ie

THE fine results achieved by Sinn Féin in last week’s Northern Assembly elections have served as a timely reminder of the pivotal role which the party is likely to play in the upcoming election south of the border.
Currently, just five of the Dáil’s 166 seats are occupied by deputies from Gerry Adams’ party, but it seems one of the few certainties from the election is that that number will increase, possibly into double figures.
There can be no doubting that the party are targeting the Mayo constituency as a possible gain and in the last number of weeks it has emerged that Charlestown’s Gerry Murray will most definitely be a player at the business end of this election.
Cllr Murray’s campaign has been up and running for more than six months now and the groundwork done by the party faithful from Belmullet to Shrule would appear to finally be paying off.
The momentum for the inclusion of a Sinn Féin candidate in the race in Mayo came from the fine results which the party produced during the last local elections. All three councils in the county now have a Sinn Féin councillor, in the shape of Peter Clarke (Ballina), Dave Keating (Westport) and Noel Campbell (Castlebar), Campbell had toyed with the idea of contesting the Dáil nomination himself, only to step aside for the more senior Murray, and assume the role of Director of Elections instead.
Having representation on all four authorities in the county has obviously given the party a platform from where to divulge their policies and gain some credibility on the ground in the county. Murray too has added to this credibility through his contributions in Áras an Chondae. The former Fianna Fáil representative is a fine public speaker and most councillors will admit he is one of the most adept at taking on officials and asking the hard questions that have to be asked in the chamber.
However, Murray knows that he faces an almighty battle if he is secure a seat in the 30th Dáil. At the moment, it is anticipated that Michael Ring and Enda Kenny will be elected during the early counts and after that transfers will decide who follows them across the finish line. This is where Gerry Murray’s main problem will surface. The electorate would seem to be entrenched in their views at present - they either love or loathe Sinn Féin, and short of a few Fianna Fáil supporters in east Mayo, from where is Murray likely to get transfers?
His presence in east Mayo along with sitting TD, John Carty, and the high profile John O’Mahony means towns like Charlestown, Swinford, Ballyhaunis and Foxford are going to be hotly-contested. Murray will be reliant on a big vote in his native Charlestown in particular, where he has now leased his public house to concentrate on electioneering. Expect heavy-hitters like Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Mayo native, Caitriona Ruane to be on his shoulder in the coming weeks.