Carty swipes at O’Mahony

Carty aims swipe at O’Mahony

Michael Commins

IN a swipe at his political opponent, John O’Mahony, Deputy John Carty has said that if the people want to elect ‘another TD in Roscommon’ that’s up to them.
In an interview with The Mayo News, the county’s only sitting Fianna Fáil TD says he is confident of being returned to Dáil Éireann on the back of work and delivery over the past five years and adds: “If they want to elect another TD in Roscommon, that’s their job if that’s what the people want but I have worked hard since I got in.”
The ‘Roscommon’ remark is clearly directed at John O’Mahony who resides in Ballaghaderreen, and is likely to draw a quick response from the Mayo football manager who is hoping to win a seat for Fine Gael in the Mayo five-seater in a few weeks’ time.
This is one of the first major clashes between the party candidates as, up to now, much of the tension and wrangling has been within both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael where it is well known that the ‘team’ game has been left on the sideline. There are serious tensions in both parties and party officials are struggling to keep them below the surface.
Carty concedes he has extra opposition on his home turf with a three-way battle between himself, John O’Mahony and Gerry Murray. “It definitely puts extra pressure on me. Gerry Murray in Charlestown is standing for Sinn Féin and John O’Mahony in Ballaghaderreen is standing for Fine Gael. There is always tension coming up to an election. There will be ‘border crossings’ and all of that. It’s good to have some tension as it gets people up and out. It’s part of the cut and thrust of politics.
“I honestly think the first two seats will go to Michael Ring and Enda Kenny and after that it will be a bloodbath for the next three seats. I think I should be in there myself and I also think Ballina should elect a TD this time. If that happened, somebody has to lose.”