O’Mahony confirms move to Galway-West

THAT WINNING FEELING?John O’Mahony celebrates winning the All-Ireland Final with Galway back on September 23, 2001. He now hopes to use his connections in the county and secure a seat in the Galway West/South Mayo constiuency in next year’s General Election. Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

O’Mahony confirms move to Galway-West


Opening in east Mayo causes tension in Fianna FΡil

Áine Ryan

HE may be the most cautious of political shape-shifters but after months of speculation Deputy John O’Mahony has confirmed he will seek a Fine Gael nomination for Galway-West where he will fight next year’s General Election. His hand was effectively forced after a boundary commission reduced the Mayo constituency from a five to a four-seater and moved part of his south Mayo heartland into Galway West.
The constituency carve-up meant he lost about 8,000 potential voters from an area that stretches from Ballinrobe to The Neale, Shrule, Cong and Kilmaine.  Moreover, some polls would suggest that Fine Gael’s blue tsunami of 2011 will not be repeated in Mayo where the Government party returned four out of five TDs in 2011.  
Speaking after his much-expected decision, John O’Mahony said he believed his ‘participation in the Galway West contest will be positive for voters. I also believe that this is in the best interests of Fine Gael’.
“I am committed to my part in helping the party to win the maximum number of seats in the next General Election so we can continue our job in Government in the best interests of the Irish people,” he said.
Sitting Fine Gael TDs in the five-seat Galway West constituency are SeΡn Kyne and Brian Walsh, while Senator Hildegarde Naughton also hopes to contest. Fianna FΡil’s Éamon O Cuív, Labour’s Derek Keating and Independent, Noel Grealish are the other sitting deputies.  
Mr O’Mahony said both constituencies shared similar issues and that he would continue to honour his mandate to the people of Mayo until the next General Election.  
He confirmed that his office in Claremorris would be maintained and that he also now intended to open an office in Ballinrobe.
If political analyst Dr Adrian Kavanagh of NUI Maynooth is correct, John O’Mahony – based on his extrapolations from this week’s Red C Sunday Business Post – may have a very slim chance in Galway West with only one Fine Gael candidate being returned. Kavanagh’s predictions from the poll claim there will be one Fine Gael politician returned, one Fianna FΡil (Éamon O Cuív) and three Others.
Interestingly, his calculation from this poll is different from earlier predictions. It suggests that Mayo will return three Fine Gael TDs and one Fianna FΡil.

Strategy
MEANWHILE, O’Mahony’s move has left a vast area of east Mayo open for other candidates. There has already been a debate among grassroot Fianna FΡilers that they should run a candidate in the area. It has already been confirmed that sitting TD Dara Calleary and Castlebar-based solicitor, Lisa Chambers will be on the ticket. However, party HQ has strongly challenged a three-candidate strategy and is liaising with local members about the issue.
In March The Mayo News revealed that a meeting in Castlebar of over 200 delegates from east Mayo won a vote to run three candidates. Dublin based solicitor, Leonard Ryan originally from Knock, was their preferred candidate to contest the election for the area, it emerged. Reportedly, party headquarters is concerned such a strategy would push Lisa Chambers too far down the line to be elected.