Will Cowley make a Dáil comeback?

Will Cowley make a DΡil comeback?


Áine Ryan

HAS Dr Jerry Cowley put the cat among Mayo’s political pigeons?  And will his surprise bid to return to DΡil Éireann come up smelling of red roses (symbol of the Labour Party) whenever the much-touted General Election ultimately takes place.
According to veteran Fine Gael TD, Michael Ring, there will only be one Fianna Fail TD left standing in the county after the next political bloodbath, with Fine Gael taking the other four seats.
Clearly that calculation does not include Cowley in the frame.
Last night Deputy Ring refused to be drawn on the former Independent TD’s future political fate. All he would reveal to The Mayo News was his surprise at the announcement.
“I am surprised Jerry Cowley has returned to politics and I am even more surprised he has joined the Labour Party,” Michael Ring said.
Jerry Cowley’s surprise move to the Labour Party was announced at the beginning of its conference, held in Galway last weekend. Speaking at the conference, the Mulranny based GP and qualified barrister said he ‘had always thought Labour but had acted independently’.
“I’ve found my true home at last and I’m here to stay’, Dr Cowley said at the weekend.
He also revealed that over recent months he had engaged in extensive discussions with the Labour Party and envisaged, that if elected, he may well be sitting at the cabinet table in the next government.
Afterwards, Dr Cowley told Mid-West Radio:“It’s certainly challenging to be entering into what some people call the bear pit of politics. It’s really about supporting the people of Mayo. People are very angry about what’s happening in the country generally. I think when the next General Election comes around people are going to want to change things around. And I can see no better way of doing that than by supporting a Labour candidate.”
Interestingly, Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne last night confirmed that he was approached to rejoin the Labour Party in recent months, ‘before moves were made towards Dr Cowley’. Cllr Kilcoyne said, if he throws his hat in to the upcoming election, he will not be constrained by party policies, as the people are his priority.
Cowley’s legacy
A longtime community activist, and founder of the Safe Home programme for elderly Irish emigrants, Jerry Cowley was the first TD to be elected in Mayo in 2002. Bonfires were lit all over west Mayo and Achill, as the Ballina native was swept to power with a resounding 8,709 first preference votes and 13.72 per cent of the vote. However, it was Michael Ring who actually topped that poll with 9,880 first preferences and 15.56 per cent of the vote.
Five years later, however, the results were dramatically different. Eliminated after the sixth count, Cowley only achieved 3.407 first preference votes.
During his period in office Jerry Cowley was a strong advocate of community concerns about the Corrib gas project. At last weekend’s conference, he told delegates that while he would help if there were safety issues for local residents it was time to ‘move on’. An Bord PleanΡla had decided to move the pipeline away from homes and he had been ‘vindicated’ on the issue of safety, he said.
Meanwhile, the local Labour Party organisation has broadly welcomed Dr Cowley’s declaration, with sitting councillors Harry Barrett and Keith Martin, as well as retired Cllr Johnny Mee, praising Dr Cowley’s integrity, conviction and passion.
The Mayo News tried but failed to contact Dr Cowley yesterday.