‘Unique opportunity for Mayo’ - O’Mahony

‘Unique opportunity for Mayo’ - O’Mahony


Trevor Quinn

SPEAKING during his official electoral launch on Thursday evening at the McWilliam Park Hotel, Fine Gael’s John O’Mahony, TD, enthusiastically talked about the  ‘unique opportunity’ to the electorate had to choose four Mayo Fine Gael TD’s and a Taoiseach for DΡil Éireann for the first time.
Deputy O’Mahony referred to previous important elections that the country had faced in the aftermath of historical sequences such as the Civil War, the Great Depressions and World Wars but he said that in political and economic terms, never had the Irish State faced in to such an important election.
Addressing the large gathering, Deputy O’Mahony said: “People are hurting. Fianna FΡil thought the good times were going to roll on forever.
They have said that exports were never higher than they were in November and this may be true, but unfortunately we are also exporting many of our young.”
Deputy O’Mahony described many tradespeople and nurses whom he had come into contact with in recent months who felt they were left with little choice but to leave the country. “That is not the sense of justice that people want in this country.”
”Over the years I have soldiered in classrooms, football pitches and in the political arena and the one thing I have always got from you is support and respect. Four years ago you were here with me when I first joined.
Since then I have worked for you along with my colleagues to the best of my ability.”
Deputy O’Mahony said he has seen at first hand the ‘gargantuan efforts’ of leader Enda Kenny to rebuild the Fine Gael party.
Special guest on the night was five time All-Ireland winner and North Kerry TD Jimmy Deenihan. Reminiscing about some advice he gave to Deputy O’Mahony following his electoral triumph in May 2007, Deenihan said, “I told him the people who stay in their offices latest at night are usually returned.
I’ve seen him there until half past eleven at night on a regular basis so he has worked very hard.” 
Speaking about the historical significance that this electoral campaign could represent for the Mayo region, Deputy Deenihan referred to his other great love, the GAA stating: “If you haven’t won an All-Ireland for a few years certainly winning this All-Ireland will make up for that!” Boisterous applause quickly rippled through the function room as Fine Gael supporters wholeheartedly agreed.
Addressing the issue of unemployment in Mayo, Deputy O’Mahony said there was hope. “We have to have hope because without it we have nothing. I believe in the people of this county and in our ability to rise again.
At the moment, there are far too many of our men and women out of work; far too many of our people being forced to live away from Ireland but I also genuinely believe that we can get Mayo people back working again.
“We have some wonderful entrepreneurs in Mayo and we need to give them the opportunities to put their ideas to work. Fine Gael wants to get Ireland working again and if the people of Ireland place their trust in us, then we can get back to where we were.”