COUNCILLORS and TDs get dog’s abuse. It’s a tough old station, it has to be said. But Cathaoirleach of Limerick City and County Council’s Metropolitan District, Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon, is of the opinion that some of them do draw it on themselves.
That’s right, some of them have no one else to blame for their misfortune other than the person staring back at them in the mirror, Cllr O’Hanlon reckoned at the December area meeting – the very last public local authority meeting of 2024.
As the meeting got underway, Cllr O’Hanlon’s thoughts were with those who put their names in the hat locally for the recent general election.
The Fianna Fáil man, one of Willie O’Dea’s top lieutenants, started proceedings by congratulating his former City North colleague Conor Sheehan. Now moved onto pastures greener and a big plum job in Dáil Éireann, the rising Labour Party star received honourable mention at the part of the meeting usually reserved for sports results and death notices.
“Can I start by congratulating Deputy Conor Sheehan on his elevation. He’s left the lower ranks of us simple councillors,” he said – his words not mine!
Elections, O’Hanlon ventured, are not for the faint-hearted. The former mayor was all heart as he thought of fallen Green Party TD Brian Leddin.
“I want to commiserate with the other candidates who ran and were unsuccessful, particularly Brian Leddin,” he copntinued.
“Brian is a thorough gentleman and a nice guy to deal with, but obviously the public didn’t go along with some of the policies that Brian was representing.”
All is fair in love and war, as they say, but O’Hanlon claimed that elections now saw the punches thrown well below the belt, unlike when he started out back in the days when the meetings’ minutes were carved out on stone tablets.
“It’s not an easy thing to put your name out in the public, as we all know. Since I ran the first time, I got a bit of abuse, but there’s a lot of abuse now fired at councillors and all candidates in elections, and it’s a pity it has gone that way,” he mused.
“Mind you, sometimes I think some people draw it on themselves as well, but I think there should be better respect for public representatives.”
Draw it on themselves?
Do tell us more, Cllr O’Hanlon. Who exactly goes looking for it? But, no, the Fianna Fáil man left the statement hang like a fart in an elevator and moved onto the next item on the agenda.
Oh, well, he’s right about one thing. The world has flipped on its head since Kieran was only knee high to a piebald pony. It’s even more worrying when the electorate don’t come out to vote and the same old clowns are back running the circus.
Hopefully, our young Labour Party TD will shake up the corridors of power in the Oireachtas and do us all proud.
