of Fianna Fáilâs Ard-Chomhairle and its youth wing, Ãgra Fianna Fáil, Gallagher immediately began canvassing Fianna Fáil members of the Oireachtas, seeking their support to secure a nomination. He insisted that he would stand as an independent and wanted only ten Fianna Fáil nominations and would then secure ten more from independent TD s and senators so that he could maintain a âsemi-detachedâ arrangement with his former party.
One of those he canvassed was Séamus Kirk, a TD for Louth who, as former Ceann Comhairle, was returned automatically in the 2007 general election. But the previous election in 2002 was a completely different story. â HQ and myself were concerned about my polling,â recalled Kirk. Shockingly, he was going to lose his seat despite his years of honest service to the constituency, according to the pollsters. Kirk recalled:
I knew Seán. I met him regularly as a TD for the constituency and he came on board as Director of Elections. I knew him as a hugely dynamic person, a great organiser, established a strong election team, who met every week, reflected and reviewed the previous week, planned for the future and built a strong campaign. He was good with the media and certainly understood where they were coming from.
A REDC opinion poll commissioned by the Drogheda Independent had the Fianna Fáil minister Dermot Ahern topping the poll at 26 per cent, Arthur Morgan of Sinn Féin at 16, Mairead McGuinness of Fine Gael at 14, her party colleague and sitting TD Fergus OâDowd at 13, and Séamus Kirk trailing at 9, fifth in a four-seat constituency.
Kevin Mulligan in the Drogheda Independent wrote an election analysis of the success of Kirk and his teamâs efforts.
Within an hour of opening the first boxes in the count centre in the Dundalk Institute of Technology it was clear that the story of this election was going to be the staggering re-election of Séamus Kirk to the first seat. And although it took many weary hours of counting, the eventual distribution of the constituencyâs four seats was never going to be the cliff hanger that the pollsters and political pundits predicted.
But with Gallagher in charge, Kirk had exceeded all expectations. His seat had been considered lost, but he returned with 10,190 first-preference votes and topped the pollâexceeding the vote for his party colleague Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs, by 170 votes. Fianna Fáil, against expectations, had scooped up more than 42 per cent of the first-preference vote in the Wee County. As Kirk recalled in the run-up to the presidential election,
Seán was involved with the organisation, but not hugely involved in recent years, but I think in this Presidential election heâll benefit from his Fianna Fáil association ⦠Iâd expect him to do pretty well, I think he could well be in the final shake-up, but it will all depend on the elimination process and where the votes go. If he can keep his first preferences above other independents and any party candidate heâs in with a real chance.
Â
On 9 May, Fingal County Council (north Co. Dublin) was the first council to pledge its support for a candidate. David Norris had previously written to every local authority asking to address them and seeking their support, and he was
delighted to have received their support. It means that I am a quarter way to securing a nomination to run for the Presidency. Democracy is all about giving people choices, and I believe Fingal County Council have done just that.
But on the same day the election process was given a legal clarification. Malcolm Byrne of Gorey, a Fianna Fáil member of Wexford County Council, proposed nominating Norris. However, the motion was quashed after the county secretary, Niall McDonnell, informed the chamber that the council could not pass a resolution nominating a candidate until the election order was made in September,
One of those he canvassed was Séamus Kirk, a TD for Louth who, as former Ceann Comhairle, was returned automatically in the 2007 general election. But the previous election in 2002 was a completely different story. â HQ and myself were concerned about my polling,â recalled Kirk. Shockingly, he was going to lose his seat despite his years of honest service to the constituency, according to the pollsters. Kirk recalled:
I knew Seán. I met him regularly as a TD for the constituency and he came on board as Director of Elections. I knew him as a hugely dynamic person, a great organiser, established a strong election team, who met every week, reflected and reviewed the previous week, planned for the future and built a strong campaign. He was good with the media and certainly understood where they were coming from.
A REDC opinion poll commissioned by the Drogheda Independent had the Fianna Fáil minister Dermot Ahern topping the poll at 26 per cent, Arthur Morgan of Sinn Féin at 16, Mairead McGuinness of Fine Gael at 14, her party colleague and sitting TD Fergus OâDowd at 13, and Séamus Kirk trailing at 9, fifth in a four-seat constituency.
Kevin Mulligan in the Drogheda Independent wrote an election analysis of the success of Kirk and his teamâs efforts.
Within an hour of opening the first boxes in the count centre in the Dundalk Institute of Technology it was clear that the story of this election was going to be the staggering re-election of Séamus Kirk to the first seat. And although it took many weary hours of counting, the eventual distribution of the constituencyâs four seats was never going to be the cliff hanger that the pollsters and political pundits predicted.
But with Gallagher in charge, Kirk had exceeded all expectations. His seat had been considered lost, but he returned with 10,190 first-preference votes and topped the pollâexceeding the vote for his party colleague Dermot Ahern, Minister for Foreign Affairs, by 170 votes. Fianna Fáil, against expectations, had scooped up more than 42 per cent of the first-preference vote in the Wee County. As Kirk recalled in the run-up to the presidential election,
Seán was involved with the organisation, but not hugely involved in recent years, but I think in this Presidential election heâll benefit from his Fianna Fáil association ⦠Iâd expect him to do pretty well, I think he could well be in the final shake-up, but it will all depend on the elimination process and where the votes go. If he can keep his first preferences above other independents and any party candidate heâs in with a real chance.
Â
On 9 May, Fingal County Council (north Co. Dublin) was the first council to pledge its support for a candidate. David Norris had previously written to every local authority asking to address them and seeking their support, and he was
delighted to have received their support. It means that I am a quarter way to securing a nomination to run for the Presidency. Democracy is all about giving people choices, and I believe Fingal County Council have done just that.
But on the same day the election process was given a legal clarification. Malcolm Byrne of Gorey, a Fianna Fáil member of Wexford County Council, proposed nominating Norris. However, the motion was quashed after the county secretary, Niall McDonnell, informed the chamber that the council could not pass a resolution nominating a candidate until the election order was made in September,
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