Fianna Fail

“This was “effectively a libel”, declared Dermot Ahern, speaking at the opening of a new petrol station.”

Pete Baker on September 16, 2010, 11:57 am

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Taoiseach Brian Cowen is off to Brussels today. He could do with a break… His party colleagues have been rushing the microphones to congratulate him on his “manly” apology after a somewhat under-par performance in a pre-breakfast radio interview on Tuesday – you can hear that in its full glory here [RealPlayer file]. The iol report has an account of the “confluence of events” responsible… Witnesses at the get-together in Galway said Mr Cowen was among scores of party members, including senior Government …

Taoiseach to open new Fianna Fail office in Crossmaglen…

Mick Fealty on July 21, 2010, 9:15 pm

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Slugger hears that tomorrow night the Taoiseach will host a £50 a head dinner for about 120 people in the hotel in Crossmaglen to celebrate the opening of a party office in the town square. This same fund raiser has been in play for a number of years and indicates the party is interested in getting more involved in politics north of the border. However, it would be a mistake to interpret this as a sign that the party will …

McParland to become Fianna Fail’s new Deputy General Secretary…

Mick Fealty on July 21, 2010, 1:44 pm

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Now here’s a little adjunct to the NI Water affair, but before our resident conspiracy theorists go off on another one, so far as we can tell it is an adjunct. Pat Parland, who is currently head of their Communications team and sits on that controversial board will be leaving NI Water at the end of August to take up a position as Director of Communications (and Deputy General Secretary) at Fianna Fail in Dublin. Hmmm some might say, from …

Fianna Fail Cumman raffling tickets to meet the Queen…

Mick Fealty on June 25, 2010, 11:28 am

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So Brian Cowan has finally announced the Queens trip is definitely on. It’s been something of an open secret around Leinster House since last February, and Fianna Fail at large it seems. (Just when was he planning to tell the rest of us?) For a good example of how far down the list briefing the press comes, see this little fundraiser for the local Newtownshandrum Junior B Hurling Team 2010 posted on Facebook in the last few days: With the …

Fine Gael’s impending crisis of leadership…

Mick Fealty on June 14, 2010, 11:29 am

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For understandable reasons tomorrow’s news in Northern Ireland and Britain will be dominated by the long awaited arrival of Lord Saville’s long awaited (and stashed for politically motivated reasons) report on Bloody Sunday. We will no doubt be doing our best to bring you the coverage. But the big events in Irish politics may be happening south of the border. Part the first: the full meeting tomorrow morning of the Fine Gael parliamentary party who are thought to have been …

Donie Cassidy: Sorry lads, there’s no sitting. I’m off to play golf in Turkey…

Mick Fealty on June 8, 2010, 10:25 am

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Whilst we’ve been obsessing with things Nordie, there’s been a whole series of awkward expenses stories in the south that’s led, for instances, to the resignation of the Fianna Fail whip by Ivor Callely. Technically there’s nothing wrong with Parliamentarians playing golf with other Parliamentarians from other countries. But when you close down the upper house in order to facilitate your trip, that’s a different matter. Apparently that’s what Fianna Fail Senator (and leader of the house) Donie Cassidy did… …

Are John Gormley and the Greens already paving their exit?

Mick Fealty on May 24, 2010, 11:41 am

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If the new 55% rule caused a bit of friction in Britain, there is another not entirely unrelated debate taking place in the Republic just now. The UK coalition ought to take a glance over there at how the Irish coalition government is likely to end. There are a growing bundle of by elections the Fianna Fail end of the government seems extraordinarily reluctant to call. As Noel Whelan accounts in his op ed column on Saturday, this is for …