The Fianna Fáil party in Castlebar saw the establishment of a new cumann in the town this week. On Monday evening a new Castlebar Fianna Fáil cumann was established when the Mícheál Ó Moráin and the Johnny Jordan cumainn amalgamated at a meeting in the Welcome Inn Hotel. But the amalgamation still leaves the Castlebar town cumann as a separate entity.
The meeting was chaired independently by Sligo based senator Marc McSharry and was addressed by Fianna Fáil TD Beverley Flynn. Previous attempts to amalgamate the two cumainn have occurred in the past, most recently in September last year when the meeting had to be postponed because of the unavailability of party general secretary Sean Dorgan. The two cumainn originally split over a dispute over the expulsion of Deputy Beverley Flynn from the party which led to fractures in the party in the town. There was a general agreement that the party needed to unify as they face into this summer’s local elections. Even with the unification of these two cumainn, there is still a split in the party in the county town with the Castlebar town cumainn deciding to stay independent of this unification. Deputy Flynn, speaking to the Mayo Advertiser this week, didn’t see there being a problem with the Castlebar town cumainn staying alone. “I don’t think that it will be a problem that they have decided to stay by themselves, there are a number of towns that have two cumann in it. We have a very amicable relationship with them and it’s all about building the party from now on to the elections and beyond.”
Nominations announced
The newly formed cumainn announced a number of nominations for this year’s local elections, some of which were nominated originally by the Johnny Jordan cumainn and which were then deemed to be the nominees of the new cumainn. Both Cllr Aidan Crowley and former councillor Pat King were nominated by the Johnny Jordan cumainn for Castlebar Town Council and will go forward as the new cumann’s nominees. Cllr Sean Burke, who currently holds a seat on both Mayo County Council and Castlebar Town Council, had been nominated by the Johnny Jordan cumainn to go forward for the county council election and will be the new cumann’s nominee. Cllr Burke will not be contesting the Castlebar Town Council election, leaving a seat open on the council. Joining Cllr Burke on the ticket for Mayo County Council Castlebar electoral area, will be sitting town councillor Aidan Crowley and Mickey Feeney who were nominated at last Monday night’s meeting.
Pat King has been appointed the secretary of the new cumann and as a nominee for Castlebar Town Council. He is glad that the splits of the past are beginning to be put behind the party in the town. “It’s all about looking to the future now and the elections coming up. I’m looking forward to going out and putting myself before the people once again for election. I think that I have what it takes to be elected once again and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
The Castlebar town cumann has already nominated one person for the elections, Castlebar town councillor and deputy Mayor of the town, Cllr Blackie Gavin, for both the Castlebar Town Council and Mayo County Council elections, and will not be nominating anyone else. With an extra seat being allocated to the Castlebar electoral area for Mayo County Council this year, Gavin, Crowley, and Feeney will all feel they are in with a chance of taking a seat in the county council chamber.
