FLASHBACK: When 'Jack Ass' did not make the ballot paper in Kiltimagh

A HORSE was elected to a city council in America many years ago.

But when an effort was made in the Kiltimagh area in the 1970s to have a donkey nominated for election to Mayo County Council, Paddy Fahy, county secretary, made it clear that such an occurrence could not happen in this country.

Mr. Fahy said the nominations system in Ireland was straightforward. There was no loophole to allow the ridiculous situation of an animal’s name appearing on the ballot paper.

One of the people behind the idea said they did not wish to insult any of the candidates going forward for election to Mayo County Council.

The idea was to gain publicity for the Kiltimagh area. They had intended to put the name Jack Ass on the ballot paper but they accepted that putting a donkey forward for election was not covered under the Electoral Act.

“It was all done for publicity and a bit of craic,” said one of the men behind the proposal.

Councillor Frank Devaney, Lahardane, said the idea was in bad taste, but jokingly remarked that some public representatives occasionally made asses of themselves.