Fusing sport and politics to garner votes is winning formula in Mayo

by Caoimhín Rowland

The debate on sport and politics often arises on the national and international scene but for one election candidate, it is looking like a clever tactic to fuse the two to garner votes and increase name recognition ahead of the local ballot in June of next year.

Former Derby County youth academy product and current Aontú representative from Knock, Paul Lawless, has been heard on the excellent Midwest Radio sport show throughout the county football championship.

A show superbly marshalled by Michael D. McAndrew, Lawless has been a contributor of late, providing match reports to what is undoubtedly the most listened-to radio programme in the county. Particularly during the busy championship season.

I believe it is nothing short of a masterstroke by Lawless to do this. The importance of voters knowing your name, which translates to trusting you, is paramount in importance.

By the time they’re in the safe confines of a primary school poll booth the likelihood of securing their vote increases. Of course, Lawless also ran in the 2020 general election to some distinction.

Lawless is no stranger to Midwest audiences. He has previously been on air to discuss the gender recognition Act and how it can mean men who identify as women can go into female-only sections of prisons.

The case study is Barbie Kardashian, a violent criminal who transitioned and is held in the female wing of Limerick Prison.

The Barbie Kardashian argument is often brought up online by anti-trans, far-right accounts.

It’s a culture war issue irrelevant to the real concerns of most of the people of Mayo.

Elsewhere, the velorail melodrama has grown legs due to the ‘hour and a half of boredom’ by Councillor Peter Flynn and fuelled further by the comments of Joe Kelly from the Kiltimagh IRD who produced a letter calling on the Westport Fine Gael councillor to resign.

Flynn questioned why the council invested in the tourist attraction in Kiltimagh due to its apparent insomnia-curing properties.

He has also called on Mayo County Council to review Mayo Day, the renowned successful soft-power marketing tool that is celebrated across the globe each May bank holiday weekend.

The fiscally prudent Covey raised questions over Mayo Day’s return on investment from council coffers at a meeting in Carratigue due to its proposed move north-west to Belmullet for the town's bicentennial.

Of course, it does pose the query, if the flagship celebration was to be held in Flynn’s native Westport instead of its municipal district historically planned sister town of Belmullet would he be so quick to question its merits?

The fusing of two modes of transportation in east Mayo through the velorail has been quite the feat. Then Minister Ring pushed through and funded the project.

Kiltimagh is not Westport, nor will it ever be. Tourism in the area is predominantly focused on pilgrimages and the nearby Knock Shrine.

But like the rest of east Mayo, Kiltimagh is shunned time after time. Fáilte Ireland is undergoing their Clew Bay Destination Experience Plan at the moment. Next year they will begin a version to help put north Mayo on the map.

Kiltimagh and its forgotten hinterlands will then have their time in the sun. According to Fáilte Ireland’s best estimates that will be in 2025 or, at the time of writing, well over 10,000 hours away.

Councillor Flynn will need to while away just the 7,166 trips on the 90 minutes of boredom to see Kiltimagh looked upon.

Any development in Mayo should be welcomed, particularly on disused infrastructure that is ignored decade after decade by governing parties.

The Western Rail Corridor will only make its way to Claremorris, with a focus on freighting goods such as Botox and pharmaceuticals.

The prospect of reopening the line to Collooney isn’t even offered as a potential plan in the landmark All Island Rail Review, which interestingly shows rail ‘spurs’ to Shannon, Cork and Dublin airports but leaves out Knock airport in its entirety.

Balanced regional development is called on by all TDs and in particular our county councillors in Mayo.

Still, it seems there is a cohort keen on drawing in figures of underdeveloped and disadvantaged regions in Mayo to then extract funding from Dublin and Brussels for their own prosperous regions.

Yet, like a spoilt brat at Christmas they look to steal presents from the poor kids in class.