Seven significant signals Mayo electorate sent out

CHANGE happened alright.

But not quite as bold and forceful as was expected.

It does not mean, however, they are not for the better.

Only time will tell.

Here are the seven talking points from a busy political weekend.

1. Should electronic voting be placed firmly back on the government's agenda. Counts lasting up to 19 hours are simply not acceptable in these days of digital technology. Come on, let's just do it.

2. Communities can change the narrative. Louisburgh and its surrounding hinderland wants their own councillors and, boy, they certainly got it.

The manner in which they got behind Chris Maxwell of Independent Ireland was a stunning flexing of muscles by a rural community refusing to accept that everything should happen in the bigger urban centres.

The people of Kiltimagh also voted with their heads by supporting Councillor Adrian Forkan a year or so after he was first co-opted to the council. Obviously, Forkan and his followers got the key messages across to the electorate and well done to them for that.

3. The neglect of our bigger towns does matter. Castlebar elected another urban-based representative in Harry Barrett to try and address the neglect and decline being suffered since the demise of the town councils.

It cannot go on and Harry, alongside Michael Kilcoyne, Ger Deere, Blackie Gavin and Donna Sheridan, will help change that.

This urban mood was also reflected in the surge behind Ger Deere, a prominent Tidy Towns volunteer.

The signal is clear: "We want our towns and their amenities properly looked after with additional outdoor staff on the ground day in and day out." Ballina and Westport want the same. Our towns drive investment and growth and can't be allowed to deteriorate and suffer from loss of pride.

'Make Castlebar great again' could well be the motto of the town's urban five. It would be widely supported and embraced.

4. The failure of Sinn Féin to fulfil expectations was a jolt, to say the least. They targeted five seats but fell well short of achieving it. For a party that had been preparing for government since this time last year, this is a reality check of the highest order and Mayo Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh will not - cannot - ignore it. Her own political future depends on it.

Sinn Féin won't panic just yet but they clearly need to establish firmer roots in communities because they are still clearly outperformed by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil when it comes to playing senior hurling, to paraphase the late Minister Seamus Brennan.

Sinn Féin really want to do well but the level off direction is not always clear and precise. The party, of course, has a role to play but it must be built on a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach. Get your policies straight and sell them better.

5. The performance of Stephen Kerr in Castlebar was a clear signal to the establishment that there is a growing level of anger in society that requires constructive attention. It won't go away by ignoring it or placing it on the long finger. Dialogue is important.

6. If Fianna Fáil are seeking a new Mayo candidate in the next general election, why not give Achill's Paul McNamara a ring. He's a big man for the big occasion, as he proved yet again by topping the poll in the Belmullet electoral area. A candidate does not need be based centrally to make a difference.

7. It does not matter what political colour you are as long as you are delivering to your community. The ongoing success of Michael Kilcoyne and Patsy O'Brien clearly shows that delivery can be achieved without being a member of one of the main political parties.

But without the backup of a party structure, it required a greater degree of dedication and hard work. Kilcoyne and O'Brien embody both and I expect Paul Lawless of Aontú to be similar by getting off to a flying start.