The inside story of a Mayo Fianna Fáil defection
A Black day for the party in the county town
by Dr. Richard Martin
I got two WhatsApp messages from different sources on Thursday evening last.
Both messages stated that Kieran 'Blackie' Gavin was refusing to join the coalition of FF and FG within Mayo County Council and that he was joining the independent grouping led by Michael Kilcoyne.
I couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true. Surely?
The first council meeting was the following day at 11 am. I had just had to go. I arrived late, so I had to stand for the entire proceedings.
Initially, for the first hour, the meeting was jovial, respectful and complimentary.
John O’Hara (FG) was appointed the cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, and Brendan Mulroy (FF) was appointed leas-cathaoirleach.
The speeches were complimentary towards councillors who had lost their seats, new councillors and the new cathaoirleach and leas-cathaoirleach.
Up to this point, I still couldn’t believe that Blackie had defected.
I had heard from two more sources that morning that he had had. I watched him from across the room. There was a distant physical gap between him and his colleagues in FF, who were closely knit together.
He swung in the chair and had a petulant, angry demeanour. Eventually, he spoke. He spoke very well. People underestimate his abilities.
He complimented John Condon and his team for how they managed the count in the TF. He complimented John O’Hara and Brendan Mulroy.
As I listened, I became more and more convinced he had towed the party line.
After roughly an hour, once the formalities and niceties were dispensed with, thunderclouds entered the room and began to rumble. Michael Kilcoyne rose and spoke.
He had 10 members on a technical group and one of the 10 was Blackie Gavin.
A murmur swept the room. So it was true.
Blackie was refusing to work and collaborate with FG and his party colleagues.
He was thumbing his nose at his own party. He was wearing the FF badge but refusing to work with them.
Under the Local Government Act of 2001. Schedule 10, paragraph 18, if five councillors come together, they can nominate a chairman for one of the Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs).
Now that they had 10 members, the Independents could chair two committees. Kilcoyne had his homework done.
It was a masterclass by Kilcoyne. His experience, intelligence and strategic planning ensured that two of the six committees remained in the hands of the independents, Independent Ireland, SF and Independent FF.
His job is to serve his constituents to the best of his ability. He did that on Friday.
Councillor Kilcoyne knew that having Councillor Gavin on board was crucial.
Councillor Lawless had not joined the technical group. He had not been invited, so the group was one short.
Kilcoyne could not have executed this without having the perfect number of ten.
A grouping of five must nominate a chair to an SPC by law.
Without Councillor Gavin, they would not have been able to get the second chair.
Kilcoyne's close working relationship with Gavin over the years must’ve helped convince Gavin to jump ship, but who has the better end of the stick?
Kilcoyne or Blackie?
In my opinion, Kilcoyne. He is the technical group’s de facto leader and has far more influence and power.
Kilcoyne went to the electorate as an independent and remains an independent.
Blackie wants to be in FF and to be an independent. In other words, to have his cake and eat it too.
How have his actions damaged FF?
Firstly, he has damaged the party’s reputation in the town and county, and all the negative press in print and social media can only be bad for the party.
Secondly, he has deprived his colleagues of being members of the following four committees: Local Community Development, Association of Local Government, the New Regional Assembly and the ETB.
He has curbed his own party’s influence within the council.
As a result of Kilcoyne’s manoeuvring, independents will all have representation on those committees due to his actions.
His actions are like a man lining out for the Mitchels, coming out after halftime with the Ballintubber top on and kicking a goal and two points for the opposition, and when the match is over, and BallintubBer has won, putting on the Mitchels jersey again before he has a shower and heads to Ray's for a pint. Bizarre stuff indeed.
When the AGM wrapped up, I walked home more than a little puzzled and more than a little perplexed.
Blackie had no issue when his party FF went into coalition with FG after the 2020 GE. He never made any public statement expressing dissatisfaction with the party. He remained within FF.
He was elected two weeks ago as a member of FF. He wore the FF badge and handed out his FF canvassing cards (paid for by FF) at every door on the canvass trail.
He asked people from the town to support him as the town FF candidate.
Using the FF party badge to be elected and then parting ways a few short days after the election is disingenuous, to say the least.
Blackie first entered public life through the old urban council in 1994. He has never lost an election. But he came close on a few occasions.
The 2009 and 2014 elections were particularly tight. Transfers from loyal FF party members all over the district saved him.
Without the FF party machine, Blackie would never have had the career he has had. It’s a poor way to repay loyalty.
Later that day, he spoke with The Connaught Telegraph and stated: ”I am totally opposed to my party going into an alliance with Fine Gael.
"Fine Gael has let Castlebar down over many years and we are still awaiting the new extension to the emergency unit of Mayo University Hospital.
"I could not work alongside its elected members on Mayo County Council. I walked out away from the talks between our party and Fine Gael.
"Fianna Fáil is getting very little out of the deal compared to what it got from the independent grouping over the past 10 years.
"I could not accept that. I consulted with my family and supporters before making my decision.
"I intend to remain a member of Fianna F´ail. But whether or not action is taking against me by the FF grouping on the council remains to be seen.
"Either way, I won’t be changing my mind. I will be focusing on Castlebar and getting what we deserve as a town.
"It has been neglected for too long and that has to change."
I was saddened to read that.
The Bould Blackie would do well to remember that FG was in opposition for the last ten years in the council chamber.
FF has controlled Mayo County Council and Castlebar Municipal District for the last 10 years.
He was chairman of Mayo County Council once and Castlebar Municipal District twice.
The logical follow-through on all of this is that if Castlebar was being poorly represented (as he says) and he was a leading representative (chair of district and county) over that ten-year period, he is, in effect, saying he was a poor representative for the town over that ten-year period.
It feels as if Blackie yearns for the days when FF had parades in the 1970s and 1980s and everyone marched down Linenhall Street, yahooing, and then turned right for Main Street for the speeches on the stage and a bit more yahooing went on.
Up the Republic. Up Dev. Ar Aghaidh le Fianna Fail.
Those days are over now. The wounds of the civil war have healed after 100 years.
Most of the electorate wants politicians who think logically instead of emotionally.
Politicians are paid by the taxpayer to work for the taxpayer. Not to play childish games with the electorate.
Why did the FF group decide to form a powersharing agreement with FG?
According to sources within the party, FF councillors were tired of playing ransom politics with the independents.
They felt that however unpalatable it may be, the best functioning council was a power-sharing agreement with FG, however difficult that may be from an emotional and historical viewpoint.
A senior party member stated that ’there was no other show in town’. It is not the first time the two civil war parties have had a power-sharing arrangement.
It happened in the 90s also. They had found working with independents too unstable and craved stability within the chamber.
Perhaps some of Blackie's disaffection comes from him losing 253 votes in the local elections.
As a result of this new development, he’s not now a viable FF candidate for the looming GE.
But his motivation to join the independent technical grouping could stem from a desire to run as an independent later this year in the GE.
Chris Maxwell and Ciaran Mullooly were successful under the Independent Ireland banner in the recent local and European elections.
That is a realistic option and would make things very interesting, particularly if Kilcoyne endorsed him.
Finally, when you wear the FF badge, you’re wearing Lemass’ badge.
It’s only a matter of time before FF headquarters take firm action and moved to expel Blackie from the party.
It’s clear he’s unhappy with the party, so swift and decisive action will be taken.
The party also needs a fresh approach in the county town.
That's the challenge.
(Dr. Richard Martin is a regular columnist with The Connaught Telegraph).