Appeal to Fianna Fáil HQ over future of party in Mayo county town

A plea has been issued to Fianna Fáil’s party leadership to devise a strategy to safeguard the organisation’s future in Castlebar.

It has been made by Ballinrobe-based Councillor Damian Ryan, the whip of the FF grouping on Mayo County Council.

Speaking in the context of the party’s disappointing performance in the county town in the last two general elections and the fact one of its local elected representatives, Councillor Blackie Gavin, defected to an independent technical group on Mayo County Council after the local elections, Councillor Ryan said the situation needs to be urgently addressed by party HQ.

In an interview with The Connaught Telegraph, he said: “They need to look at the strategy, they need to look at the problems and they need to look towards the solutions."

You cannot leave the county town without a candidate in the next general election. So the work needs to begin now - not in three years time.

“I want to say this very strongly. Whoever has an interest in running for the general election next time around needs to start carving out a niche for themselves now as regards winning a county council seat - and that becomes the springboard for the general election.”

He added he would favour a three-candidate strategy on the next occasion.

On the issue in respect of Councillor Gavin, he said party HQ has a decision to make if Councillor Gavin is still a member of Fianna Fáil, yet working outside the party’s group of county councillors.

“We as FF councillors have our own arrangement now and I suppose there has been many decisions. There has been a number of votes in the last 12 months in the council and he (Councillor Gavin) has always voted for the independents."