D’Arcy takes some time out for a very important reason

FINE GAEL’S Michael D’Arcy took some time out from a busy campaign for a very special reason, to go watch his daughter Catherine (15) star in the lead role of the annual Gorey Little Theatre pantomime which saw her play the character Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

The proud Dad said that although he is not a big musical person, it was worth seeing Catherine enjoy herself.

‘ The panto was very funny and everybody involved put in a huge effort, it was more of a musical than panto I thought and everybody seemed to like it and enjoy it.

‘I am biased of course but I thought Catherine was very good, she does things very naturally and very easily and she was very well cast as Belle. I’m not a music and dance person, it isn’t quite my space, but it’s hers. It’s funny the way that she has just dove straight in to and she really loves it,’ he said.

As Michael D’Arcy Junior followed in his own father’s footsteps entering in to the world of politics, he said that his children are still a bit young yet to think about it at this point.

Having hit the campaign trail running, being one of the first to have a large amount of posters up in his local area, finding time to go to the panto was a bit of a balancing act.

‘I was at the panto the first night and the last night, and I was collecting Catherine then afterwards. Canvassing was well finished by 10.30 p.m. when I was collecting her and the nights that I was there, I just took off from the canvass a little bit early.

‘I like canvassing, it’s a wonderful system that we have in Ireland that we’re as connected to the people as we are. Very few jurisdictions are as connected as those in the Irish political system are to the voting public.

‘I try to knock doors each summer but the general election time is when you really get a feel for where things are with people,’ he said. Michael D’Arcy said that so far the people on the doors say they want to look ahead after a tough decade.

‘It has been a tough decade, and a hard period to get out of, such as the recession and the craziness that happened at the start of the last decade, but people have got to believe and look forward that the future will be better’.