FG wooing O’Shea to target Moynihan seat
O’SHEA (IND) COULD TARGET MOYNIHAN SEAT IN NORTH SIDE OF CONSTITUENCY
FINE GAEL is trying to woo popular Independent councillor John Paul O’Shea in the hope of unseating Fianna Fáil Deputy Michael Moynihan in Cork North West.
Fine Gael insiders revealed the move this week and it’s understood that the O’Shea camp is considering the offer that would see him running alongside Minister Michael Creed in the next general election.
Having topped the poll in the last general election, O’Shea eventually lost out to Moynihan by just 249 votes after sitting Fine Gael TD Aine Collins was eliminated. Now, FG strategists see O’Shea as an ideal partner for Creed in the the party’s bid to regain two seats in the constituency. O’Shea, with his popular support and FG transfers, could put Moynihan under pressure.
Michael Moynihan has consistently polled strongly and has retained his seat for the last 20 years.
However, all eyes now are on O’Shea, who was very disappointed by his narrow defeat in 2016.
Fine Gael strategists are apparently attempting to woo the Independent poll topper Cllr John Paul O’Shea who narrowly missed a Dáil seat by just 249 votes to Fianna Fail’s Michael Moynihan in the 2016 general election.
Cllr O’Shea has declined to comment but sources close to him confirmed that approaches have been made and he is currently taking soundings from his political organisation which is made up almost equally of former members of both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.
In the 2016 general election it was role reversal compared to the 2011 election for Cork North West as it returned two FF candidates, Michael Moynihan and Aindrias Moynihan, along with Michael Creed (FG). This was in stark comparison to the previous general election, which saw two FG candidates returned – the first time runner Aine Collins and Michael Creed along with Kiskeam’s Michael Moynihan.
When Aindrias Moynihan, the son of former TD Donal, was added to the ticket in 2016, FF out-polled FG by 34.61% to 32.17% to capture the second seat with Deputy Michael Moynihan taking the last seat on the ninth count.
“John Paul topped the poll in the Kanturk-Mallow Electoral Area, which is partly in Cork North West in the 2014 locals when he got nearly 4,400 votes, and he increased his vote to over 4,800 in the 2016 general elections but picked up transfers from every independent and all the smaller parties. But he knows the Independents had a strong wind behind them last time which won’t be there in the next election and his best chance of making it to the Dail is to join one of the main parties and with Fianna Fail already having two TDs in Cork North West, there’s no room for him there,” said a strategist.
Equally, Cllr Daithi O’Donnabhain (FF) of Ballincollig, the son of Circuit Court Judge, Sean O’Donnabhain, also ran in the 2011 general election in Cork North West but with Aindrias Moynihan placed on the ticket in 2016 along with Michael Moynihan - there was simply no room at the inn.
Cork North West is a huge consistency and runs north-south from Charleville in the north to Ballincollig and Macroom in the south, and although it also includes towns like Kanturk, Newmarket and Millstreet in the north, Ballincollig’s large population means there are more votes in the southern end.
According to FG sources, O’Shea (34) who is from Lombardstown, north of the Boggeeragh Mountains which divides the constituency, is geographically well positioned to run alongside Minister Michael Creed who is based in Macroom at the southern end.
“Michael (Creed) and John Paul would complement each other well – one in the south and one in the north. There are two safe seats in Cork North West – Michael Creed and Aindrias Moynihan so we would be targetting Michael Moynihan – the constituency has almost always returned two from the south so we would see John Paul as going after Michael Moynihan, who is based in the northern side,” said the FG strategist.
Cllr O’Shea would not necessarily have the votes to win a nomination at a FG selection convention; however, the informed source suggested the convention would select just one candidate, Michael Creed, and then FG headquarters could later add on O’Shea to the ticket.
After the 2016 general election Cllr O’Shea, who was at that time the mayor of Cork County, told The Corkman that he was “gutted” at losing out on a seat in the hard-fought CNW constituency. “To lose out by 249 votes to Deputy Michael Moynihan is obviously very disappointing to me. Of course I am disappointed but I did put up a great fight,” he said.
He also said that he was delighted that so many people put their confidence in him – with over 4,800 people giving him their first preference vote.
In 2016, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan (FF) bagged a massive 8,924 first preference votes (18.8%) , while his running mate, Deputy Michael Moynihan, received 7,332, (15.4%). Michael Creed, at the first count, received 8,869 (18.7%).
The transfers did go Deputy Michael Moynihan’s way but not in a massive tide until the elimination of Deputy Aine Collins and the return of Deputy Michael Creed. Both of their transfers gave him a very much needed boost to get him over the line, just 249 votes ahead of Cllr O’Shea.
Deputy Michael Moynihan was first elected in 1997 and has done so repeatedly. He said when elected in 2016 that it was a great day for Fianna Fail having won two seats in the constituency.
“Many people wrote our obituary five years ago. Brian Hayes famously said they were feasting on the carcass of Fianna Fail but we’re back (today) and it’s a fantastic achievement to take two seats in the constituency,” he said at the time.