Coveney’s Kingdom canvass

WITH the election campaign largely focussed on Kerry in recent days, Fine Gael sent two of its big guns to canvass with Cllr Mike Kennelly.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney was in the Kingdom on Monday joined by former Rose of Tralee and newly minted MEP Maria Walsh.

After a lengthy canvass of Cllr Kennelly’s hometown of Listowel on Monday morning, the Fine Gael team made their way to Tralee for a meet and greet along The Mall

With the race in Kerry growing tighter by the day and Sinn Féin soaring in the polls, was Minister Coveney worried about losing its seat in Kerry?

“I’m very confident we can hold our seat we’ve had a really effective minister here in Brendan Griffin, who has delivered a huge amount for Kerry, and we have in Mike Kennelly a very strong running mate with a particular focus on north Kerry,” he told The Kerryman.

“I think north Kerry has missed not having its own TD. I think towns like Listowel and Tralee need a strong voice in the Dáil, and I think Mike Kennelly can give them that along with Brendan Griffin,” Minister Coveney said.

There has been much criticism of Fine Gael’s decision to place the focus of its campaign on Brexit. As one of the key figures in the Brexit talks, did the Tánaiste feel that issue really mattered to the average Kerry voter?

“People might not realise it, but it is hugely important. Kerry as a county is driven by agriculture, by fisheries and by tourism,” he said.

“These are three sectors that absolutely need a good trade deal by the end of the year with the UK so that we can continue to sell our produce into the UK; so that our fishermen can continue to fish in British waters and so that we don’t see a collapse in the value of Sterling, which would impact on everyone who runs a tourist operation across the county of Kerry,” said Mr Coveney.

“These are important issues and the reality is, without getting a good deal on Brexit, there is a threat to tens of thousands of jobs across the sectors I’ve mentioned, and they impact on Kerry probably harder than many other counties,” he said.

Photo by Domick Walsh Publican Der O’Sullivan speaks with Tánaiste Simon Coveney and the Fine Gael campaign team during the FG canvass in Tralee on Monday.

ABOVE: ABOVE, RIGHT: Mike Kennelly and Simon Coveney with electrician Sean Murphy on the Mall. Look who’s back: 2014 Rose of Tralee and now Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh met staff from CH chemists during the FG Tralee canvass on Monday.

FG on the march: Jimmy Deenihan, Simon Coveney, Mike Kennelly, Maria Walsh and Aoife Thornton

Don’t look now: Fine Geal candidate Mike Kennelly and Tánaiste Simon Coveney pass a rival’s poster in Trale! Photo by Domnick Walsh