The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
‘SHE WAS THE ROCK BEHIND ALL OF US’
CLLR TOM McELLISTRIM SPOKE TO THE KERRYMAN ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION HIS LATE MOTHER, MARIE, MADE TO A FIANNA FAIL POLITICAL DYNASTY...
THE wider Fianna Fail family is in mourning this week at the passing of the much-loved Marie McEllistrim. But her loss is most keenly felt within her own family and her son Tom spoke to The Kerryman about his mother’s important role in the family’s election victories over many decades, both as a proud mother and as an astute political analyst.
“It was all so very sudden and it was a shock to us. But we’re deeply moved by all the messages of sympathy that we’ve received from people. She was a great ambassador to us,” Tom said.
For over a half-a-century Marie stood loyally by her family’s political journeys and in many ways was the most important cog in the wheel. Tom said the recent death of former First Lady, Barbara Bush, brought to mind his own mother’s unique connection with the McEllistrim name.
“Barbara Bush was the wife and mother to a US President with the same name, but my mother was always very proud of her own unique distinction of being a daughter-in-law, wife, and mother to the name ‘Tom McEllistrim’ - all of whom served as Fianna Fail TDs. She loved that fact.”
A formidable worker who put the family first, Marie never took her eye off the all-important constituency work and clinics that needed to be kept in tow while her husband and son served as TDs in Dublin.
“She certainly did. The family business was politics and she did all the work behind the scenes. She was the rock behind us. She took all the calls, dealt with letters and met the people and took notes of any problems people had. She didn’t need to wait for me or my father to arrive home either as she was more than capable of taking care of matters herself. She had her own contacts.”
Marie McEllistrim spent over 51-years as an integral part of election campaigns and this experience, Tom explains, stood to them in ways that can’t always be explained by words alone.
“She was very proud of us and she was great to ask for advice. She read the papers every day and followed all the political programmes on TV and radio. This was invaluable to dad and I as we would be away at meetings. To return home and have her fill us in on who said what about certain issues was important. And she always gave a very detailed account.”
Marie had an in-depth knowledge of the wider Fianna Fail party having met with such political heavyweight names as Charles Haughey, Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen at various party functions through the years. Tom McEllistrim Snr shared an office with Brian Cowen back in 1984 and the Cowen family’s respect for the McEllistrim’s was in evidence over the past few days as Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen visited the family home to pay his respects.
“Mom would have visited dad’s Dáil office quite a lot in those days and she got to know them all. I received a lovely call from Brian Cowen yesterday, and also from the leader of the Seanad, Catherine Ardagh, whose father, the late Sean, was a TD with me. There are a lot of family connections within the Fianna Fail party and it was nice to hear all their stories and tributes this week.”
“My mother may never have run for office but she did so much of the work. I think one of her proudest moments was when I got elected to the council in 1999 and as a TD in 2002. She felt this was a very historical moment with three generations with the same name representing constituents. My most special memory of her is being at all the election counts.
“She was there for my father’s first count for the council in 1967, my sister Anne when she was elected to the council, right up to my last count in 2014. She was behind us through all that time,” he concluded.