BACK ON BOARD - CAVAN MAN WITH FF LINKS WHO AIMS TO PUT SEÁN IN ÁRAS
ONE of the key members of Sean Gallagher’s backroom team is communications professional Cathal Lee.
A Cavan native, he runs his own public relations firm, Lee Communications. As Mr Gallagher’s campaign director during the 2011 Presidential election, he was an integral part of the businessman’s bid for the Áras.
Since then, a source close to the Gallagher camp said Mr Lee remains a key member of the Presidential hopeful’s ‘team of supporters’ and the pair have been friends for over a decade.
Mr Lee seems the frontrunner to re-emerge as campaign director this time around, should Mr Gallagher be successful in securing the backing of four local authorities to get on the ballot paper.
However, that was not UCD graduate Mr Lee’s first foray into politics as – much like Mr Gallagher – he has strong links with Fianna Fáil, having previously served as leas-cathaoirleach of the party’s youth wing, Ógra Fianna Fáil. In his profile on professional networking site LinkedIn, Mr Lee documents that he was a member of the Fianna Fáil National Executive for three years from 2001 and 2004. He also outlines that he worked in the party’s political staff division in Leinster House for three years from 2003 and 2006.
During that time he worked with former Fianna Fáil senator Geraldine Feeney, as well as current Senator Diarmuid Wilson and the late Kieran Phelan, who was also a senator for the party.
After that, he went on to work as a public affairs executive for the Construction Industry Federation between 2006 and 2011, an era which encompassed the boom and bust years of the Celtic Tiger.
After the CIF, he founded Lee Communications. This was around the time he began to work with Sean Gallagher. Mr Lee’s company website states: ‘Cathal was asked by independent Sean Gallagher to manage his campaign for the 2011 Presidential Election. Cathal managed the entire nomination process, starting in May 2011 and concluding at the end of September 2011. In tandem, he built a key team of committed personnel and volunteers.
‘This was harnessed during the election campaign. Cathal grew the campaign to allow him to oversee specific teams for campaign management, volunteer coordination, research and media.’
The website also says: ‘Cathal has advised, in a private capacity, a diverse range of current and former elected representatives on campaign strategy and communications.
‘Geographically, he works across Ireland, north and south, throughout the United Kingdom and across Europe.’
A source last night described Mr Lee as being ‘shrewd’ and someone who thinks in the ‘long-term’.
The source also said he remains ‘well-respected inside and outside’ of the Fianna Fáil party and that they would personally ‘rate him’ and that he has ‘built a business on his own’.