SURPRISES IN STORE IN FERMOY

Trying to predict who will take a seat on Fermoy Town Council is almost always an exercise in futility, with observers fully ready to have their apprehensively selected forecasts ridiculed once the count finishes.

With nineteen candidates running for nine seats, nothing can be taken for granted and the strength of the campaigns run by both established councillors and first-time challengers to the throne could well ensure a long count similar to the days of uncertainty seen in 2004.

Candidates themselves will privately admit that it is a tough one to call, and while all will talk up their own chances, each and everyone will confess that the only predictable aspect of this election is that there are surprises in store. The strength of the incumbents’ chances is dependent on the public’s perception of the Fermoy Town Council, in particular the bitter division within the local authority.

While most of the anger in the town is aimed at the formation of a majority pact within the council, some believe the four in the minority are just as guilty of contributing to the split, with accusations that battles in council chambers were fought on personalities, not policies.

Those in the minority will argue that the only factor that unites them is exclusion from decision making at the council, however, and the majority pact of five will not have won much sympathy with the revelation that they were the sole recipients of conference expenses during the lifetime of the council.

There is a feeling amongst some of the electorate that a clean sweep is needed, that nine new faces could eradicate any lingering grudges inherited from previous administrations.

It is highly unlikely that not one of the nine will successfully retain their seats, however, and it is safe to assume that the longer serving stalwarts of the council will be strong vote-winners, regardless of their side of the five-four divide.

An envious eye cast to Mitchelstown, however, given the developments of numerous new shops and businesses in the town, could see a Fermoy electorate who feel neglected by the long-gone economic boom show their dissatisfaction with the town council and pave the way for new faces.

Once again this election will be decided on transfers, and if the early eliminated candidates won votes from people wanting change, their transfers could have a significant impact on the composition of the new-look Fermoy Town Council. Less than 19% of people chose to only give a first preference in 2004.

Of the new faces, there are strong challengers. For a town that elected no less than five independents in 2004, party politicians, particularly from opposition groups, are faring well on the doorsteps this time around.

From the young guns with promising political futures to the established local figures, many candidates are backing up their high-profile campaigns and notable endorsements with strong positions on policy. These party candidates are backing up style with substance and will be a force to be reckoned with.

Questions will be asked of the wisdom of Fianna Fail’s decision to run five candidates for Fermoy Town Council election given the party failed to win a single seat in 2004 when riding the crest of the wave of popularity they enjoyed during the boom.

Even after John Murphy’s defection to independent status, four candidates could split what little vote Fianna Fail will win between them, and these party candidates will hope for a high number of personal votes rather than depend on their ever-diminishing party brand for support.

There are variables that also contribute to the sheer unpredictability of this election. Rumours of candidates aggressively pursuing votes from the Polish community suggest that an upset could be on the cards; bear in mind that the quota in 2004 was only 272, with candidates who polled as little as 113 first preference votes gaining a seat.

It is also worth noting that a Cloyne Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes will be taking nearly a thousand voters from the area. Should even a tenth of that group hail from Fermoy then a large demographic of people who are highly likely to vote will miss the ballot.

The Fermoy Town Council elections will prove to be both an interesting barometer of public opinion on the achievements of the local authority and an unpredictable election where every single vote and transfer will count, leaving interested parties in suspense right down to the last seat.

TOE TO TOE ‘AMBUSH’ AS N.R.A. OFFICIALS TARGETED

In what can only be described as an ‘ambush’ the Mayor of Fermoy Tadhg O’Donovan and Cllr Aileen Pyne (FG) went toe to toe with representatives of the National Roads Authority (NRA) at the opening of the new section of the M8 at Mitchelstown this week.

The two Fermoy town council members confronted Sean O’Neill who is head of communications at the NRA in connection with the promised road resurfacing works in Fermoy town.

These works were to begin as soon as the Fermoy bypass was opened but two years later the NRA has yet to complete the work, which the councillors claim was agreed with the council.

The discussion became heated at times as Cllr O’Donovan outlined what was agreed with the NRA and what now needs to be done, “It was agreed that the NRA would fund these resurfacing works in Fermoy town. Fermoy Town Council wrote to the NRA on numerous occasions and we have yet to receive a reply.

"So we decided that as they were going to be here today for the opening of the motorway now was a good time to confront them with the problem,” Cllr O’Donovan told The Avondhu.

The NRA’s Sean O’Neill, who was clearly caught off guard by the councillors questions, said, “This is simply a matter of funding and at the moment all the money has been allocated to other projects. There are no funds available for this work in Fermoy and that’s where we stand now. The Fermoy Town Council should speak to the Department of Finance to see if they can supply funds for this work.”

Mr O’Neill went on to say that he had no indication as to when the work on the road in Fermoy would begin. The discussion continued without the press, in the nearby site office. Cllr Pyne was very disappointed at the outcome.

“I feel very angry about all of this, we have an agreement from the NRA. I invited them (the NRA) to come and look at the state of the main road in Fermoy, a road that they agreed they would resurface,” Cllr Pyne said.

NEW ROAD ‘GOOD FOR BUSINESS’ IN MITCHELSTOWN

Residents and shoppers in Mitchelstown are reporting a somewhat quieter main street since the new section of the M8 motorway was opened to traffic on Monday.

Chairman of the Mitchelstown Business Association (MBA) Eamonn O’Brien is convinced the new M8 will have only positive effects on the town. “Already I have seen fewer heavy vehicles travelling down the main street. The new motorway will give the town back to the people who live, work and shop in Mitchelstown,” Mr O’Brien said.

Retailer Margaret Hyland has noticed a difference in her shop the Scullery, “It’s the sound, the whole shop is a lot quieter, we could hear the trucks and buses going by all day and I have noticed that there are a lot more people about. The new road will definitely be good for business,” Margaret said.

One of the last residents on Lower Cork Street, Proinsais Condon of DF Condon’s Drapery, is looking forward to having a few extra hours of sleep every morning.

“Trucks would begin to drive by at about 5am and, as we live over the shop, the noise would wake us up. It was not just the noise, sometimes it felt like a train was passing, especially if the trucks were empty. Our sign outside the shop is cracked due to the vibrations caused by the heavy traffic,” Proinsais told The Avondhu.

However, not all the heavy trucks are taking the new road or the Mitchelstown ring road. One truck driver told The Avondhu that he would continue to drive through the town on his run to Limerick.

“I never use the other bypass mainly because of time but also because of the steep climb at the end of it. It’s quicker to cut through the town.”

It is expected that over 16,000 vehicles will use the new section of the €174 million motorway each day.

SCARCE ACCOMMODATION A PROBLEM FOR MUSIC FESTIVAL

It seems that music festival fans could yet be engaged in a frantic search for accommodation for the August bank holiday event in Mitchelstown.

Indie-Pendence is expected to attract in excess of 1,000 people looking for accommodation on the August weekend with Mitchelstown currently having a bed capacity of little more than 100.

Tickets being distributed nationally by Ticketmaster are selling reasonably well commented a member of the organising crew.

“We are already receiving numerous e-mails from people looking for accommodation for the weekend. There are no camping facilities on offer so people are looking for self catering / B&B / hotels, etc and unfortunately, there is a shortage in the area for a demand like this.”

The organisers of Indie-Pendence are asking any local people that have vacant properties of a reasonable standard who wish to rent them on a short term weekend rental from July 31 to August 3 to send their details to Trudy Walsh at Trudy_Walsh@Live.ie.

The property details along with contact details for the owner will then be displayed on the website www.indiependencefestival.com.

The property owner can then arrange rentals direct with the client. Tickets for the 2009 Indie-Pendence Festival went on sale last Friday from Ticketmaster priced at €59 and various outlets around Mitchelstown selling special offer tickets at just €39 for a weekend pass.

Acts such as Ocean Colour Scene, The Super Furry Animals, Mundy, The Blizzards, The Frank & Walters, Fred, Director, Fish Go Deep and over 40 more will take to the three stages in O’Connell Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Special offer weekend tickets priced at €39 are available from Paki Fitzs / T3D / Coral Dry Cleaners / Walsh's Bar and The MousePad with more locations to be announced.

FARMERS WAITING FOR MOTORWAY LAND PAYMENT

Fianna Fail councillor Frank O’Flynn has called on the National Road Authority (NRA) to honour its commitments to the farmers who had sections of their land purchased for the new M8 motorway.

Cllr O’Flynn is calling on the NRA to ensure that farmers are paid for the land that was purchased for the motorway, “Many farmers have come to me and told me that they have yet to be paid by the NRA for their land. The land was purchased under a CPO (Compulsory Purchase Order) and now the motorway is completed many farmer have not yet been paid.”

Sean O’Neill, head of communications for the NRA said most of the landowners have been paid, “A finalised agreement is still in process with some of the land owners and these talks are ongoing. I cannot comment further at this time,” Mr O’Neill told The Avondhu.

The €174 million, 16km stretch of motorway was opened this week and is expected to cut up to 10 minutes off the average journey times from Cork to Dublin. It is expected that the motorway will be used by 16,000 vehicles a day.

O’FLYNN SEAT UNDER THREAT AS BATTLE HEATS UP

Unlike Fermoy Town Council, the battle for the four county council seats in the Fermoy electoral area is slightly more clear-cut, but this election still has the potential for some surprises.

It would take an incredible shift in voting patterns for 2004’s first count winner Kevin O’Keeffe to lose his seat. The Fianna Fail councillor comfortably crossed the line on the first count in the last election, winning his seat with 1,037 first preference votes to spare.

Less certain, however, is the seat of his party colleague Frank O’Flynn. Cllr O’Flynn was elected on the second count, having received more than half of O’Keeffe’s transfers. A dwindling Fianna Fail vote and the public disagreements between the pair could hurt O’Flynn’s chances of a similar transfer tally in this election. Both will rely more on their respective track records for votes rather than their party.

The Fermoy electoral area has long seen its four seats split evenly between Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, and the opposition party is expected to poll well this time around.

Fine Gael supporters on the ground are said to be somewhat unhappy, however, at the decision by the party’s national executive to run three candidates in an attempt to capitalise on the waning popularity of Fianna Fail.

The fear locally is that parties such as Labour and Sinn Fein who are focussing on one candidate could take advantage of a three-way split in the Fine Gael vote and both Noel McCarthy and Seamus Coleman respectively will hope that voters may want a change in the hold the country’s two largest parties will have held in the electoral area.

Of the Fine Gael candidates, Pa O’Driscoll is seen to be creating the biggest pre-election buzz. The secondary school teacher announced his intentions as early as last year, and has run a high profile campaign since then.

His visible canvassing has been backed up with solid policy however, and his stance on estate management and his calls for greater representation for villages should see his popularity extend beyond Fermoy where he also seeks a town council seat. A former president of Young Fine Gael, Mr O’Driscoll already has a political pedigree that suggests he is one to watch for this election and beyond.

His running mate Aileen Pyne will hope that her years of experience will back her in the polls, and as the winner of the third seat in 2004, she should be quietly confident of her chances this June. Only a split in the Fermoy vote with O’Driscoll could jeopardise her place.

A further concern for Cllr Pyne will be a split in the women’s vote with Kay Dawson, the third Fine Gael candidate. Despite taking the fourth and final seat in 2004, many observers believe that had outgoing Councillor Liam O’Doherty ran again he could well have topped the poll this time around.

His absence means that at least one new face will represent the area at county council level, and Cllr O’Doherty is putting his weight behind Ms Dawson. Despite her work with community groups in Mitchelstown and her solid endorsement as ‘the Mitchelstown candidate’ from Cllr O’Doherty, she is expected to poll the least of the three Fine Gael candidates due to her relatively low profile in Fermoy.

Stranger things have happened, however, and a last minute surge could see her sneak the final seat, much like Cllr O’Doherty did in 2004. A problem facing Ms Dawson is the challenges arising from Mitchelstown.

While Cllr O’Keeffe will have strong support in the town, Independent candidate Timmy ‘Rancher’ White will also take votes in the area. Mr White is not expected to take a seat as his campaign appeal is seen to be limited solely to Mitchelstown, but he will take votes from other candidates, and his transfers could make or break other campaigns.

The candidates most likely to break the Fianna Fail/Fine Gael hold on the area are Labour’s Noel McCarthy and Sinn Fein’s Seamus Coleman.

The former is well established in Fermoy where he is hotly tipped to take a town council seat, while his endorsement from Sean Sherlock and his strong canvassing should take votes beyond the town. Fermoy town Cllr Coleman is on the record as saying he is targeting a Fianna Fail seat, and his party will hope for an influx of disillusioned Fianna Fail voters who will shift to Sinn Fein on historical grounds. Both will hope that the recession will see people shift towards more left-of-centre candidates.

In conclusion, it will take many observers by surprise if the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael hold on the four seats is broken this time around, but it is definitely more likely this June than it was in 2004. Only strong transfers within these parties will keep the focussed Labour and Sinn Fein camps from taking a seat.