McGUINNESS LIFTS THE LID ON PARTY APPROACH



Connaught Telegraph Logo 19 February 1997


Fianna Fail election plot uncovered

Tom Kelly reports

An intriguing political plot has been uncovered which indicates that Fianna Fail were not planning to run Beverley Copper Flynn in the West Mayo by-election three years ago. The vacancy in the constituency was created by the appointment of Beverley's father, Padraig, to the position of EU Commissioner.

Now it has been disclosed that the party was not lining up the 30-years-old bank executive as her father's potential successor. The person they had in mind was 52-years-old local businessman, Mr. Paddy McGuinness, chairman of the Mayo RTC Action Group.

In an exclusive interview with the Connaught Telegraph, Mr. McGuinness spoke of the Fianna Fail attempt to poach him.

"The approach was made to me through my connections in Monaghan.

"It came through former Health Minister, Rory O'Hanlon, who is chairman of the Fianna Fail party in Monaghan.

"He approached relatives of mine to ask me if I would stand for the Fianna Fail party here in Mayo. It is an untraceable approach, but it did happen.

"They wanted me to represent the party in the West Mayo by-election.

"Fianna Fail want to deny it, but I am not into scoring points one way or the other."

Ironically, Mr. McGuinness stood in the election on the Mayo RTC ticket and cost Beverley Cooper Flynn her place in Dail Eireann.

"I have no doubt but that she would be a T.D. today, and not Michael Ring, if Albert Reynolds, the Fianna Fail leader at the time, had given a firm commitment regarding the third level college in Castlebar."

Mr. McGuinness revealed being approached by the Progressive Democrats in their attempt to find a Mayo-based candidate in the forthcoming General Election. The National Party also tried to bring him on board.

"I regard these approaches as a kind of a compliment," he stated.

Mr. McGuinness said had been fighting the RTC issue since 1979, and he honesty believed the forthcoming General Election would sort out the issue once and for all.

But he did not rule out the prospect of standing in the election if certain guarantees about the Castlebar college were not given to him by the Fine Gael-led Government.

He did not see why the campaign for the retention of the television deflector system could not be aligned with the RTC issue.

"They are similar issues as far as fighting our corner in rural Ireland is concerned."



Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - February 1997