Gentleman – In light of the recent correspondence regarding the fate of so-called ‘famous faces’ in Ireland’s elections (‘Elections and ‘celebrity’ candidates’, Letters, June 15th), some of your readers may be intrigued to discover that this trend of electing renowned names is not a recent development. Indeed, it was imposed on the Irish electorate as long ago as nearly 90 years in Donegal.
In the decade of the thirties, the Fine Gael party was successful in enlisting one of the most adored GAA footballers of his era to accept their candidacy for the 1937 General Election. The individual in question, (Daniel) John O’Donnell (1910-1954), was exceedingly eminent during this time.
O’Donnell managed to secure two victories at the Sigerson Cups with UCD in the early part of the 1930s. Additionally, his club, Dungloe, were dominant forces in the Donegal football scene throughout the decade, having claimed the county finals in 1930, 1931, 1933, 1936, and also achieved second place in 1932 and 1934.
Despite his high-profile status, O’Donnell was defeated by Cormac Breslin, a Fianna Fáil representative, for the third and last Donegal West seat in 1937: Breslin achieved 23.3 per cent of votes, with O’Donnell trailing at 21.1 3 per cent. Nonetheless, his sporting stardom garnered him a commendable result in a constituency that was predominantly Fianna Fáil supporters.
The successful Cormac Breslin (1902-1978) began a 40-year tenure in Dáil Éireann following his triumph at the poll, with the majority of his service as leas-cheann comhairle or ceann comhairle.
I am curious, could this be the earliest illustration of an Irish political party’s inclination to nominate widely popular individuals in an attempt to win favour with the electorate? – Kind Regards,
PÁDRAIC HARVEY,
An Cheathrú Rua,
Co na Gaillimhe.
Gentleman, – Once a celebrity transitions into politics, would they still be described as “the talent”? – Kind Regards,
LEO LAWLER,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.