History made, tradition maintained

By TONY GALVIN HISTORY was made and tradition maintained in the Galway East constituency count centre in New Inn over the weekend as three new TDs and one seasoned veteran were returned to the 31st Dáil. History was made by the election of the constituency's first Labour TD since the foundation of the State. Colm Keaveney is also the first Tuam-based TD for over half a century. The last time a Tuam-based TD was returned to Dáil Eireann was in 1956 when James P Hession took a seat for Fine Gael. Tradition was maintained through the Kitt and Connaughton names dominating the top of the poll, as has been the case for decades. Elected on Sunday following a recount were Micheal Kitt (FF), Paul Connaughton Jnr (FG), Ciáran Cannon (FG) and Colm Keaveney (Labour). West was waiting At the time of going to press a recount is continuing in Galway West to decide the final of the five seats. Éamon Ó Cúiv (FF), Derek Nolan (Labour), Noel Grealish (Ind) and Brian Walsh (FG) have secured seats and the battle for the final one is between Catherine Connolly (Ind) and Sean Kyne (FG) with Kyne expected to take it. Back in Galway East it will have to be left to political historians of the future to assess the remarkable success of Ciáran Cannon who took a seat for Fine Gael. The last, essentially caretaker leader of the PDs, he saw his party disintegrate beneath him but from a base in the Seanad he re-established himself and returned in triumph to take his first Seat in the Dáil. Cannon's vote-gathering triumph is being mulled over by party strategists of all hues this week to see if there is a formula they have somehow missed. He took votes from practically every box in the constituency, defying patterns and perplexing experienced tallymen. That said, Labour too were represented in almost as many boxes, taking in votes from as far South as Portumna and North as Milltown. FGâ€Ë†tradition In the traditionalist camp, the Connaughton name held strong. Paul Connaughton Snr arranged a smooth transfer of power to his son, Paul Junior. The campaign was managed in time-honoured style, best suited to their core vote in the traditional heartland of Galway East. Personal contacts, favours owed and repaid, local loyalty and the familiar face of Paul Snr on the campaign trail ensured the voters stuck with the brand they knew, albeit an updated model. A similar analysis will serve to sum up Michael Kitt's success. Kitt's personal popularity and the family's reputation helped him avoid the worst impact of the turn against Fianna Fáil. The party's vote was well down in Galway East along with national trends but the old guard of Fianna Fail in the constituency circled the wagons and were determined to make a stand around him. While soft Fianna Fail floated away the hard core remained solid and loyal. It was obvious that it would be a Herculean task to pass on Noel Treacy's seat to Michael F Dolan, the two candidates got just less than one quota between them. This again highlights the juxtaposition of historic change and the continuation of tradition in the one constituency. While Cannon, and Keaveney in particular, broke new ground the conservative nature so long associated with the constituency is still very much in evidence. Another tradition which was maintained was the rivalry and animosity between the four Fine Gael camps in this race. With a more efficient transfer arrangement it was a real possibility that FG could have taken three seats. However, once again, rather than a collective approach, it was effectively four individual campaigns and very little evidence on the ground of co-operation or coherent strategy between the candidates. Tuam's Transfer Triplets THE tussle for the â€ËœTuam seat' was a very close run contest. The three, Tom McHugh (FG), Sean Canney (Ind) and the winner Colm Keaveney (Lab) are all members of Galway Co Council and after a bruising weekend all three were in attendance in County Hall on Monday for the authority's monthly meeting. Keaveney was there to bid farewell to his council colleagues, as he must vacate his seat before taking his Dáil position. For McHugh and Canney it was back to the business of representing the Tuam area at council level. While the rivalry between the three candidates was intense, the determination of the electorate in the greater Tuam  area to have a TD to call their own was evident in the close transfers between the three. Speaking to The Herald in County Hall on Monday, both McHugh and Canney expressed disappointment at the outcome but were gracious and accepting that entering the political fray was not for the fainthearted. Keaveney was magnanimous in victory and there was no evidence of ill will between the â€ËœTuam Three' or â€ËœThe Transfer Triplets' as one wag dubbed them, as they posed for a photograph for The Herald. In all, eight members of Galway Co Council ran in the election: Mayor Jimmy McClearn (FG), Tom McHugh (FG), Sean Kyne (FG), Paul Connaughton Jnr (FG),  Dermot Connolly (Sinn Féin), Colm Keaveney (Lab), Tom Welby (Ind) and Tim Broderick (Ind). The fate of Sean Kyne is being decided at the Leisureland count centre, at the time of going to press. There is intense speculation as to who will be co-opted on to the council to replace Paul Connaughton TD and Colm Keaveney TD.