BY CATRIONA GALLEN
FORMER Fianna Fail TD, Cecilia Keaveney's political future will be decided in the coming days. Cecilia is seeking election to Seanad Eireann on the Cultural and Educational Panel having secured an Oireachtas Sub-Panel nomination. The ballots will be counted on Monday.
Cecilia is seeking a seat on the cultural panel alongside Cllr Terence Slowey and the Irish Country Women's Association candidate Maureen McLaughlin. The former music teacher may have to revert to the classroom if she is unsuccessful, however, when the Donegal News contacted Cecilia Keaveney on Thursday morning to discuss her plans for the future, she was busy boarding a plane in Dublin airport and unable to comment.
Under a complicated Senate election system more than 1,000 public representatives on local councils will vote for 43 of the 60 members of the Senate.
There are eight candidates seeking election to the Seanad in Donegal. They are: Cllr Pearse Doherty, Cllr Patrick McGowan, Cllr Brian O'Domhnaill, Killybegs hotelier Bernie O'Callaghan, Cllr Terence Slowey and outgoing Inishowen-based TD Cecilia Keaveney. A development officer from St Johnston, Maureen McLaughlin has been nominated by the Irish Countrywomen's Association and Frosses native Bernadine O'Sullivan has been endorsed by the ASTI for the NUI panel.
The Cultural and Educational Panel has one of the highest quotas at 170 votes needed to secure one of the five seats available. The closing date for receipt of ballot papers is Monday 23 July at 11am. The ballots will then be colour sorted into the five different panels and the Cultural panel will be the first to be decided.
Cllr Terence Slowey said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the outcome on Monday.
"The Seanad is a very competitive race. I've received a good reception around the country and have been canvassing for 29 days. It is probably the hardest won seat in all of the panels as there are only five and the quota will be around 170 or 175 votes which is a lot of councillors," explained Cllr Slowey.
"The more representation Donegal can have in the Oireachtas the better for the county. I have spoken to numerous independents and councillors over the last few weeks. On Monday my fate will be sealed," he added.
Fine Gael Councillor Brian O'Domhnaill is contesting a seat on the Industrial and Commercial panel. He is the only candidate from Donegal seeking election to this panel. Counting will not begin on the Industrial panel until Tuesday, after the Cultural and Educational panel and Agricultural panels have concluded.
"It's very difficult to quantify how I'm going to do in the elections. I ran a good campaign and got good feedback. It's virgin territory for me but I also found it quite a lonely election. I've been travelling round the country and living out of the boot of a car for the last four weeks approaching independent councillors, Green party members and the Progressive Democrats. It is challenging but I'm hopeful of a positive outcome," said Cllr O'Domhnaill.
Fine Gael councillors cast their votes on Monday night last at Gleneany House, Letterkenny while Fianna Fail Councillors cast their ballots in the Mount Errigal Hotel earlier, supervised by County Secretary Eunan Sweeney.
Sinn Fein councillors went to the Dáil on Thursday 12 July to cast their votes for the party's only candidate, Donegal County Councillor Pearse Doherty. Cllr Pearse Doherty is seeking election on the Agricultural panel alongside Fianna Fail Cllr Patrick McGowan.
Pearse Doherty may be set to take the party's first ever Senate seat through an unprecedented pact at national level with the Labour Party. However Cllr Doherty dismissed suggestions of a "voting pact" with Labour yesterday (Thursday). He said Sinn Fein had 58 votes and were hoping for support from independents and other parties to secure the 90 votes needed for the quota.
"There are five panels to vote on and up to 37 candidates for each. Sinn Fein have only one candidate and have 58 votes available and there is an arrangement with other parties to vote but whether that is successful or not remains to be seen. Each TD and Councillor cast their votes as they so desire and we will be hoping that we receive a high number of preference votes," he said.
"I made sure during the election campaign that I did not neglect my County council duties and was present at every Council meeting. If successful I will continue with the political work I have been pursuing within the county," said Cllr Doherty.
