BY MICHAEL BRESLIN
A well-known Newtownbutler man, who was born in County Monaghan and spent some 30 years in Dublin where he shared membership of the Sean Lemass Cummann of Fianna Fail with members of the Haughey family, has put himself forward as promoter of the spread of Fianna Fail throughout County Fermanagh.
Pat Chapman, who shares a love of local history with ladies football on the administrative end at provincial and national level, has twice met recently with the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, the last time after Mr Ahern had formally announced his Party's return to fulfilling the dream of the founding father of Fianna Fail, Eamonn de Valera.
Pat Chapman, speaking to the 'Herald' this week, said he had received a lot of prominent GAA members interested in becoming anchors in their areas in developing Fianna Fail throughout Fermanagh.
"It will be difficult, and Fermanagh and Tyrone would be two of the most difficult counties because there is such an anchorage of Sinn Fein in both but, don't forget, Fianna Fail do call themselves the original Republicans.
"So, there's no reason why Fianna Fail should not be promoted within the 32 counties because it has always been a 32-county Party".
Asked if he foresaw Fianna Fail amalgamating with another political Party, Mr Chapman said, yes, he could foresee it amalgamating with the SDLP and he suggested that one of the reasons why that idea was kept under wraps was to avoid over-balancing the SDLP's popularity.
Mr Chapman resided in Dublin from the early 50's until he settled in Newtownbutler in 1983. He recalled that his grandmother became one of the first Fianna Fail members in 1926 along with Dixie McPhillips, an uncle of the McPhillips family from Newtownbutler. At the time, his maternal home was in Fermanagh Street, in Clones.
Mr Chapman also recalled that Eamonn de Valera had a soft spot for both Clones and Newtownbutler, visiting the latter in 1952 in the time of canon Tom Maguire of aeirocht (Irish pageant fame).
Asked how Fermanagh might benefit from Fianna Fail being established here, Mr Chapman was upbeat: "It's a border region to start with, and I can see only good coming out of it if it was established, say, in the next 20 years or so".
