Athenry News & Views Winter 2025

Athenry News & Views

In the same way that people love horse racing, I love elections. I research the background of candidates, rate their chances, write pages of notes, have a sporting bet with other political animals, stay up all night, follow exit polls, correspond with friends in different time zones, and follow results in several constituencies, countries, and states. I watch for trends — for example, support for populist candidates in political hotspots, “pothole” candidates, local hospital issues, etc. I have no current allegiance to any political party, though I have supported candidates and canvassed for them - not out of party allegiance, but because I believed in them. Sometimes their actions have disappointed me, and I have differed with them. I come from a family that was defined politically along Civil War lines, and to some extent still is - divided in loyalty between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. I have great friends who are card-carrying members of both camps, and I very much enjoy the banter and slagging associated with our shared interest. Being a Blueshirt, a Fiana Fáiller, or a Shinner is rather like being a Liverpool or Man U fan - you’re not going to desert the ship or leave the tribe because of one bad season. I get that, I respect that, and to be honest, part of me would like to belong to one tribe or another. Politically, I would describe myself as centre-left. Now, here is an interesting trend in Irish politics: I am the last generation, by and large, to have any connection to revolutionary politics - even to the Troubles, Bloody Sunday, the hunger strikes, and other events that define me To an eighteen-year-old casting their first vote today, these things are about as relevant as the Boer War or the Mutiny on the Bounty. The tide is going out for Civil War politics. Bertie Ahern once defined Fianna Fáil as a “national movement,” and I think that was accurate. You had everything from an ardent communist to a I Love Elections

by Michael Coye

committed fascist, Thatcherite capitalist, Blairite neoliberal — and further afield — all travelling under the same Dev or Collins banner. Lads, girls — that show is over. Which side are you on? What do you really believe in? Like it or not, 1916 is now a footnote in modern Irish politics. Even as one who cares passionately about history, my concerns are about how we will face the real challenges that confront our nation. When I was in my twenties and in a relationship, I could get my head around the idea of buying or building a house — now that’s a pipe dream for most young people. LGBTQ+ issues, how we develop as a multicultural society, and how we help our immigrant community to integrate while carrying our native language, music, and other traditions forward to be handed down to a new generation — these are things I am passionate about, and they are very relevant to young people today. President Michael D Higgins greets his successor Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin following her victory in the recent Presidental Election.