*Cathal Crowe TD (FF) in O’Briensbridge.
BEEPING horns and waves seem to be a positive omen for Cathal Crowe TD (FF) who admits to being under far more pressure for this General Election campaign than his maiden success of 2020.
On Tuesday afternoon in O’Briensbridge, Crowe couldn’t have planned it better if he tried as a pause in the canvass sees a flurry of four cars in succession beep and salute in an indication that he has their support.
“We will always remember you,” says one grateful constituent who is interrupted from dusting, offers from Crowe to reach the higher-up bits are pushed back but he is assured of the vote.
Crowe is reminding the people of O’Briensbridge that this is a follow-up call having previously canvassed them in September. “I said I’d call back again,” he tells them while also encouraging them to liaise with his constituency office or Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) on any local issues.
A worker from a nursing home in Ardnacrusha reminds Crowe he was promised of their vote when he paid them a visit. “You’re lucky that I was not made sing for my supper then, ye went easy on me compared to an another nursing home” where the residents of Clarecasle Daycare Centre made him sing a few bars of ‘Grace’.
An exchange of leaflets between Crowe and Matthew Moroney (IND) was also conducted. Ordinarily, if one candidate came across another, the first to arrive would be let stay in the area with the other to move on but such practice is ignored for such a tight window.
As he calls to the home of an elderly couple, Crowe is told he has the number one vote and is questioned on whether Cllr Tony O’Brien (FF) is running. He confirms that O’Brien has not entered the race unbeknownst to everyone. At every door, he asks for votes for his running mates Cllr Rita McInerney (FF) and Senator Timmy Dooley (FF).
“Ye had an accident recently,” says one homeowner to Crowe. He shared the story of his mother-in-law aged 71 dying suddenly after she was hit by a car after coming out of Centra in Charleville where she stopped to buy a lotto ticket for the GAA club. “We are broken hearted and the timing is awful,” he said.
On the move, Crowe is sending voice notes to a WhatsApp group of staff from his constituency office with details on the issues he is coming across on the doors. They are aiming within an hour to have an emailed response with the constituents, “we are getting them turned around as quick as we can,” he explains.
Doing a bit of shopping in O’Briensbridge is a Limerick woman who is encouraged to vote for Willie O’Dea (FF) and Dee Ryan (FF).
“The election is happening, I called in September, I do the clinics every month,” he tells a business man while reminding him of the powering up grant, “give your accountant a shout”.
He adds, “it is one thing to show up at election time, you have to show up between elections and I do that”.
Crowe now needs the people to show up for him as he faces into a second election which is always known as the ‘tricky election’.
