*Clare TD, Cathal Crowe. Photograph: John Mangan
FIANNA FÁIL MEMBERS feel there needs to be more meetings of its Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair held.
Speaking at Monday’s selection convention to decide the party’s ticket in the Ennis Municipal District, Clare TD Cathal Crowe (FF) led the call for more meetings to be held among the party membership to discuss issues of importance. The Comhairle Ceanntair is a form of district unit covering the entire county.
Deputy Crowe noted that having a contest to decide who represents the party on the ballot paper is “democracy in action”.
He added, “we need to go back to having Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair meetings, we need to be having these gatherings. In our family, we buried a loved one ten days ago and it was said amongst our family that the family only tends to meet at weddings and funerals nowadays, it seems to me that when we meet as the Fianna Fáil family we’re putting on the green armband and honouring our dead.
“We should be meeting more often, I would love to have a meeting of the Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair before Christmas to give our candidates a platform to bounce ideas around”.
Party member Liam Daly speaking from the floor stated, “we haven’t had a Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair meeting for many years, I would like to see more Comhairle Dáil Ceanntair meetings. It has to be said”.
Meelick native Crowe commended local officer Angela Coll for manning the Ennis Comhairle Ceanntair Facebook page which he said had “fabulous positivity”. He added, “it sets a status that other pages should look at, it has positive messaging from the party”. The TD’s comments appeared to be a jibe at the East Clare Comhairle Ceanntair Facebook page which has questioned the direction of the party on occasion.
