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Updated 10.50pm
A RETIRED IRISH priest has been removed from his public position in Minnesota in the US after being “credibly accused of the sexual abuse of a minor female.”
The allegations relate to Father Cornelius Kelleher’s time as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church in Chisholm from 1975 to 1986. The Diocese of Duluth said in a statement that ”when the accusation was made, Father Kelleher was immediately removed from any public ministry and is no longer able to function as a priest in his retirement.”
The Diocese adds that, at present, no formal criminal charges or litigation in connection with this accusation.
81-year-old Kelleher worked across a number of parishes in the diocese as a priest between 1956 and 2012 before retiring in July of last year.
First published 9.27am
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“Ming-endorsed turfcutter”.. Gotta love Irish politics.
SF candidate lives in constituency but will not after next election. Turf contractor does not but will next time.
By all a/c he is the intellectual driving force behind Ming. He was described as an oracle although it’s possible Ming misspoke.
Know him well, many people have totally underestimated Michael Fitzmaurice. Many people also underestimated Luke Ming……look where he is. Suits in the Dáil don’t like anyone straight talking or honest….neither do their cronies. That man is worth to us more than the lot of them put together. He won’t play ball, he’ll stick it to them and be a thorn in the side and won’t miss a beat. Good luck to him.
Martina, as long as one of those FF/FG/LAB types doesn’t get in, it’ll be alright. The ones that sold us out, and those that acquiesced.
Jeez…how many times can you spell Sinn Féin wrong? Incorrectly spelled three times out of the first four mentions… I don’t like the party, but come on!!!
And that, Brian, is why your single :-P
Party on Brian, Party on Niall.
Surely this ‘Burton bounce’ rubbish must be over by now?
Never realised that Enda was so small!
small in different ways… the least objectionable is his physical stature
If Mr. Kenny is elected I’m sure he will be looking forward to taxpayer funded Irish classes and business class fund raising trips to Australia.
The Shinners. Not quite whiter than thou.
Been reading the indo again Alan? They never stop scratching.
Jamie
Did she or did she not spend thousands of Euro flying First Class to Australia and back? Even Government Ministers have flown economy over long distance flights and Mary Lou of Sinn Fein is up the front! Wow have we lost the run of ourselves?
It wasn’t in the Indo that I saw it. And even if it was I note that she hasn’t been on denying that using her fake Dublin whine.
It’s all beginning to slip away from them really.
Richard what is the issue if the tax payer did not pay ? like when your lot take off on junkets all the time
u wish Alan…
Mary Lou is from Dublin……what exact issue is there that Mary Lou went to OZ ? Is it because your lot in FFFG want to forget about our emigrants…
It was not a tax payer funded trip unlike the traditional Saint Patricks day junkets
While you are at it why do you seem to be anti the Irish language so much
Richard she flew business class, big swing of the mickey.
In reality 10k isn’t that much on flights between two people Francis brolly was with her so that’s 5k on a trip to Australlia flying to Sydney from Dublin then the connections all around Australlia. It would be run up very quick. Might do some good to dig a little deeper rather than reading sensationalist headlines.
especially when the tax payer is not funding it
It’s just one person’s dole for a year.
I can see your point but then shouls she not go ?
Independent all the way if I was living there after finding out those candidates.
Political Parties … just private clubs passing Pro-Lobby Laws not Pro-Citizen …. Bring your Brains to the Polling Booths.
i hope the people of letrim and roscommon give the main parties a kicking,they deserve it.they have lied to all these people since they got in.where is all the investment, none i can see.remember people they will promise u the sun, moon , and stars to get ur vote.ps these people are part time politicians,it is not a full time job.
I think an analysis of the recent local elections in the area is very important when predicting the outcome of this election. Held only three months ago, they give us a good picture of how the constituency will vote next month.
The boundary for the locals differs slightly to that for the general election. County Roscommon is comprised of three local electoral areas – Athlone, Boyle and Roscommon. County Leitrim is more difficult since only the southern half of the county has a vote in the upcoming by-election. I’ve included the LEAs of Carrick-on-Shannon and Ballinamore in my analysis however it should be noted that part of these LEAs will not have a vote.
Fianna Fáil – The article is accurate when it suggests that the party’s candidate Ivan Connaghton has a good chance at winning. The party’s vote in the local elections was just under 34% and if it were to be repeated on polling day, Connaghton would likely have the largest number of first preference votes however transfers are another question entirely.
Fine Gael – The assumption that Maura Hopkins will be eliminated and that her transfers may determine the election are far from certain. The party polled at nearly 24% in the locals making her elimination unlikely were she to gather the same votes. Fine Gael’s vote hit an all-time low in the locals however no poll has yet to show them sliding further.
Labour – Of the five LEAs which comprise this constituency, Labour only contested one and their candidate failed to take a seat. This puts their support levels at 1.35% however we can expect Senator John Kelly to fair a little better, somewhere between 3-5% perhaps. In any case his elimination early on in the count will only serve to provide transfers for Fine Gael with some transfers going elsewhere.
Sinn Féin – I’m baffled as to why commentators have Martin Kenny in contention for this seat. SF polled under 12% in the local elections and Mr. Kenny is from Leitrim which only comprises one-fifth of the constituency’s population. You can never underestimate the extent to which people vote along county lines in constituencies like this. Of the three Roscommon LEAs, only one returned a SF councillor in May. With support levels half that of Fine Gael, this article really should read that SF transfers may determine the election. Recent polls have not shown significant rises for SF since May.
Independents – With support levels of 29% at the locals, and with a Ming backed candidate likely to contest, I would predict a good showing for independent candidates in this election however a note of caution for Mr. Fitzmaurice. Having Ming’s support is not the same as being Ming. Unless voters feel the same sense of rebellion they felt with Ming, this candidate may fail to break the mould and may only get lost in the mix of other Independents likely to contest this race. The fact that Fitzmaurice holds a seat in Tuam, Co. Galway may also work against him in a constituency which tends to vote along county lines.
Overall if the locals are to repeat themselves and if county lines are to be followed I would see the contest unfolding as follows:
30% Connaghton, FF
25% Hopkins, FG
18% Fitzmaurice, IND
15% Kenny, SF
3% Kelly, Labour
9% Other candidates
At these number this election is beyond reach for Sinn Féin however they will pick up strong Leitrim support due to their candidate. Fianna Fáil are the ones to beat in this election but transfers will likely put Hopkins or Fitzmaurice ahead on the final count. SF transfers will likely swing to Fitzmaurice however the other independents and Labour may still give FG a chance of adding another young female TD to the Dáil.
A month to go, may the best candidate win and I just hope better information is used in future. The predictions in this article don’t reflect the numbers on the ground.
If you ever had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to Michael Fitzmaurice, you would know he is of the same mould as Ming and will not bow to gombeen politics, says it like it is and has no fear.
Polls since May have not shown a rise in Sinn Fein vote ? I am not so sure that is correct… if FF are so strong then it will be a major blow to them if they do not win
“The Burton Bounce Me Bollocks”
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