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On The Trail: 7 odd, weird and wonderful things from Election 2014

The election trail can be an odd place, here are a few things we’ve come across in recent days…

IT’S WEEK TWO of the local and European elections campaign proper and candidates up and down the country have been pounding the pavements, knocking on doors and dealing with poster nightmares.

Since we brought you our first collection of weird and wacky things we’d spotted on the campaign trail over recent weeks we’ve been inundated with emails, pictures and videos.

Here’s our selection from the mailbox this week…

1. The independent candidate with the catchy campaign song 

Last week we brought you Dan McCarthy’s excellent campaign leaflet, this week we bring you his excellent campaign song:

Carmel O'Leary / YouTube

2. Another ‘independant’ candidate

Ah lads… 

another independant Jason Doyle Jason Doyle

3. The candidate appealing to Arabic voters… 

Jason O’Callaghan, who is running in Crumlin-Kimmage, has issued this check the register reminder to his Arabic constituents:

arabic Irish Election Literature Irish Election Literature

4. … who also happens to be a wedding singer

As lead singer of the Wedding Knights (Wedding Band of the Year!) O’Callaghan, formerly a newspaper gossip columnist, guarantees you a “full dance floor” and a “competitive rate”:

Jason O'Callaghan / YouTube

5. The candidate who made their own poster 

‘Red’ Mick O’Donnell has taken matters into his own hands and we admire him for it:

6. The European election candidate who doesn’t want you to be an ass

Nice prop from Mark Fitzsimons:

mark fitzsimons Mark Fitzsimons Facebook Mark Fitzsimons Facebook

7. The Fine Gael campaign videos 

As we’ve already documented extensively this week, there are some odd things going on in these Fine Gael videos. Not least this:

Seen anything weird and wonderful in your area or on the campaign trail in recent weeks. Drop us an email hugh@thejournal.ie

Read: 8 skills you need to run for election according to these campaign videos

Read: Two ministers and a famously brassy lady in a wooden box. What could go wrong this time?

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    Mute James Brown
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    May 4th 2014, 6:48 PM

    I was in Galway & thought someone had drawn a ‘tash’ on the Seamus Walsh posters. I was thinking they went to a lot of bother doing all of his posters, only to realise later it’s actually a real tash. He puts willie odea to shame!

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    Mute Liz Potts
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    May 4th 2014, 7:15 PM

    The posters around Dawson street and trinity college of the dog candidate are class- he’s wearing a tie and everything!!!

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    May 4th 2014, 6:47 PM

    Doesn’t take much to figure out what the FG candidate is at with the Arab translation, he is hoping there all stupid and will vote for him based on this leaflet which doesn’t help much given most Irish Arabs know English. I hope they vote on policies and not based on FG tricks

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    Mute Shane Russell
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    May 4th 2014, 7:10 PM

    Still very clever. I know if I was abroad and saw a poster as gaeilge it would make me more inclined to vote. Ridiculous, but still applicable.

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    Mute Kevin Higgins
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    May 4th 2014, 7:19 PM

    If I saw one in Irish I wouldn’t be able to read it, policies will always come before tricks like this. Especially when you’ve the knowledge of what FG have done the past few years.

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    Mute Irelands Eye
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    May 4th 2014, 8:34 PM

    AAA election candidate Eddie Erikson running in Tallaght is wearing a tracksuit in his Election poster.

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    Mute Irelands Eye
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    May 4th 2014, 9:30 PM
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    Mute Irelands Eye
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    May 4th 2014, 8:41 PM

    Eddie Erikson a candidate running in Tallaght is wearing a tracksuit in his election poster . Noice

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    Mute Irelands Eye
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    May 4th 2014, 9:26 PM

    Oops my first and second post to yhe journal :|

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    Mute Philip Cooper
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    May 4th 2014, 7:23 PM

    Ah, that old chestnut?

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