Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FOUR FIANNA FÁIL councillors in Limerick have broken away from the main party.
The split comes as a shock after the party secured 13 seats across the city and county council in last week’s local election – more than any other group.
Eddie Ryan, Kevin Sheahan, Kieran O’Hanlon and Joe Crowley have formed a group called ‘Independent Fianna Fáil’ after a bitter row over leadership split the party.
The Limerick Leader has reported that councillors Michael Collins, Fianna Fáil’s leader on the council, and James Collins met with the manager of the local authority, Conn Murray, behind deputy leader Ryan’s back.
Ryan told the paper that he was “naturally disappointed to hear that two of my colleagues had met with management without including me in that mix”.
A vote for the leadership resulted in Michael Collins being re-elected over Ryan, by eight votes to five. James Collins was elected deputy leader over O’Hanlon, by nine votes to four.
TheJournal.ie attempted to contact several of the Fianna Fáil and Independent Fianna Fáil councillors this afternoon, but most were unavailable.
One councillor said that those who remain within the original party group are meeting this evening at 5 pm to discuss how to move forward. He described the split as a “bombshell”.
Eddie Wade, who retired as a Fianna Fáil councillor in the area last week, said he was shocked by the news, adding he thought his friend was “winding me up” when he told him the news this afternoon.
Speculation has been mounting as to how the split will affect the council and what new alliances will be formed.
In the election, Fine Gael secured 12 seats across Limerick City and County Council, Sinn Féin and independents both won six, while Labour secured three.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
They’re not too independent if the best name they could come up with was Independent Fianna Fáil….
I think that “Noses Out Of Joint Fianna Fáil” would suit better
What about “i can’t believe it’s not fianna fail”
Fianna success
Splitters!
FF should have disbanded after the 2011 election… Jesus wept.
So will we now have Official Fianna Fail, Provisional Fianna Fail or Continuity Fianna Fail in Limerick?
Don’t forget the Real Fianna Fail!
Well at least they don’t have a terrorist wing.
Depends on your definition of terrorist….
My definition of terrorist is somebody who kills people using bombs and guns.
So financial terrorism doesnt come into it then for you?
Not really, considering terrorism is the threat of violence.
Plus1 Shane. Financial terrorism is a subtle form of terrorism but terrorism all the same.
Majority of people living in ireland are living terror from the reign of ff
I think you lads need to brush up on your English. Terrorism is the threat of violence. Financial crimes and corruption are not the same thing as terrorism, simply because they’re two different things.
Neal, that is called murder.
Terrorism:
The use of violence and/or intimidation and/or threats to create fear and submission in a population for political purposes.
I would say financial terrorism comes under the intimidation/ threats definitions. The banks certainly intimidate and threaten in ways we all know and the government also do so with budgets/ charges/ cutbacks (esp. With medical cards) etc.
@ this interests me : “I think you lads need to brush up on your English.”
You need to do your homework first. There are many definitions of terrorism. One of which is to use threats as a means of coersion and intimidation for political ends.
By that valid definition, Germany and the the ECB are guilty of financial terrorism against our state, and FG/Labour are guilty of terrorism against our people via their threats and bullying during the fiscal compact referendum.
“I can’t believe its not Fianna Fail”
?
Thanks Amy for clarifying that I have a reasonable grasp of English.
Says SF supporter Enda. Gas man.
Dissident Fianna Fail…..
Truth patrol I m an ex member of ff I m always a supporter of many independents
The British Army and the RUC , would they be terrorists ?
There are lots of things that you could reasonably argue are forms of terrorism. I’m just saying it’s not fair to lump them all in with the bombs-and-guns ones.
Neal – Like The Blueshirts ???
Agreed! People have died as a direct result of the horrendous mis-management of the country over the last 20 years. You don’t necessarily need a bomb or a gun to cause injury or end life. Even leaving out the tragic cases of suicide, the cuts to the medical services alone will have assured that and will continue to do so.
The definition of violence needs to be considered as well. Do callous disregard and willful neglect count? The WHO define it as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation.” Just because they’re eleceted and purportedly ‘respectable’ doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible for deplorable actions and the resultant impacts.
Maybe a corruption wing though?
There’s something I found about a Fianna Fáil td, I hope I pasted it ok for you.
Financial terrorism is financial violence and it has been perpetrated on the whole country apart from the chosen 1% and politicians!
more stupidity, mismanagement and incompetence than anything else – at times illegally corrupt. It isn’t a crime to be grossly stupid – it is to threaten violence or use violence to deliberately achieve an end. It is also a crime to smuggle diesel/cigarettes, hold up a bank ,a post office van delivering pension money and to blast a Garda with an AK 47 -so seriously shinners get off your high horse…
brush up on yours
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism
Origin of term
See also: Terror and State terrorism
Mass killings in the Vendée during the Reign of Terror in France, 1793
“Terrorism” comes from the French word terrorisme,[15] and originally referred specifically to state terrorism as practiced by the French government during the 1793–1794 Reign of terror. The French word terrorisme in turn derives from the Latin verb terreō meaning “I frighten”.[16] The terror cimbricus was a panic and state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105 BC. The Jacobins cited this precedent when imposing a Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.[17][18] After the Jacobins lost power, the word “terrorist” became a term of abuse.[9] Although “terrorism” originally referred to acts committed by a government, currently it usually refers to the killing of innocent people[19] for political purposes in such a way as to create a media spectacle. This meaning can be traced back to Sergey Nechayev, who described himself as a “terrorist”.[20] Nechayev founded the Russian terrorist group “People’s Retribution” (Народная расправа) in 1869.[21]
In November 2004, a United Nations Secretary General report described terrorism as any act “intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act”.[22]
Google frank Aiken..
Neal wrote:
“My definition of terrorist is somebody who kills people using bombs and guns.”
A bit broad, don’t you think?
Most armed forces in the world would then be terrorists.
This wrote:
“Not really, considering terrorism is the threat of violence.”
You mean like having 2800 nuclear weapons all fueled up and ready to launch?
Terrorism as the name implies is the attempt to control and dominate people by causing them to fear your actions. Ie causing them terror. This can be achieved by financial threats and controls as well as physical threats and actions.
The lost ECB/ troika letters being an example,,,,,,
So they used the party funds to get elected and then split. Little disingenuous.
Yes automatic re-election. Don’t care what party you left.
It’s about time someone screwed Fianna Fáil. They’ve done it too ireland too many times.
FF should send them a bill
They presumably helped raise the funds.
They might have worked a bit harder on the name
Fianna FAIL attempting to grab independent vote
If that was the case, wouldn’t they have pulled this stunt before the local elections?
Nah, more about egos being upset.
General election is where all eyes are currently set, Rte spend most of the day talking up a FF-SF coalition but FF are split on whether they want that to happen. I can imagine SF wouldn’t dare pull such a u turn move
Fianna Fáil have admitted that joint leadership with Sinn Fein is not ruled out, however Sinn Fein have said no way will we do that.
And I wouldn’t blame them.
FF/SF will not have enough seats. FF/FG is the only thing that makes sense based on last week’s vote patterns. Left wing groups in general can’t agree on a time for the meeting never mind the agenda. FF/SF a pipe dream.
SinnFein won’t go in to government. It will require a change for the party from talk to action. Next 5 years in local gov will tell a lot
Also they’re unlikely to have enough seats!
Does anyone really care. The split appears to have been caused because someone’s ego got bruised not because of policy…..
Who cares anyhow?
Fianna Fail have policies? That’s new!
Martin will be worried about a chain reaction. How this one managed to go under the radar will be a major concern.
“Ryan told the paper that he was “naturally disappointed to hear that two of my colleagues had met with management without including me in that mix”.”
Tough. They were voted in by the people not FF. They can do what they like.
Political science is not my strong point but I’d imagine FF is up to some dirty trick here.
No comment from Sean Collins of the Collins dyNASTY !!
Hello flash I see you crawled out from under you rock, beware the sun is shining as it’s bad for things like you.
So says Sean Collins – “small print republican” of FIANNA FAIL !
But who hates REPUBLICANS ???
Still didn’t answer my question on another thread – “What have FF ODea or Collins done for Limerick in the last 30 years or so”??
Will someone please think of poor seanie.
He must be inconsolable .
FF having a Monty Python moment
High time both the FF and FG disbanded so we can get some real democracy in this country with parties with real ideological differences, not these civil war fan clubs.
Insulting disregard to the electorate who voted them in under FF only a week ago!
Tut tut
Going behind backs…typical Fianna Failure. Not an ounce of integrity to be seen…SNAKES!!
“High time both the FF and FG disbanded so we can get some real democracy in this country”
Congratulations. That is probably the stupidest thing that I’ve read in a long time. You do know that people vote for FF and FG, don’t you? You’re basically saying that Ireland doesn’t have a real democracy, all because a certain voting pattern displeases you.
What we need is a Monarchy, any monarchy!
Or even a Dictator.
Plenty of slightly-reformed Fascists-turned-democrats-without-Armalites queueing up, too!
This little country is truly accursed and doomed to sink under the waves some wet, miserable day.
The aul demographics will get Fianna Fail in the end i dont know anyone who votes for them under the age of 65. Just my opinion .
Michael martin has the distinction of losing a shoe in FF seat in MNW by splitting the vote. Not to mention what he did in blackrock… What a numpty. At least gilmore did the decent thing.
Rape the country, break all his election promises, and only resign when his own party organised 2 separate no confidence votes against him in a week? No, I wouldn’t call it the decent thing, I’d call it trying like hell to at least remain a minister!
FF need to keep Mehole Martin, he should be made lifetime leader of FF
So?
“Why is this news website posting news articles?”
Seems very strange???? I would say this was the plan before the election, they can’t even trust themselves, I did say in a post not so long ago when the elections was on that we would see party members starting to defect, I think a lot of them know for the next while that FF, FG & L are all in trouble with the next general election, many more to came I would guess, watch this space
Split….ing headache!
Why do the media insist on lumping smaller parties in with independents, the Anti-Austerity Alliance won three seats, if labour get a mention with three seats than why do the AAA get put in under “independents”. It’s the same story in national polls the green party get a column all to themselves with only about 2% support despite the fact that the AAA or even PBPA would garner similar support
Gained seats under false pretences. Throw em out and have new election.
Looks the same smells the same feels the same. What’s the difference there still Fianna Faìl whatever you look at it
Wait, didn’t we already have a party called ‘Independent Fianna Fáil’?
A Fianna Fail story without Seannie Ryan all over it. Lol
He is in Lourdes praying that FF bring Bertie back too !!!
Isn’t the other Seanie taking over. – Seanie Collins Top Taca man !!
Is this the definition of internecine?
Well done to all the muppets that voted them in in the first place!!!!
A bit like the baby throwing the rattle out of the cot this is one.
Nice to see Sheehan get elected. He must have swept up the foreigners votes to get over the line.
Clearly the red hands are not from Limerick or are Sheehan voters. He should have been thrown out of FF a long time ago.
There no such thing as independent FF, I met Kieran o Hanlon and Eddie Ryan for the first time on Sunday and I didn’t think they were people to rock the boat come on lads your turn will come for something else. As for Kevin Sheehan he doesn’t surprise me he is always kind of if things don’t go right for him he gets a bit iffy, I don’t know mr Crowley so I can’t comment on him.Remember it was FF people that voted ye in,so ye weren’t voted in to to be acting like this.
You screwed up in Adare though !! Mr.OBrien whom FF told to fcuk off topped the poll as an Independent
Kim Jong Un rings the Collins for advice on how to run a dictatorship. They are the best in the business
Well the split confirms it, they really are “The Republican Party”.
Yeah, the cause of all the trouble…with their bitter, old anti-treatyites and Provo sponsors.
So the first item on the agenda was the split?
Fianna Fáil Lite?
Don’t worry they will be back in the mother ship when Groucho has a word.
The people have not forgotten what Bertie and Biffo did..
Because of the multiple-seat proportional representation system, Irish political rivalries are often more intense between members of the same party than between parties. When FF was popular, huge efforts were expended by prospective candidates securing official FF nominations in the knowledge that once the nomination was secured, election as councillor or TD was secure. Throughout the country there are dozens of Councillors who now sit as Independents because they failed to secure their party’s nomination. The Blaneys in Donegal, the Healy-Raes in Kerry and Michael Lowry in Tipperary are long standing examples of this. I suspect the FF split in Limerick has to do more with personality clashes, egos and the ambitions of certain Councillors to position themselves for jobs such as Mayor, or Senator or TD than differences over policies. FF does not appear to have any policies in any case to have differences over.
FF FG LB ARE A DISGRACE ..
Great to see the Collins Dynasty continuing.Uncle Gerry ‘Luigi’ Collins has trained them well. #FFMafia
Collins dynasty been questioned in limerick. first you had O’brien run against the wished of niall collins and top the poll. and now you have 4 FF objectiing to the controlling nature of the other 2 collins family members in the council’ It a stand again nepotism,
have your say