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COUNCILLOR JONATHAN DOWDALL has claimed he resigned from Sinn Féin after a “small element” in the party in north inner city Dublin spread negative rumours about him.
It’s emerged that Dowdall has not officially resigned from Dublin City Council but has instead quit Sinn Féin. The party had said on Tuesday he was stepping down from “elected politics” for health reasons.
Last night, Dowdall said that he has not officially notified anyone in Dublin City Council that he was going to resign from his seat. He said he intends on leaving Sinn Féin, even though he supports the party and its policies.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, the 34-year-old father-of-four said that alongside health concerns, a “small element” of the party in the inner city has been “causing nothing but havoc spreading rumours” which led to a stressful situation that caused him to say he was resigning.
“I think the people in the area need to know the truth,” said Dowdall, adding that he took the decision to speak out due to comments online speculating about why he decided to resign.
He pointed out that he grew up in the inner city of Dublin and was a member of Sinn Féin when he decided to run “solely for reasons to better the area”. The married father-of-four said he runs his own business, employs locals and has also sponsored football teams in the area.
“I have a health issue that came on through the end of the elections,” he said.
That isn’t the main reason I was standing down. Sinn Féin itself is an absolutely super party and I strongly believe in Sinn Féin’s politics. The councillors in Sinn Féin I believe are the best councillors out there. [Deputy Leader] Mary Lou [McDonald] I have the height of respect for.
Of the negative comments, Dowdall said that he had heard comments from people saying they heard that Sinn Féin didn’t want him and that they wanted another candidate.
He also said family members and some members of other political parties had told him they had heard negative things about him from others in social situations.
He thought that the rumours would end after the elections, but said that they didn’t.
He said that between these stories he was hearing, and the “trying to get back and forth to get to hospitals and rear a young family and run a company”, he thought “what is the point?”.
He said that after news of his resignation broke, people were unhappy “because I did do an awful lot in a short period of time”. He described what happened as “stressful” and said he told Sinn Féin what had happened.
Contacted for comment yesterday, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said the party was not aware of any negative rumours or comments about Dowdall.
“I still will be involved in the community,” said Dowdall, adding: “I don’t believe in backstabbing people.”
Dowdall said he is “really disappointed for the area” that he has stepped down, but that “at the end of the day my family is first” and he had been “constantly stressed out” over the situation.
When news broke that Dowdall was stepping down, Mary Lou McDonald expressed her regret. She described him as “a hard worker who will be missed in his elected role by local constituents”.
At last May’s local elections, Sinn Féin made massive gains on Dublin City Council, making it the party with the biggest representation.
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It is just a shame that the Journal is buying into that sensationalist crap like the trashy tabloids. Unnecessarily panicking the elderly & vulnerable with misleading headlines like this. ‘Country Gripped’ in the headline, followed by ‘May get some snow or sleet’.
Cop on to yourselves lads.
+10
I blame Michael Fish with his 1987 gaff, all forecasts since then have erred on the side of caution.
Exactly, Joe. Right now, Meath is gripped by rain!
Snow here in Meath. All depends on where you are.
Don’t believe it for a second.
They use these new warnings too much and have lost their meaning.
I will believe it when I actually see snow where I live……
So we do you listen to the weather forecast then, just stick you head out the window.
Ohh I don’t know Lesley…there was a report of a snowflake in Longford there yesterday…I’m surprised it didn’t set off a red alert..
I think they prefer to er on the side of caution because if they decided “ah sure it probably won’t snow anyway let’s not issue a warning” and then if the weather did turn bad and people were hurt or worse then you’d all be complaining you weren’t warned. After all all it takes is one patch of black ice on one bad bend on one country road for someone to lose their life. If the warnings make people think and take it a bit easier on the road it might save even just one life and sure that’s the whole point.
The point is it doesn’t make people take it easier on the roads, all that happens is you step out side in your winter woolies and think “no snow, no ice… forecast wrong AGAIN (sigh)” jump into car and vrooom off you go
I never said it would make everyone take it easier…just the smart ones.
Smart drivers ha ha ha ha ha ha
Ha ha ha ha
Ha ha
Sorry poison, couldn’t help myself
Met Eireann are considering doing personalised forecasts for some of the dummies with a little location device for those journal readers who are not sure if they living in any of the following mentioned in the warning ” Connacht, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath, Meath, Donegal, Clare, Kerry and Tipperary.”
Here’s a handy tip. The photo from the Gardai shows snow in the Dublin Mountains. The photo of Daragh above in thejournal.ie office show no snow. Hope this is of help.
I call the dog in first thing in the morning
- if wet… Raining
- if dry… Not Raining
- if white… Snowing
- if fluffy… Windy
- if contrary… Hungry
Simples!
Ice ‘grips the nation!’ Are these stories some kind of in-joke?
These weather warnings are just a joke at this stage
Lots of snow here in cavan at the moment.
Same here near virginia 3 inches fell overnight and its just started snowing heavy again
It’s hard to believe met eireann weather warnings.I’d belive yer man in Donegal before them.
Who ??…Wee Daniel?
It’s the media not the met
Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!
Felt sorry for my ten year old who was convinced he’d have no school today after the weather man told him it would snow. Think he’s on his fourth Chorus of “let it Snow” thanks mister weather man.
Yellow snow warning…..hmmmmm…I have always warned people about that!!
I’m now convinced Met Eireann forecast the weather by linking their finger and holding it in the air! Every single warning has been wrong so far.
*licking – predictive text designed to make you look stupid. (Certainly achieving it with me)
Snow in carrickmacross schools closed
Snowing in Dundalk
Irish weather unlike countries further south is very difficult to predict.In Spain and Portugal you can forcast 2 weeks ahead with a good chance of being right.Ireland however has so many different variables being at the edge of the Atlantic will always be difficult
And it changes to cm instead of inches to make it seem bigger ! I think I’ll try that too ! :)
Snowing on and off in Mullingar, but nothing to write home about.
It’s January, not July, what are people expecting?
I would have more faith in a tarot card reader than I would in the Met office, they get it wrong more than they get it right!
I blame Sinn Fein!
Snow way?
Ysee I read this crap and worry I won’t be able to drive from kerry up the country tomorrow .its hardly gonna be like new York,is it?
What do these clowns get paid for?? We all should get paid for just doing the lottery….by this reckoning.
Very windy in tralee
What colour is it?
Quick, I may need to panic!
There should be a set of alerts to deal with our weather obsession. Yellow alert – you’ll hear about it just on weather forecast and from shop workers. Orange alert – you’ll hear about it on facebook, every second article online etc. red alert – your mammy rings you to tell you to leave work early if you have to – rather than drive in blizzards
Not one flurry this morning in Dublin, though the forecast was saying snow right now at 7am. Got outside, not even wet.
Met Eireann muppets again!! Learn how to read the dials you morans!!
Organge. Phew. I was worried about the yellow snow.
Grips it where and it is not July yet lol.
Well they have added Tipperary, what a laugh, a little covering on the Knockmaeldowns and a little more on the Galtees, but nothing drastic, I would be more bothered about the biting wind so!!!
have your say