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Christy Burke and Jonathan Dowdall Photocall Ireland/Jonathan Dowdall

Christy Burke's bid for the Dáil just got a big boost

Jonathan Dowdall, a former close colleague of Mary Lou, is now helping the outgoing Lord Mayor of Dublin.

A FORMER SINN Féin councillor has joined Christy Burke’s campaign team as the outgoing Dublin Lord Mayor prepares his bid for the Dáil.

Jonathan Dowdall is backing Burke’s bid for a seat in the same constituency as former colleague Mary Lou McDonald having quit Sinn Féin in somewhat mysterious circumstances earlier this year.

As a former Sinn Féin activist and councillor himself, Burke is likely to be battling with McDonald for many of the same votes in the three-seat Dublin Central at the next election.

Dowdall resigned from Dublin City Council in February after a long-running saga in which he initially backtracked on a decision to step down from his seat for health reasons last September.

Dowdall then said he intended to quit Sinn Féin altogether after claiming a “small element” in the party in north inner city Dublin spread negative rumours about him.

However, he then told TheJournal.ie last October that he was “delighted” to be remaining with Sinn Féin and said that the decision came after talks with party figures.

Finally, the 34-year-old businessman quit his city council seat altogether in February and Sinn Féin has since co-opted Gaye Fagan to the seat.

Now it appears Dowdall is backing another former Sinn Féin councillor in Burke. In a post on his Facebook page last night, Burke welcomed “two new activists to my team”:

Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting. Minister for Justice Alan Shatter arrives at the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party meeting in The Heritage resort in Laois today. Photo: Laura Htuton/Photocall Ireland Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Burke, who quit Sinn Féin in 2009 just days after being elected, will finish his hugely successful term as Dublin’s Lord Mayor next Monday.

It follows an eventful year which included being at the forefront of the Garth Brooks/Croke Park controversy.

The significant boost in his profile means he is likely to pose a real threat to the existing TDs in the constituency and particularly McDonald.

Neither Dowdall nor Burke returned a request for comment.

Read: The Sinn Féin councillor who resigned and then backtracked has now resigned again

Christy Burke: “The addiction of politics is in me… but there’s always part of me saying: ‘Do you want it?’”

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59 Comments
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    Mute Melissa OHara
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    May 16th 2021, 11:06 PM

    I used to be good at geography. Then they changed everything! ;)

    230
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    Mute kevinhunt101
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    May 16th 2021, 10:04 PM

    10, though I did guess 1 I hadn’t a clue, Vaduz?

    83
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    Mute Mr Snrub
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    May 16th 2021, 10:49 PM

    @kevinhunt101: 9 because Vaduz couldn’t be in Andorra

    30
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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    May 17th 2021, 1:08 AM

    I’ve actually been to Nuuk.,back in the eighties There was a museum of mummified Inuits and one supermarket. Perversely the bus had a sign prohibiting travellers from eating iced lollies on board. As if they’d want to…

    78
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    Mute Gillian O'Coinne
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    May 16th 2021, 10:04 PM

    7 out of ten. Not bad.

    60
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    Mute Andy
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    May 16th 2021, 10:22 PM

    -3 out of 10

    57
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    Mute Brian Roche
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    May 16th 2021, 10:49 PM

    Got the Greenland one right because I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty last night

    50
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    Mute Setanta Stylfox
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    May 16th 2021, 10:21 PM

    10 out of 10

    34
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    Mute Gerard Moroney
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    May 16th 2021, 10:25 PM

    @Setanta Stylfox:

    7
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    Mute kevin mc cormack
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    May 17th 2021, 12:42 AM

    @Setanta Stylfox: please do the Lottery next week I’ll pay for it

    13
    See 1 more reply ▾
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    Mute Joan Doyle
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    May 17th 2021, 8:11 AM

    @Setanta Stylfox: with a name
    like that you shouldn’t get lost ?

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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    May 17th 2021, 12:03 AM

    7/10 is “Middlin”? I’m sure I’ve gotten less than that before and been “Fintastic”!

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    Mute Nollaig Kelly
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    May 17th 2021, 12:51 AM

    @Colm de Cleir: I also got 7 out of 10 but said I was grand

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    Mute Diarmuid #STAYATHOME
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    May 16th 2021, 10:40 PM

    10/10. Greenland was a total guess though

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    Mute Anto Whelan
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    May 16th 2021, 10:45 PM

    10 easy

    22
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    Mute The Kev in Kevlar
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    May 17th 2021, 1:26 AM

    Vaduz is awesome,stayed there for a night while driving around Europe..so small all the light flash yellow constantly xD

    11
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    Mute Brian Roche
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    May 16th 2021, 10:49 PM

    Got the Greenland one right because I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty last night

    11
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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    May 17th 2021, 12:03 AM

    @Brian Roche: I got it right because the second option made it obvious the author was making a joke about the first one. ..

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    Mute Ger Power
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    May 17th 2021, 11:04 AM

    Geography always been my strong subject, an easy 10/10. Watching Ireland playing away games also helped.

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    Mute Alan McDonald
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    May 16th 2021, 11:53 PM

    9

    4
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    Mute Pierre Maanen
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    May 17th 2021, 8:49 AM

    10/10

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    Mute Noel
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    May 17th 2021, 1:05 PM

    8/10 should have really got that Portugal question right to make 9/10. Would have never got that Greenland one though.

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    Mute Ed
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    May 17th 2021, 11:24 AM

    I saw a video of Conan O’Brien in Nuuk. It was quite humourous.

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    Mute Bennasi84
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    May 17th 2021, 10:59 AM

    9/10 fooking Greenland

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