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JUNIOR MINISTER KEVIN ‘Boxer’ Moran has been praised for his efforts to contain escalating floods after he was filmed topless and knee-deep in water in Co Westmeath.
The outgoing minister of state for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief has been in various towns and villages throughout the county as authorities and residents have battled rising river levels since Sunday.
Homes and businesses in parts of Westmeath, Offaly and Roscommon have been hit by floods as the River Shannon continued to rise following heavy rain.
Moran posted a video on Twitter showing him attempting to fix a water pump in Athlone while dressed in waders.
He told the camera: “That’s it – job done. F***** wet though. I nearly got sick with the smell of it. There’s one sure thing, she won’t kiss me tonight.”
He also wrote on Twitter alongside the video: “Got a bit wet this morning trying to get a pump going down at the back of Parnell Square.
“No spare set of clothes but the people are protected – that’s the main thing.”
Several people hailed Moran in response to his tweet, describing him as a “hero” and a “legend”.
One posted: “Fair play to him. He lost his seat and he still helping the people. Not many TDs would do that.”
It comes as Met Éireann issued an orange weather warning for seven counties for more severe weather this weekend.
Storm Jorge is forecast to bring gusts of up to 130km/h and flooding in Clare, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo.
The warning is valid from Saturday morning until 3am on Sunday.
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Great worker since he lost his seat,so keep him out of dail eireann.
@@mdmak33: he got stuck in the last time of the floods too. I think he is more genuine than most other politicians.
@Derek Lyster: Credit where it’s earned in fairness. Fair dues to him for getting stuck in. I’d credit it more though if a passer by had filmed and posted rather than self promotion. Looks a bit set up that way in the possibility of another election. Too cynical?
@@mdmak33: WHY
@Mick Murphy: Maybe a little but I can see your point as well. I suppose that’s the life of a politician.
@Mick Murphy: Not one bit cynical. Went out of his way to help in Inishowen where he wasn’t going to get any votes. He got them the money but the local shyster council are stashing away the funds and doing nothing.
@Jointheclubtoo: I suppose it’s the way it’s written but my comment wasn’t inferring that he was cynical. It was me asking the question was I being too cynical in questioning his motives. I don’t know the man so I don’t know if it’s fair to say he’s just looking for a photo op but I’m pointing out that the optics are questionable for others like me who don’t know him and are used to politicians playing for the camera and doing f all at other times.
@Derek Lyster: stop, seriously. Isn’t it great how he gets stuck in with plenty of cameras around, and everybody knows about it.
Good man. No publicity like self publicity. Looking forward to seeing his next outing as local hero.
@alan: Other than the distinctive name I’m not familiar with him, that said, at least he’s willing to get his hands dirty and do something for those people he represents. Can’t argue with that.
@alan: He’s Fkuced anyway, sure he lost his seat, thank God.
@Eugene Comaskey: He didn’t contest the election.
Good on you Boxer. I’m sure there’s no sign of that Shinner wan who floated into town from some bunker or other.
Keep up the good work.
@Dominic Hearns:
@Dominic Hearns: you mean the SF td who was there a week after the elections meeting residents and raising concerns with the opw and council before the water level got so high and threatened peoples homes?? The same sf td who has been in all the affected areas across the constituency and not just her own back garden?? The 2 sf tds from longford/Westmeath and Roscommon brought Mary Lou back to the areas on Tuesday calling for cross party support to finally stop the lunacy of water management on the Shannon. Good politicans do things with intention, not for attention. Boxers shenanigans only shows how he failed as minister for flooding – it’s still bloody flooded!! He had 4 years to fix it, how long was he planning on dragging it out for?
@Sam Bartell: go to bed you clown, enough of these toxic people for now!
@Dominic Hearns: dont speak dominic you’ll only be ridiculed
@Dominic Hearns: dont speak dominic you’ll only be ridiculed
@Dominic Hearns: ???
@john gavin: Hit a nerve ???
@Sam Bartell: yes Sam, if that’s your real name, also there when Gerry Mc Cabe was murdered and all the others murdered an tortured. Now craw back into your bunker
Unfortunately all this does is remind me of Moan Burton tipping the canoe in 6″ of water.
Wait a minute, he was the “minister of state for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief”?
He caused this problem by inaction and now he’s seemingly intent on fixing it with his own hands.
He’ll be wrestling bears naked with Putin yet.
Read his title again, he was in charge of flood relief!
@Cormac Laffan: lol he caused all the floods.Every town up and down the country has Boxer Moran to blame for the floods. LOL . The man secured millions for flood relief. lots of work has already been completed and much more has to be done. It doesn’t happen overnight. Somebody else will no doubt be waiting to jump into his seat and take the credit when all the planning comes to fruition and people see the benefits of the hard work already put into it.
Boxer must only be raging that the election came before the floods…
@Phil O’ Meara: A pipe burst the week of the local elections last year. On my way home from work I witnessed Cathal Crowe in his hi-vis vest, skipping around, jumping over and of course pointing at puddles with a photographer to document the farce!
@Steph: Haha! Who can forget Joan Burton getting into a canoe and falling out. All in about 8 inches of water.
@Phil O’ Meara: It was the Longford local TD campaign that done for him I think?
The blatant self publicity on social media does take from the ‘good deed’ though.
How lucky was it that there was someone there to film it.
@Stanley Marsh: Vladamir Putin went bare chested too
@Quentin Moriarty: sorry Michael spotted your comment too late
I’ll add that Putin was on a horse out of water
Our very own Vladmir Putin
Boxer will appear in a pair of speedos and a snorkel in his next posters
@Sean Dempsey: better than a pair of boxers.
Where is the picture?
Another election NOW!!!
@lambda sensor: Why??
While we’d like to think he’s being altruistic the cynic in me believes this will:
I) detract from the remarks he made about the electorate for not re-electing him that stunk of entitlement &
II) laying the ground work for his GE2020 round 2 campaign
He will have another chance sooner than he thinks to win back his seat.
Yet another blatant display of toxic masculinity has the man no shame!
Ah sure did he not say the voters let him down!
What a self righteous clown! Can see now why he lost his seat!
@maurolee: think your the clown
Where is Sochra ? She is not manning the pumps in Athlone. Does she really care? Is she just a token SF politician.
God bless him for reacting now that he’s lost his seat….how long are those affected looking for a response from Lester house?
These current floods are otherwise known as “Boxers revenge”
Athlone have lost a good representative the idiots
@James Gorman #FBPE: Boxer Moran lost his seat because as a Minister of State and being part the Government as member the Independent Alliance .. he had to support the Government on a number of votes relating to the Defense Forces regarding their pay and conditions ….
In the end Boxer Abstained in some crucial votes.., when he probably wanted to vote against Defense Minister Paul Kehoe’s proposals ….but if he voted against them , he would have had to resign his seat as Minister …and then he would lost his ability to drive flood relief funding …..
So the two issues that were most relevant to Athlone ironically nailed him…
Because Athlone has a very Large Army Family base … @ GE they didn’t forgive him for not voting down Kehoe’s proposals ..so hence he lost his seat..
@XvSv: Most In Athlone. and in many towns & villages up and down theShannon River Basin … will readily agree that Boxer brought more focus and fight at the Cabinet to secure funding for Flood Relief schemes … than any other Minister has done in a generation..
I think the people of Athlone will come to learn that in due course ..
Those people celebrating SF success at Boxer’s expense ..
please refer to SF GE Manifesto. as I was arguing on another last week here on the journal , there is a single mention of Flood Relief scheme funding in their Climate Change proposals … SF only concrete is scrap Carbon Tax … which is no doubt popular …. but we need to invest between €2-€3 Billion over the next decade to alleviate flooding in the Shannon River basin and other major Rivers also.
@XvSv: typo
“ I was arguing there IS NOT a single mention in SF GE Manifesto”
have your say