The Blaney family's Donegal North East dynasty remains powerful; now a new generation is preparing to carry the flag. Mark Hennessy, Political Reporter, talks to thelatest member of the family hoping to gain a Dail seat
Niall Blaney jnr, the 28-year- old son of TD Harry Blaney, has a deep political pedigree stretching back to the Civil War, which will, he hopes, carry him to Leinster House. Early this month, the Independent Fianna Fáil candidate took a career break from his job as a Donegal County Council civil engineering technician to devote himself to full-time politics.
His father decided last November not to run again, following five years in the Dáil and a lifetime behind the scenes for his more famous brother, Neil.
His departure could have implications far beyond Donegal North East. Fine Gael would dearly love to win back the seat long held by Paddy Harte, but which it lost amid internal backbiting in 1997. So too would Labour.
Niall Blaney jnr's decision in late 1998 to take his first steps in politics by running for a council seat was one not taken either easily, or indeed by him alone.
"It wasn't overnight. We discussed it in the family about who was interested. Others were, but they thought I was the best option. I was given until Christmas 1998 to decide." Backed by Independent Fianna Fáil's formidable organisation, he says: "No other party can claim anything like it. We will outnumber the others on the ground. We do a canvass that is second-to-none."
No doubt buoyed by the strong showing of Independents in the Irish Times/MRBI poll, Blaney jnr's succession is, nevertheless, far from guaranteed.
"He has not succeeded at all in raising his own image, but he would argue that he has been beavering away on the ground, probably fairly," says one local observer.
The key will be whether Donegal North East believes his father delivered. Since 1997, the county has featured at the pork barrel trough. The question, however, is who is getting the credit?
Blaney jnr argues for his father, but Fianna Fáil makes the same arguments about Minister Jim McDaid and Cecilia Keaveney - and they have often been quicker to print or the microphone.
Referring constantly to his father being "in Government", Blaney jnr says: " If we crowed too much about getting anything, then they would try and take credit away from us. The big issue was Objective One status for everything west of the Shannon.
"There wasn't a word from other parties about it, but when it was announced, Fianna Fáil worked it that they got the credit locally, before we did, even though we had it in our original agreement. Maybe we were a bit green at that stage. It was early days. We have learned a lot since then."
Economically, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has delivered, but Independent Fianna Fáil is less happy about the Belfast Agreement.
"If Harry Blaney had known what he knows now about Articles 2 and 3, he might not have gone for it. Our organisation met for over 6½ hours in the Silver Tassie in Letterkenny to discuss it. There was a lot of jargon in it that was hard to understand.
"At the end of the day we thought that if we did not go for it, we would be seen as Paisleyite. There were some references that we were not happy about. Bertie Ahern said Articles 2 and 3 would be the last things to be put in place, but he did not say and others did not tell the public that if the Assembly went down that everything went back to before - except for Articles 2 and 3. It wasn't a lie, but he didn't tell the truth.
"The amount of people who came up to my father when the Assembly fell [in February 2000\] was unbelievable," he comments.
Even if Blaney gets elected, he may not have power, but he believes that Fianna Fáil will be in office and that Independents will be needed. And Independent Fianna Fáil is willing to deal, for a price.
"The Independents are much easier to deal with. Any decision taken by Independents will turn out to be good politics.
" They have not jeopardised this country in any way. The four of them are very experienced politicians. They cannot be faulted for anything that they have done. They are less political that others. They work behind the scenes, others try to grab the headlines. They meet with Séamus Brennan, they have man-to-man agreements. They don't jump at every piece of speculation. Others do that," he continues.
The Independent TDs were "absolutely right" to block Environment Minister Mr Noel Dempsey's plans to ban TDs from sitting on local councils. "An Independent who is not in touch with the people will not survive. A lot of the work in the Dáil just amounts to going around in circles. It's the bread and butter that count."
The presence of Independent Donegal South East TD, Mr Tom Gildea, at Blaney jnr's selection convention raised speculation that Mr Gildea might carry the IFF flag in the south of the county.
Not so, says Blaney. Relations with Gildea are warm, particularly since he made and then had to withdraw allegations against the former Minister for Justice, Mrs Nora Owen.
"He is a very honourable, down-to-earth man. He had a lot of difficulties in west Donegal about the TV deflectors. He is very sore about what happened there then. he still feels sore," Blaney says.
The coming year will be a watershed for him. This summer, he will leave the family home to marry Ms Rosaleen Shovelin, from Rathmullen. Conscious of the dynasty which has held local sway from the thatched cottage in Rossnakill, he says: "I was young when Neil was in his heyday. God, I wasn't even born when he was in his prime. The house was vibrant every night."
He says the same politics will get him elected. "It's still the old-style parish-pump politics here. That is why Neil was so popular. He had it down to a fine art."