What do Dana Rosemary Scallon and a demolished house in Galway have in common? Not much if you are not from Knocknacarra on the city's western perimeter. But if you are, more than you could ever have imagined several years ago when the former Eurovision singer was elected an MEP for Connacht-Ulster.
Living on the city's east side and commuting to Brussels, the MEP probably wasn't even aware of the disappearance of a landmark when the 19th century Gentian Hill House was knocked down last December. It made local news, partly because the developer of apartments planned for the site had run into trouble for failing to comply with all the planning conditions.
However, for members of the local residents' associations who had objected to the planning application, the demolition of the old coach house symbolised the loss of the last vestiges of Knocknacarra as it once was.
It is now a growing residential area with none of the basic services expected of most urban developments. It should be an election issue - and Ms Scallon, Independent candidate for Galway West, intends to ensure that it is.
Last week, a group of five community activists, including another Independent candidate in the general election, declared their support for Ms Scallon. The group, known as the Combined Independent Alliance - CIA for short - has interesting affiliations.
It includes Mr Gerry Corbett, a former chairperson of the local Fianna Fáil cumann; Mr Dave Connolly, chair of the Combined Western Suburbs Residents Association (CWSRA) and a former activist with the Progressive Democrats; and Mr Michael Prendergast, former CWSRA chairman and an Independent candidate in the last local elections.
Mr Pat Maher, a declared Independent, announced that he had pulled out to campaign on Ms Scallon's behalf. Mr Jimmy Cahill, who polled over 700 votes in the 1999 local elections and is based in Castlepark on the east side of the city, also voiced support. The Government parties had catered to "private interests" and had sacrificed the families and communities in Ireland's fastest growing suburb, Mr Prendergast said.
By "private interests", Mr Prendergast was referring to plans for a sports and leisure club, grant-aided by the Minister for Tourism, Dr McDaid, to the tune of over €1 million to be built by a private company in Knocknacarra.
The Kingfisher Club forms part of the manifesto delivered in the area by one of the two sitting Fianna Fáil TDs, Minister for the Marine Mr Frank Fahey. In fact,like the "Blackrock-clinic style" private hospital being built on the east side of the city,, the club will cater for those who can afford to pay - and not the community at large.
And Knocknacarra is more than a small community, with a population of over 12,000. It has no secondary school, no proper bus service, no community hall. A condition to provide a site for such a centre - which was attached to the planning permission given to supermarket owner Mr Pat Joyce- has not been fulfilled.
Galway City Council is now taking Mr Joyce to court. Meanwhile, he has begun building a structure behind his retail outlet, said to be the community centre - but local councillors say the court action still stands.
Parents regularly drive their children from Knocknacarra to Renmore on the city's east side to play sports, because there are no proper pitches in the area. There is one small playground, which is inadequate for their needs.
A survey last November highlighted other problems, such as a need for a youth service for a growing teenage population The residents have sought town council status to ensure that they are represented in decision making, and had several meetings with Fianna Fáil senator, Ms Margaret Cox. She has earmarked Knocknacarra as one of her vote-catching areas in her bid to gain a third seat for her party.
She proposed a council similar to that which was created in Tallaght - delivering a Garda station, a hospital, the Square Shopping Centre and other much-needed facilities to the area when it was the fastest growing suburb of Dublin. She also referred to a model which is used by Dublin City Council, in a statement on the issue several weeks ago.
There is also a model which Dublin City Council uses to administer the area, dividing the capital into five areas each of which has a committee and an assistant city manager formulating local policy, Senator Cox added.
Her proposal was dismissed as a "toothless fairy" by the CWSRA. Senator Cox hit back with a claim that she was being "damned" because she refused to promise "intelligent, articulate community activists the earth, moon and stars".
Senator Cox is not the only election candidate to have earmarked Knocknacarra - and to have had a dent put in her campaign by the new alliance with Ms Scallon. Progressive Democrats' candidate and mayor, Mr Donal Lyons, will also be affected The community alliance says it has begun knocking on doors for Ms Scallon - while she and her family have a six-day-a-week campaign route.