Lowry Independent ticket has clout

CONSTITUENCY PROFILE: TIPPERARY NORTH:IT IS hard to over-emphasise the popularity of Michael Lowry in Tipperary North. The former Fine Gael minister, elected to the Dáil on his first outing 22 years ago, topped the poll at the last general election with over 29 per cent of first preferences and was comfortably re-elected on the first count as an Independent.

His name won’t be on the ballot papers on June 5th but his influence is omnipresent. In the best dynastic tradition, the heir is already apparent. His son Micheál (32) is heading a list of nine “Lowry Team” candidates running as Independents for seats on county and town councils.

Mr Lowry jnr himself is running in the Thurles area where he headed the poll last time and is expected to do so again. The area has lost one seat (down to five from six) due to boundary changes but he still hopes to have his running mate, Willie Kennedy, also re-elected.

Among his other hopefuls are Michael O’Meara (Nenagh) and newcomer, John “Rocky” McGrath (Newport), the father of All-Star hurler, Shane.

Mr Lowry Jnr, a self-employed businessman, said he’s not suffering from the anti-Government backlash from his father’s support for the Coalition. “People down here see that North Tipperary was overlooked for the last decade but as a result of my father’s deal money is coming again.”

North Tipperary County Council has 21 seats and four electoral areas.

After boundary changes the county council electoral areas are: Nenagh with six seats; and Newport, Templemore and Thurles with five each.

Fianna Fáil, which one activist admitted was “getting hammered on the doorsteps”, is expected to lose between two and four seats with Fine Gael confident of making gains. Labour should, at least, hold its two seats while Sinn Féin seems to have a 50:50 chance of a breakthrough with Séamus Morris, already a town councillor, hoping to win a seat in Nenagh.

Not all Independents are in the Lowry camp. Others to watch include Hughie McGrath, a sitting town councillor in Nenagh who resigned from Fianna Fáil and is running as an Independent following his failure to be selected. Opening his heart to the local Guardian newspaper, he said: “I was shafted by faceless people . . . who are not in touch with the feelings of the grassroots.”

In addition to the county councils, Tipperary North voters will be electing nine members to each of three town councils in Nenagh, Templemore and Thurles.