LIFE AFTER LEINSTER HOUSE:SOME TIME after Fianna Fáil's Charlie O'Connor lost his seat in Dublin South West, it was suggested to him that he might do some community work if he was not too proud.
He replied that he would be happy to continue his involvement on 14 voluntary committees.
O’Connor (65) had a strong community base in the constituency, particularly in Tallaght where he lives, during his time as a member of South Dublin County Council and later as a TD.
First elected to the Dáil in 2002, he was also an active parliamentarian in the chamber and at committee level. “I always tried to balance the work between national and local,” he says.
Since losing his seat, he has been careful to keep up a routine. “I’m up early in the morning and concentrating on doing things in the constituency, particularly in Tallaght. I’m still invited to functions and I get some constituency work.’’
Some people were under the impression that he automatically returned to the council after losing his seat, he says. Others ask him where he holds his clinics these days.
He says he is happy with the way he has adjusted, going on outings with his granddaughter Heather (9), an occasional visitor to Leinster House when he was a TD. “I have more time to follow Shamrock Rovers and Dublin.”
O’Connor, who is separated with three sons, says that closing down his constituency office in Tallaght and parting company with his staff was “demanding and emotional’’.
He is not sure, he adds, that the public is aware that a TD who loses an election has to face that inevitable fallout. “But that’s okay,” he adds.
He has not ruled out running in the local elections in three years. “It is something to look at. It will depend on other people encouraging and supporting me.”
He is reluctant to talk about contesting the next general election, adding that he believes it is most of five years away.
O’Connor has always been philosophical about the vagaries of political life, having had a serious health scare in August 1999.
He had a heart attack, from which he made an excellent recovery, thanks to the cardiac team in Tallaght hospital.
“They put me on the road to recovery and encouraged me to run for the Dáil when it became a possibility.”
He concedes that the last government made mistakes, but stresses the international nature of the economic downturn.
“I think voters were sympathetic to people like myself, working hard in the community, but we had a brand they were not going to support.” Morale is low within Fianna Fáil, he says. “People involved in the organisation have taken a battering. It was not easy for them canvassing in the election.”
A key element in the party’s recovery will be the leadership listening to what rank and file members have to say, he says.
“I hope that the views of the organisation will be listened to at our ardfheis next year.’’
LIFE AFTER LEINSTER HOUSE
Constituency: Dublin South West
First elected: 2002
Dáil Service:9 years
Current status:Unemployed
