Longtime Bridge magazine contributor and occasionally such to the Diary, Billy Redmond reflects on his own experiences in the Local Elections over the past few weeks.
Notwithstanding my life's interest in politics, both local and national, I never was until this time actively involved. Albeit in a minor role.
Having hinted that I might just have run as a local candidate myself, I did decide against it on a few grounds. To begin with, I would have won! But my main reason was that I would have had to give up all my music sessions countrywide, and forgo many of my social activities.
Anyway, since I keep a close eye on local happenings, I knew our FF candidate had plenty of local support in the town, so I opted to throw my hat into Tracey’s corner. Whilst I knew her to see, that was about it until I heard her on KFM some time ago about getting Brannoxtown School reopened. Well, she really caught my attention, such an articulate lady, totally on top of her brief and every bit as competent as all the current ladies on our national media outlets.
Following on that, I met her in the parochial car park one day where she informed me that she would like to get involved in a little ‘parochial project’ I had proposed. Before I knew it, I was indeed involved. And who better, since I know all the highways and most of the people in Kilcullen, and am familiar with all the housing estates, electric gateways, wicked dogs (and the occasional ‘wicked human’, tho’ luckily we had only one such encounter). Most people were very respectful, and very glad of the ‘personal visit’.
To begin with I delivered leaflets in the Yellow Bog and Castlefish area, then Old Kilcullen, Knockbounce, Milemill, Gilltown, Sunnyhill, Castlemartin, and Saddler’s Way. And to many individuals that I met out and about. Later I also acted as ‘navigator’ to Tracey when she was making her personal visits. What an experience that was!
Firstly, the Electoral Register was badly in need of updating. Luckily I knew most of whom had died or moved on and so on. Moving about about the country areas there were many electric gates and so on, places where I personally would not have bothered with. Not so Tracey. Gate bells pressed, more often than not gates opened and off she goes. As if she had been in this game all her life, she took to it like a duck to water.
From listening to her conversations with her super driver — there were times when I thought we were in Mondello! — I couldn’t get over her grasp of the ‘local issues’, and her ability to make decisions. Not bad either at giving a few executive type instructions, but most of all I couldn’t help but note her ability to communicate with everybody whose path she crossed. A fantastic and very worthwhile experience!
When all that excitement was over, next was the count in Punchestown, another exciting chapter (thanks to the
Diary for coverage of that event, it was the first time I ever followed any event on this computer gadget). Fifteen candidates for six seats, from early on Tracey was ahead of her local rival by roughly 500 votes. Yes, that was just a ‘tally’ figure, and there were 11 more counts to go. But by around six o’clock on Monday evening, the last count was over and Tracey was elected.
I was truly delighted to witness this young woman being rewarded for her super efforts over these past few weeks. Oh yes, she was very late on the scene, but by Jove she rose magnificently to this occasion. Well done, Tracey, and I know you will be a wonderful representative for our thriving town and the surrounding area. And leaving all this party stuff aside, I do expect that she will be given all the support and encouragement from all the committees, groups and organisations in Kilcullen.
— Billy Redmond.
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