The unravelling of the Fine Gael empire in Mayo
by Dr. Richard Martin
FINE Gael in Mayo is a family at war.
The tensions that have been simmering under the surface for the past few years have exploded into full public view.
There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. So, what is the truth?
Councillor Donna Sheridan was first elected to the council chamber in 2019 and retained her seat in 2024. She is a protégé of Michael Ring. He endorsed her from the word go. And still does.
Alan Dillon was elected to the Dáil in 2020. They do not appear to work closely together. It’s bizarre in a way. She’s a councillor from Balla in his district. The only time they align is for the obligatory photo shoot at a function. Other than that, there isn’t a meaningful working relationship.
Instead, she worked with the Ringer, and now collaborates with Deputy Keira Keogh and Senator Mark Duffy.
Donna is a good councillor. She understands her brief. She knows how to apply for grants and get things done. She’s capable of taking on projects and seeing them through to fruition.
She is directly responsible for a number of projects, most recently the dog park at Lough Lannagh and the renovation of the walkway at the old Hat Factory.
She is principled. She will not take credit for other politicians’ work. That’s a fair and accurate observation.
It may be somewhat exasperating for Minister Dillon that she chooses to work with other FG reps.
It could be argued that if she actively worked with him, her vote and his vote would both improve.
Her FPV at the last council election was 996 and she placed last out of seven. It wasn’t comfortable by any means. She is playing a risky game by not collaborating with him in a meaningful way.
Surely, with the full imprimatur of Dillon’s support behind her she’d comfortably reach 1,400 on the first count. Ger Deere and Cyril Burke are both strong allies of Dillon and their relationships are mutually beneficial.
They have lots of discretionary funding which can be used on projects and Minister Dillon can take some shared praise.
They can use his office resources for issues like passports and medical cards. It works both ways. One hand washes the other. Calleary has the same dynamic with Annie May Reape, John Caulfield, Michael Loftus and Sean Carey.
Councillors and TDs need each other in order to survive electoral contests. It's about mutual political survival.
The tensions between Councillor Sheridan and Minister Dillon spilled over into the open at the event in the barracks announcing the successful sale of 1.911 hectares of the Military Barracks site to MSLETB.
Donna Sheridan, Michael Ring and Senator Mark Duffy released a video on Facebook later that day.
The Castlebar minister was not in it. Straight away I knew something was up. They praised each other’s contribution to the ground-breaking project. They praised Simon Harris. They praised Peter Hynes. There was no mention of Minister Dillon. Nothing.
Here’s what the Ringer said: “I'm delighted to be here today at the Castlebar Military Barracks.
"When I was Minister for Rural and Community Development, I met the then county manager, Peter Hynes, and we got this site for Castlebar. And I'm really pleased, it may have taken a long time, but I'm delighted today to see that this is going to be the site for the Further Education College in Castlebar.
"I want to hand you over to Donna Sheridan, who, when I was minister, put tremendous pressure on me in relation to this site. We delivered it, Donna.”
It then cuts to Donna. She said “We did, and I suppose thank you to Michael and Mark for being here today.
"It's a really special day. As a board member of MSLETB, a staff member of MSLETB, to be part of the project team and one of the councillors here. I was part of this project from the start.
"It has taken quite a number of years, but we got here in the end. I want to thank my colleagues, former Minister Michael Ring, my great buddy, and my great friend Mark Duffy, our local senator, for all the work they have put into delivering today."
And then Senator Duffy chimes in at the finish.
“It's a great honour to be here on such a historic site that has such history for the county town of Castlebar and Mayo. I'd just like to compliment the MSLETB, but in particular, former minister Michael Ring for his vision and delivery to get to this stage.
"I'd also like to acknowledge Councillor Donna Sheridan, both in her role with the ETB and also in Mayo County Council for driving this forward for County of Mayo. This is a very historic moment in the project, and it's now time for delivery, so I look forward to supporting that. I know that Donna took it up with the Tánaiste recently in Leinster House.”
Wow. Not a mention of the Castlebar minister.
Councillor Peter Flynn is the FG chief whip in the Mayo County Council chamber. Peter Flynn is regarded by many as an influential figure among Fine Gael councillors. Councillor Sheridan would be particularly close to him. He wasn’t long in giving his tuppence worth.
“Well done Donna, I was present the day you were chasing the Tánaiste to get this project prioritised and delighted to see your persistence has made a real difference. Brilliant to see progress after way too long in a part of Castlebar that needs a serious overhaul.”
Again no mention of the Castlebar minister.
Alan Dillon, in his speech at the event, praised Councillor Ger Deere for his role in developing the project. There was no mention of Ring, Duffy and Sheridan.
Along with all his council colleagues, Ger Deere is an enthusiastic supporter of the development of the site. There is some evidence that he played a role in the site's development.
He released a post on Facebook in the days after stating: “I was particularly pleased that a motion put forward in 2012 by myself and former colleague Eugene McCormack, calling for the council to purchase the barracks and keep it in public ownership, was the stepping stone for this development.”
But again, no mention of Councillor Sheridan or Michael Ring. Interesting.
A clear pattern has emerged. There is a split in the ranks.
Councillor Sheridan is a board member of the MSLETB and was a major propulsive driving force in the acquisition of the site for the ETB. Based on the public record, she played a key role in the delivery of a €60 million project in the town centre.
For his part, Alan Dillon discussed plans for future capital investment into the site of the Mayo College of Further Education and Training with Simon Harris in 2021.
It’s easily verified online. He has had a major role in the evolution of the ETB project and others like the extension at St. Gerald’s School. He is a hard working local TD. That can’t be in dispute.
His recent interview on Midwest Radio about the €1 million Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund allocation for Westport on the Lodge Road drew criticism from some Fine Gael members in Westport. Keira Keogh lives on the Lodge Road.
Peter Flynn and Keira Keogh have publicly highlighted their involvement in securing that allocation. It was a Westport operation from start to finish. End of the story.
All of this at surface level seems to be pretty elementary political stuff. Social media videos claiming credit and priority over various projects. Handbags at dawn. Six of one. Half a dozen of the other.
But, from what I can ascertain, the anger within the party is pretty real.
From talking to various FG politicians off the record, the battlelines are drawn. Not a line in the sand. Battlelines. It's not good for Fine Gael.
Looking on as a neutral, Minister Dillon has sacrificed short term gain for long term pain. Having a situation where Westport, Balla and Ballina representatives are making social media videos together in your own backyard is intolerable. It’s a direct challenge to his authority.
Councillor Cyril Burke is now indispensable to Dillon in his struggle to remain the de facto leader of Mayo FG.
The Burkes have plenty of leverage as they move forward.
But the party is generally not in a good place in terms of unity and cohesion.
The gloves, as they say, are off.
Watch this space.