Angry pensioner to miss first election in 75 years

AN ANGRY pensioner has hit out at Kerry County Council who he blames for making him miss his first election in 75 years.

Jeremiah Carey is housebound and was relying on the postal vote to allow have a say in today’s General Election.

The 93-year-old Killarney man says he has voted in 41 local, general and presidential election through the years.

He was just turning 18 when his vote helped Eamon de Valera to his first stint as President of the Free State’s Executive Council in 1932. This ingrained in him the value of his vote.

“There were fights at every station. There was still a lot of bad blood at that time. I remember running home after voting so as not to get involved. Even in the family it split people between Fianna Fáil and Cumann na nGaedhael.

“I would have voted for Fianna Fáil a long time, we were from well up in the Cork Kerry mountains and it was IRA territory so we would have voted for de Valera,” he said.

When he started working, he changed his allegiances to the Labour Party and for years canvassed alongside Michael Moynihan. He wanted to continue the support by voting for Breeda Moynihan Cronin on this occasion and fears it was his last opportunity to do so.

“At my age I don’t think I will be here for the next one,” he said.

To return the favour on her father’s behalf Ms Moynihan Cronin is trying to organise disabled transport to bring Mr Carey to a polling station today. His niece and carer, Elaine Harrington, said he sent in the Postal Vote Application in time and was expecting it to be delivered before polling day.

“He sent in his application well in advance of the deadline, the council are saying they did not receive it but it was definitely sent into them,” she said.

She helped Mr Carey to the polling stations at the last local election but is adamant he could not make the journey again.

“He is not able to leave the house. The last time he went to the polling station he just wasn’t able for it, we could not bring him down again,” she said.

Charlie O’Sullivan, spokesman for Kerry County Council, said it has no record of Mr Carey’s application.

“We do not have any records of receiving his application. That is not to say he did not post it, it is just we did not receive it. It is a very unfortunate situation, it is not that he cannot vote it just he must go to a polling station with his polling card,” he said.

He said unless Mr Carey was on the official register for postal voters he is not entitled to vote from home.