Dorgan hails reduction in FF debt as members 'still in a position to support us'

Donations from Fianna Fáil supporters have helped cut the party's debt from more than €2m two years ago to around €1.2m.

"We have met our commitments to our banks each year," said Sean Dorgan, Fianna Fáil's general secretary today.

"Despite the tough economic times, our members and supporters are still in a position to support us.

"So we have made significant inroads in repaying that debt and we will continue to do so. Our objective this year is to make another significant dent in it."

But party chiefs are gearing up for a row with grassroots members who want to abolish the traditional church-gate collection.

The lucrative money-spinner outside mostly Catholic chapels across the country netted close to a quarter of a million euro for the party coffers last year alone.

A party "super-draw" also helped raise well over half a million euro in each of the last two years, with total fund-raising last year close to €1m.

But some rank-and-file members who have condemned the age-old church collections as "bad taste" and "outdated" have forced a debate at this weekend's ard fheis.

Malachy Noone, a Galway County Councillor whose cumman put the issue on the agenda, said it was time to scrap the collections.

"It's about time political parties gave up church collections," he said.

"It is not the place to do it. It is not in the best taste."

Mr Noone, who has himself collected outside churches, said many rank-and-file Fianna Fáilers in Galway West were of a similar view, but insisted the row was not on religious grounds.

"It is outdated and it is not the way to collect money," he said.

Dara Calleary, Fianna Fáil's jobs spokesman, has already signalled top-level backing among party leadership for the fund-raising drives.

"The church gate collection is incredibly important from a revenue point of view but also from a point of view of our members getting out and about," he said.

Setting out his stall, he said he will be driving back to his own constituency straight after leader Micheál Martin's keynote address to the conference at Dublin's RDS on Saturday to take part in a church collection.

The Mayo TD insisted the practice was not outdated and did not align Fianna Fáil solely to the Catholic church.

"We are not fussy what church we collect outside, we will collect outside any church," he said.

Mr Dorgan predicted a "strong debate" on the church collections at the weekend annual conference, claimed most people within the party would back the practice.

"That's a view I suppose some people within the organisation have had for a while," the Fianna Fáil's general secretary said.

"But that's a minority and most of our members - most of our units - up and down the country put a lot of store in the collection.

"Not just as a revenue raising method but as a way to meet people and voters."

Mr Dorgan said the party had overhauled its fundraising model since 2010, with nearly 90% of all donations now being made at €50 or less.

The party begins their annual country-wide three-month church-gate collections this weekend.