Fine Gael takes down nearly 100 posters of election candidate in Cork

One of Fine Gael’s General Election candidates has had nearly 100 of his election posters removed by supporters of his own party.

Two sets of posters erected for Pa O’Driscoll have been removed so far, with one lot taken down last month and another lot last weekend.

Mr O’Driscoll is Minister of State David Stanton’s running mate but faces an uphill battle to get elected by voters in either the south or the north of the Cork East constituency.

Nearly 100 posters featuring his face have been taken down. And a caravan bearing his posters has also been removed from Castlemartyr’s Main Street — at the request of his own running mate because the village is a poster-free zone — although it is believed the caravan was only temporarily parked.

Minister Stanton posted a comment on the Castlemartyr Community Council’s Facebook page, saying: “Although this poster is not mine, once I became aware of it, I contacted Fine Gael’s Director of Elections for Cork East to request that it be removed immediately.”

On Saturday, January 18, his election campaign workers erected 49 posters on a route mainly straight through the east of the constituency, near Cloyne, Ballycotton, Lady’s Bridge, and Dungourney. But they were all taken down by Tuesday, January 21.

Another set of around 40 ‘dual’ posters — showing his face alongside Minister’s Stanton’s face — were also removed last weekend.

Despite concern by one section of the local party, Mr O’Driscoll, who has had posters removed in previous elections, has been heavily endorsed by party HQ.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar went on the canvas with him, and Minister of Finance Paschal Donohoe has come to the constituency to boost his chances. So too has Tánaiste, Simon Coveney.

A Fine Gael party spokesperson said: "Like all parties, Fine Gael divides certain constituencies between our candidates in order to maximise the vote.

"On occasion, posters are put up on the wrong side of the constituency in error. Where this happens they are moved to a part of the constituency in which the candidate in question is free to canvass."