Voters back Noel McCarthy, not the party in Cork East

An election candidate who metamorphosed from Labour to Independent and to Fine Gael within a matter of weeks is seen as a strong contender for one of the four seats in Cork East.

Fine Gael drafted in councillor Noel McCarthy because of his popularity, but the move could backfire on the party.

Some party sources believe Mr McCarthy, a 53-year-old off-licence owner, was a sweeper who would take votes off councillor Kevin O’Keeffe (FF) and TD Sean Sherlock (Lab). But he could well take votes off near neighbour and Fine Gael TD Tom Barry.

Mr McCarthy secured a massive 3,504 first-preference votes in the last local election. It was the highest by far in the country for a Labour candidate and came as the party endured near wipe-out. In Cork, Labour lost five county councillors and all its city councillors.

Election agent Tadhg O’Donovan, a former Labour town councillor, insisted very few of poll topper Mr McCarthy’s votes were Labour diehards.

This was borne out by the Mr McCarthy’s canvass yesterday in North Cork where many people said they voted for the man and not the party. If that’s the case, Sean Sherlock can rest a bit easier. Mr McCarthy points out he bears no animosity to his former colleague but said he left Labour as he couldn’t get a crack at a Dáil seat .

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He’s king of the castle in Fermoy and villages closeby.

On a canvass in the town, Claire O’Connor said Fermoy needed a TD because it had suffered without one since Myra Barry (FG) left politics in the 1980s.

Her friend, Betty Colney said Noel McCarthy was “the only man you can ring to get the job done”.

Retired history teacher Margaret Bermingham agreed. She’ll also give a vote to Kevin O’Keeffe but didn’t say who was getting the No 1 or No 2. It will be the first time she’ll give a vote to a non-FF candidate.

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Transfers could prove very significant in the battle and Noel looks set to pick up many. He’s originally from Cobh and has a large circle of family and friends there. In Ballyhooly pub, owner Liz O’Gorman will give her No 1 to Mr McCarthy “because he’s a great worker and does a lot for the village”.

In neighbouring Castletownroche, filling station owner Frank Nash said he’d give Mr McCarthy a vote, but it would be No 2 as another politician had done him a favour. “But I know my son will be giving Noel a first preference,” Frank added. “I’d say he’ll do very well, he’ll pick up a lot of first preferences and a lot of transfers, which will be important.”

The entourage also canvassed Tom Barry’s home village of Killavullen, where he got a reasonably cordial reception.Jerry Butler didn’t mince his words. Mr Barry was his No 1, but he’d consider another preference for Mr McCarthy.

In Mr Sherlock’s backyard of Mallow he also get a reasonably pleasant reception, but was berated by an elderly woman who complained bitterly about the cost of her medicine. Noel said the Government had done a lot, but needed another five years to finish the job.

“I’ll be dead by then,” the woman replied. Despite the reposte he kept her and her husband talking for another five minutes before what seemed to be an amicable parting of the ways.

“I don’t promise anything but hard work. But you need to listen to people. I’ll always engage with somebody unless they are very nasty, and thank God that rarely happens,” said Noel.

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