Angry voter takes out ad to warn candidates away

A voter in the Donegal North constituency has taken out an advertisement in a local newspaper telling politicians not to call to his home during the general election.

Colm Friel said he is so angry at the Government that he has dug deep into his own pocket to warn them to stay away from his home at Gortnalaragh, Termon. He paid for the ad to appear in the Tirconaill Tribune newspaper until the general election on February 26.

The half-page advert shows a picture of Colm with the headline ‘No Canvassers — No Candidates’. The text reads: “Colm Friel, Gortnalaragh, Termon, wishes to advise Election Candidates and their Agents not to visit his home for the duration of the General Election between now and polling day, Friday February, 26, 2016.”

However, despite taking out the advert, he is still being plagued by canvassers.

“We’re still getting them at the door so I’m tempted to put up a sign which will really tell them how I feel and exactly where to go,” said Colm.

He said he has lost complete faith in the Government after he returned from America to look after his 84-year-old brother James, who suffers from dementia.

Colm revealed that, because he moved into the family home to look after James, his brother lost both his living alone and fuel allowance.

Although James gets three half-hour visits from home helps each week, he is almost €30 a week poorer since Colm became his unofficial carer, having lost both his €7.70 a week living alone allowance, and his €20 a week winter fuel allowance.

Colm added: “If I had not moved in with James, he would have had to move into a nursing home and that would have cost the Government an awful lot more money. They are just not in touch with the real lives of people.”

Despite Colm’s warning, one local TD, Sinn Fein’s Pádraig MacLochlainn, has promised to raise the Friel brothers’ plight.

For more election news, analysis and general banter join us HERE