Campaign Watch »

• Ryan bandwagon lurches through Edinburgh

  May 25, 2009 @ 9:03 am | by Kilian Doyle

  You may have read in today’s Irish Times that “election” posters featuring Ireland and Leinster centre Gordon D’Arcy were spotted outside the RDS at the weekend.

  They urge punters to give D’Arcy, of the Blue Party, their number one vote “for Wexford and for Leinster”.

  

  Despite the remarkable similarity of the posters to those of a certain Government party, the Greens have denied involvement. D’Arcy’s possible political ambitions remained a mystery last night.

  One man whose ambitions are loud and clear is Fianna Fáil MEP Eoin Ryan, who was out in force in Edinburgh last weekend.

  “Rugby supporters’ attempts to forget about politics over the weekend – outside the Leinster-Munster peace process – were thwarted by a truck bearing a giant poster driving in the vicinity of Murrayfield stadium,” a mole writes. Sadly, as our informant – a Munster fan with nothing better to do on a Saturday – was far too busy hiding his face in his hands to tackle a camera, no photo was forthcoming.

  Nice try, Ryaner.

  campaignwatch@irishtimes.com

• Gilmore pedals Labour as Kelly gets his Claw in

  May 19, 2009 @ 11:00 am | by Kilian Doyle

  Not to be outdone by George Lee and his Segway, Eamon Gilmore gets on his bike.

  

  No helmet Eamon? Feeling invulnerable, are we? The latest poll results show that while he himself is Mr Popularity, Labour is hardly in a position to freewheel all the way to June 5th if it expects to make gains. We think he’d be well advised to stop lying down on the job and get on with pedalling his message to the masses.  

  Meanwhile, Labour’s Euro candidate in the South constituency Senator Alan Kelly has been muscling in on the limelight by roping in former rugby international Peter “Claw” Clohessy in a bid to prop up his support in Limerick.

   

  Peter doesn’t look overly enthusiastic, it must be said. In fact, we’ve seen him look happier lying face down in the mud with eight Englishmen kicking him in the nether regions.