Micheál goes walkabout in Bandon amid election ‘whiff'

THERE was a whiff of an impending election in the air on the streets of Bandon, as Fianna Fáil leader Michéal Martin accompanied his Bandon-based colleague FF Margaret Murphy O’Mahony on a walkabout. 

‘We’re mindful of the challenge ahead in retaining a seat in Cork South West and I’m here for the full day in Bandon with Margaret,’ the Corkman told The Southern Star. ‘I have been down here also covering other parts of the constituency, like Castletownbere, Eyeries and Ardgroom.’

The party leader, who holidays on the Seven Heads peninsula, said he was planning further visits to West Cork. ‘What I tend to do is to go into housing estates and knock on doors and pick up the issues and learn from that. Without question, what comes across all of the time is housing in the urban areas and health – which is really a problem for people with the inability to get appointments.’

He said that outside of the cities the lack of broadband is a big issue. ‘I feel the government has really failed in delivering this. I’ve been to various co-ops that don’t have connectivity, and every farm is an enterprise too, but all these companies need high speed connectivity.’ 

Fresh from meeting Prince Charles the previous day in Cork,  Mr Martin said that he recommended to the Prince that he should go see the All Ireland Hurling Final in Croke Park.