THE heart-breaking death of a beloved nephew, and a brother’s heart surgery, are just two of the private stories that Bantry area councillors Danny Collins and Patrick Gerard Murphy had to deal with during their election campaigns.
Danny Collins admitted to The Southern Star he was wavering following the death of his nephew Michael. ‘Two months ago, I didn’t want to go out canvassing. I didn’t even want to run. I buried my nephew and it hit me big time because we were the best of buddies,’ he said.
‘Only for his mother, my sister Kay, I wouldn’t have. She rang me and said she wanted to see me. She met me and said: “Get your posters together, we are going out canvassing next week.” Only for her I wouldn’t be here today,’ said Danny, the Independent Ireland candidate, who topped the poll in his second consecutive election in the Bantry area.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy, the longest serving councillor in West Cork, said he had a complicating factor in this election in that his brother Noel, a client of CoAction, had a serious heart operation about two weeks ago.
Patrick Gerard Murphy with his aunts Mary Hannick and Ann Guerin. (Photo: Martin Walsh)
‘He had to have a valve replaced and that was a huge distraction. Because both of our parents are dead, I am his guardian, so I had to do the consent forms and all those kinds of things for him. But, thank God, he is back in Bantry General Hospital, and is doing well.’
Patrick Gerard, who was initially co-opted to replace Donal Casey in February 2008, and was elected for the fourth time on Sunday, described Noel’s recovery as ‘a double win’, but he couldn’t resist cracking the joke: ‘He didn’t get to vote for me, unfortunately.’
