KERRY TD Jackie Healy-Rae received at least €25,000 in political donations, including generous contributions from wealthy business interests, in the lead-up to last year’s general election, it has emerged.
The veteran Kilgarvan politician was one of the main beneficiaries of supporter donations in the country, according to official figures provided to the Standards in Public Office Commission.
Four of the six Kerry TDs received a total of ¤36,897 in donations during the election year with North Kerry TD Martin Ferris receiving at least ¤8,650 in contributions and his constituency colleague Deputy Jimmy Deenihan having a newspaper advertisement worth ¤847 paid for by a supporter.
South Kerry Fine Gael TD, Tom Sheahan, who was elected at his first attempt, received ¤4,700 from his party organisation in the constituency but he returned ¤2,200 of unused funds.
Fianna Fail TDs John O’Donoghue and Tom McEllistrim did not declare any political donations to the Standards in Public Office Commission which requires that all contributions in excess of ¤634.87 be disclosed.
It was Deputy Healy-Rae, however, that gained most from political donations last year with his election fund swelled by a minimum of ¤24,900 courtesy of generous supporters.
His largest contributions came from Thomas and Ann Randles, Clontoo, Kilgarvan and Killarney hoteliers Eamon and Valerie Courtney who both donated sums of ¤2,500.
Mike Cronin, a businessman from Coolcarlagh, Killarney contributed ¤2,000 as did Liam and Linda West who run a family business in Killorglin.
Peter Keane, who runs a business on Iveragh Road, Killorglin, gave ¤1,500 to Healy-Rae and a number of business interests contributed sums of ¤1,000. These included Seamus O’Connor, Kilcummin, Killarney, car dealer Dermot Healy of Ballaugh, Killarney, Padraic O’Donoghue, a businessman from Drumhunter, Killarney and John and Theresa O’Shea, Killarney Road, Kenmare.
Additional ¤1,000 donations came from Lar Collins, Kilcummin, Killarney, Dermot Murphy, Castletownbere, Brian McCarthy of Fexco in Killorglin, Brian Gallivan from Kenmare and property developer Con Duggan of Lewis Road, Killarney.
Eamon McSweeney, a businessman from Kelleigh, Farranfore also gave ¤1,000 to Healy-Rae as did property developer Kevin O’Donoghue, Dennehy’s Bohereen, Killarney and builder Dan Lynch from Barnastooka, Kilgarvan.
The sum of ¤900 was contributed by Beaufort builder Philip O’Connor while ¤800 was received from Donal Twomey, a builder in Kilgar-Paul McSweeney, Dennehy’s Road, Killarney, a businessman, gave ¤700 to Healy-Rae.
Sinn Fein’s Martin Ferris, meanwhile, received a total of ¤8,650 from six supporters. These were Michael Barrett, Lakeside Marina, Glasson, Athlone (¤2,000); Dermot O’Donoghue, Kenmare (¤2,000); John Browne, Joxter Daly’s, Dorset Street, Dublin (¤1,950); Ted Kelliher, Kelliher’s Garage, Rathass, Tralee (¤1,000); Paudie Hogan, Ballinloe, Milltown (¤900) and Seán O’Mahony, Faha, Killarney (¤800).
Fine Gael TD Jimmy Deenihan said he received one donation to the value of ¤847, in the form of a newspaper advertisement, from Tom McEnery in San Jose, California.
His party colleague, Tom Sheahan, received ¤4,700 from Fine Gael in South Kerry and returned ¤2,200 of unused funds.
2007 was an expensive year for all six Kerry TDs and figures released by the Standards in Public Office Commission show that power comes at a high price in Kerry with politicians spending more than a quarter of a million euro in their attempts to get elected to Dáil Éireann.
Jackie Healy-Rae spent ¤28,195 on his hard-fought re-election campaign with Jimmy Deenihan reporting a spend of ¤26,158.
Other expenditure by Kerry’s successful TDs included Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue (¤17,456.05); Deputy Martin Ferris (¤19,924.61) Deputy Tom Sheahan (¤22,440) and Deputy Tom McEllistrim (¤19,145.96).
