SECOND CUMANN NOT RATIFIED BY FIANNA FAIL
The national executive of Fianna Fail has not approved a second cumann of the party in Fermoy after those responsible for its formation failed to follow appropriate procedure when founding the controversial group.
Speculation has linked the formation of the second cumann with a split in the party locally, with Ned O’Keeffe TD coming out against the new group.
Speaking to The Avondhu this week Deputy O’Keeffe said the cumann now has no status within the Fianna Fail organisation. The group, known as the Liam Lynch Cumann, is believed to have been in operation for almost year now without ratification. Despite this, the group’s annual general meeting was held last Monday, February 23 in The Grand Hotel.
The Liam Lynch Cumann, however, was founded without seeking the go ahead from Fianna Fail’s local comhairle ceanntair (district council) or comhairle dailcheanntair (constituency council). Approval from both the comhairle ceanntair and the comhairle dailcheanntair is required to form a cumann of Fianna Fail.
A spokesperson for Fianna Fail this week stressed that the national executive’s decision did not amount to an outright veto of the Liam Lynch Cumann.
The Avondhu has seen a list of the 14 members of the ‘rogue cumann’, which includes Fermoy town councillors John Murphy and Tim Carey who currently stand on the local authority as independents.
A Fianna Fail insider told The Avondhu that they did not believe the comhairle ceanntair or the comhairle dailcheanntair would approve the second cumann, in which case the Liam Lynch Cumann would only get approval should a subsequent appeal to the national executive prove successful.
“There is no room for 2 cumainn in Fermoy. If members have a chip on their shoulder they cannot go around forming new cumainn willy-nilly,” the insider said. Despite the best efforts of The Avondhu no member of the Liam Lynch Cumann was willing to comment on the matter or on their AGM.
Published:
Thursday 26th February 6:59pm
