Bradley Bytes – a sort of political column with Dara Bradley

Galway City Councillor Alan Cheevers (FF) goaded the Galway Cycling Campaign when he challenged them to run for election to City Hall.

The City East representative’s outburst on social media sort of summed up the general attitude some councillors have to campaigning cyclists: ‘If you think you could do better then go get elected.’

It’s not just Cheesy Cheevers. Many other city councillors privately believe those campaigners should put their names on a ballot sheet.

A ‘cycling candidate’ in 2024 seems unlikely, though. Not least because only a tiny proportion of the electorate will vote on the single issue of cycling infrastructure and road safety when choosing who to represent them on Galway City Council.

And also because many current councillors (think Colette Connolly, Owen Hanley, Martina O’Connor, Niall Murphy and others) already attract the support of the cycling lobby, while also offering a broader political agenda.

A Galway Cycling Campaign candidate could still emerge in the next year, though.

And part of the reason why Cheevers and others claimed that the cycling campaign was too focused on Salthill, (Eastside cycling was “not sexy enough”, was how Cheesy Cheevers put it), was because sitting councillors in City West believe their seats may be targeted by a cycling candidate in Salthill/Knocknacarra.

Sitting councillors believed that the Promenade cycleway campaign was used as a weapon to galvanise support not just for the cycleway, but also for a pro-cycling local election candidate.

That might be far-fetched. And, if true, it fairly back-fired on the cyclists with political ambitions. But Galway Cycling Campaign has a number of individuals who would not look out of place on a ballot paper.

Kevin Jennings, Chairperson of the Galway Cycling Campaign, is an obvious contender.

Some among the cycling campaign come across as militant, with tunnel-vision. Jennings isn’t one of them – and if he is, hides it well – and is perceived as more ‘palatable’ to a wider electorate.

Public Relations Officer Martina Callanan is a shrewd media operator, particularly on radio. She was courted by a political party previously, and might be persuaded to run under a ‘cycling flag’ in 2024.

Another ‘friendly face’ among the cycling community who might throw her hat in the ring, is Gráinne Faller. Another savvy media operator, mother and businesswoman, she instigated Sundays 4 Safety, a political protest, with a small ‘p’, that calls for improved road safety for all users. Her weekly gatherings prove she can call on a small army of canvassers.

Shane Foran, who as reported here recently, was involved in a public spat with Jennings, doesn’t appear to be interested in electoral politics but is one of the names mentioned as a possibility every now and again.

Others who might fit the bill are Oisín Ó Niadh and Eibhlín Seoighthe, although an interest in cycling and politics does not necessarily translate into becoming an election candidate.

Many of the potential candidates have somewhat off-putting Twitter and social media personas that don’t necessarily match their actual, real-life personalities. They’ll need to find a heretofore hidden pragmatism and be willing to compromise, if they succeed in getting into the corridors of power at City Hall.

(Photo: Gráinne Faller, a savvy media operator who instigated the Sundays 4 Safety protest, calling for improved safety for all road-users. Those weekly gatherings prove she could call on a small army of canvassers should she choose to run in the local elections).
This is a shortened preview version of this column. For more Bradley Bytes, see the November 18 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can buy a digital edition HERE.