Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

James Charity, a barrister, and Galway County Councillor re-elected in Athenry/Oranmore Local Electoral Area on June 7, complained on Twitter/X that 62 – yes sixty-two – of his campaign posters had disappeared and were unaccounted for.

“If you see any of these re-appearing over the next few weeks, please let me know,” the Corrandulla rep said.

Meanwhile, residents of Fr Griffin Road in the city must be hoping the Corrandulla poster thief will strike in their area this week.

That’s because a handful of posters belonging to Senator Lisa Chambers have remained on lampposts on Fr Griffin Road and Whitestrand Road.

By law, posters should be removed seven days after polling day, which would be by close of business on Friday, June 14.

And yet on Tuesday of this week, June 25, four of the Fianna Fáil candidate’s posters still adorned city centre lampposts. That included two for Chambers alone, and two others that gave equal prominence to herself and Fianna Fáil running mates, Barry Cowen and Senator Niall Blaney.

That’s more than a fortnight after polling day, which according to Galway City Council, was in breach of the Litter Pollution Act 1997 and the Electoral Amendment Act 2009.

It was Chambers’ responsibility to ensure her posters were taken down in time. And even if it had been a poster thief from a rival candidate who’d mischievously re-erected them to tarnish the Mayo politician, surely the Council has a duty to remove posters and fine the owner €150 on the spot?

Pictured: A poster of FF European Election candidate Lisa Chambers on the corner of Fr Griffin Road and Whitestrand Road. A number of her posters were still on lampposts in the city centre more than two weeks after polling day. Legally, they should have been removed by June 14.