Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

Galway’s would-be senior cabinet minister, Hildegarde Naughton, has put on a brave face since she was again overlooked for promotion last week.

The Fine Gael TD said she was honoured to serve at Cabinet as a so-called Super Junior Minister, with responsibility for Disability.

But sure, what else would you expect her to say? Hildegarde was hardly going to criticise the judgement of her party leader, Simon Harris, for not recommending her for a more senior role to Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. No, she did what any astute politician would do in a similar situation – sucked it up.

Privately, though, Hildegarde must be gutted not to have done enough to gain promotion to a full senior ministry.

Disability is a meaty portfolio, in fairness, and it’s one where the Galway West TD can make a real difference to the lives of many vulnerable people and their families, if she gets a handle on her brief and wrest control from officials in the department.

And with a super junior ministry, she will have a voice – but not a vote – attending Cabinet, where the important decisions are made.

Still, there are only 15 people to whom President of Ireland Michael D Higgins delivered a seal of office last Thursday, and Hildegarde was not one of them; there is obvious personal disappointment at not making the cut.

If not now, when? That’s the problem for Hildegarde. Yes, the fact that two Galway Independents, Seán Canney and Noel Grealish, had already bagged Super Junior roles, attending Cabinet, worked against her.

So too did her reported lack of interest previously in taking the Gaeltacht portfolio, despite having conversational Irish.

Remember also, she became embroiled in controversy during the General Election campaign, when the media spotlight shone on what she knew about the hullabaloo surrounding the resignation from FG of Mayo Councillor Patsy O’Brien.

That certainly didn’t help her promotional chances, although it probably did little to hurt them either.

Hildegarde’s political rise has been steady. Elected to Galway City Council in 2011, seemingly out of nowhere, she unseated running mate John Mullholland and went on to serve as Mayor before being elevated to the Seanad by then Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

Since first winning a Dáil seat in 2016, she has served as a junior minister, Minister of State attending Cabinet, and Government Chief Whip in the outgoing administration. Tipped for higher office this time round, her rise has plateaued for now, and Galway is once again without a senior minister.

Not since Éamon Ó Cuív in the Fianna Fáil coalition that collapsed in disgrace in 2011 has there been a senior minister representing Galway West; and there has never been a Fine Gael TD from Galway West appointed a full cabinet minister – even when the party won two out of five seats.

What does Fine Gael have against Galway West?

Pictured: FG leader Simon Harris and Galway West TD Hildegarde Naughton, in jovial form with the manager of Barnacles in Salthill Andrea Kilkenny, last year after Harris became Taoiseach. She remains a Super Junior Minister after he overlooked her for promotion. Photo: Andrew Downes.