'Panning out as expected'- Feeley
Cllr topped the area poll in 2019 with 15.02% of the vote.
Fianna Fáil's John Paul Feeley arrives at the Cavan count centre babe in arms. His infant son Eamon clings on to his father's navy suit replete with its Pioneer badge shining. Wife Niamh is nearby, and not far behind is the outgoing councillor's mum Patsy.
Co-opted to Cavan County Council in 2007 in place of his father, the late Eddie Feeley, who served his area and beyond as a local representative for 22 years, Feeley topped the area poll in 2019 with 15.02% of the vote. It's a different scenario this time out, with running mate Áine Smith, herself co-opted onto the seat vacated by her late father Séan last council term, streaks ahead on 17.5%, whereas Feeley sits among several others in or around the 10% mark.
He's hopeful, but realistic. His home, at Stranamorth, Blacklion, is on the county's westernmost extremity. There's no way he gets in on a local vote alone. And he has needed to, and indeed relied upon, his appeal stretching further eastwards to get him over the line.
Already it looks like, outside of the sharing of Smith and Independent Brendan Fay's sizeable surplus, that the early eliminations will be in the county town area, with a glut of seven candidates reside.
For precedence he looks to 2014 when 56 votes shy of the quota of 1,296, he had to wait until Count 5 to final hear his name called. His father before him also saw transfers slow to come by.
“It has panned out pretty much as I expected it to,” says Feeley, clutching Eamon close to his chest and his young son eyes warily the hub-hub going on around him.
He says he anticipated getting around 1,000 votes. A modest return, and above the 900 safety margin the Celt predicted in earlier articles. He foreseen Smith “doing well” and Fay likewise.
“That has all happened as I expected,” reflects Feeley, who said he became frustrated at listening to supporters telling him he'd be “alright”.
“If I had a euro for every time someone someone told me,” he says, trailing off.
“When you're at this for as long as I have you develop a good gut instinct, and I anticipated largely the vote I got and where I would be in the count. It's not a big surprise at least. It is what it is and you have to take it along with everything else and listen to what the people have said.”
He adds that people often say a lot happens in politics in five years and that a “politician mightn't do a lot”. It's fair to say, with Eamon in hand and his wife by his side, not to mention becoming a partner at the Manorhamilton solicitor's practice he works at, that Feeley has tacked on a few extra priorities.
“I managed to meet the woman who is my wife, we got married and had a little boy. I also became partner in the firm I work at, so instead of being an employee, I'm now an employer, so it has given me a different perspective on things.”