The Count and Celebration in Pictures

D-day

One message today: GET OUT TO VOTE

Day 25 Wednesday 23rd

The day before the count is always the worst day of the campaign. The moratorium on Radio and television coverage gives people the impression that the campaign is over. Campaign workers unconsciously start to switch off because of it. The candidate worries about all of the things that should have been done and realises that even if he did them all today it probably wouldn't make a huge amount of difference to the outcome. So near and yet so far.

I generally try to focus on particular calls that need to be made or issues that need to be resolved. I spend some time preparing for the long day that tomorrow will be. The polls will be open for15 hours tomorrow and I will have to visit each one many times. After 25 days of a campaign it will be a hard slog. But having put so much in, I have no doubt that the team will finish the job by getting the vote out tomorrow.

Thank you to everybody who has helped along the way. My campaign team have been magnificent as ever. And we saw more new faces than ever before this campaign. There was more interest on the doorsteps than in any other election in 15 years. As ever nothing beats the face-to-face one-to-one contact on the doorstep in terms of winning the election.

I doubt I will have time to write anything tomorrow. Thank you for your attention over the last three weeks. Please get out to vote tomorrow.

Day 23:

It's an early start on Newstalk and I have a bit of a joust with an old adversary Ruairí Quinn. Then on again to discuss Michael Reade's favourite topic, Health with Damien English.

Back to Navan to meet the Chamber of Commerce to discuss our plans for the future of Navan and the county. It was an interesting discussion that ranged from the road to the rail to the hospital to Council planning etc.

Following that I turned the sod on a project that has been dear to my heart for nearly 30 years - the new sport and recreational centre in Trim. It's a fantastic facility that will mean a lot to the people of the town and surrounding areas.

Tonight saw over 100 activists in Navan completing a leaflet drop of the entire 11,000 houses in the town in just over 1 1/2 hours.

Just two days to go!!!!

Day 22: Monday 21 May

I visited the Rehab Group in Navan first thing this morning. I faced an hour and a half of questions on issues that affected the young people there.

A quick hop across to launch the local branch of Postbank - the new An Post banking facility. From there onto Kells Youthreach opening in the old scout hall. Community, council and the VEC all working together for positive outcomes for young people.

The rest of the day is spent canvassing in Navan with an even larger crew than normal. The enthusiasm is increasing rather than waning!!!!!

Days 19, 20, 21.....18th-20th May

Day 19 - Friday

The following day I had an early start as I headed for a meeting in HQ - the nerve centre of FF's campaign. I listened in disbelief to the media's verdict on the debate on 'what it says in the papers' on Morning Ireland. It was one thing to say that Enda Kenny wasn't given a knockout punch, it's quite another to be claiming a victory on the basis that he wasn't carried out of the ring. It was a clear points victory and it showed that Enda was no match for the Taoiseach and really hadn't a good grasp of his own manifesto.

Because I was travelling to a number of different events I noticed the media backtracking on their verdict from midday. From 2pm the transformation was complete. All the commentators, or most of them at least, had changed tack.
What brought about the change of heart?

Something fairly simple I believe - People Power-for the first time people saw the two main players in this election as they were, not through a media filter. People saw things through their own eyes not someone elses. They made their own judgements. When the media realised it was out on a limb backing Enda so strongly and they had to backtrack quickly.

The rest of the day was taken with official duties - the opening of the Bettystown Court Hotel and town centre and Port Oriel in Clogerhead. Both are significant investments that will benefit local communities.

Friday night we canvassed Kildalkey and visited the Third Age Foundation annual Mass.

Day 20 - 21 Saturday and Sunday

My day was totally disrupted, but my campaign team were out canvassing as ever. I watched them over the last fewweeks do what Fianna Fáil workers do best - roll up the sleeves and get out there and fight for hearts and minds. It's inspiring.

I had to go to HQ for preparation for a two hour Saturday View special on RTÉ on the likely results from all the constituencies. The outcome of that programme,with every possible marginal being called against us, left us with 65, FG with 47, Labour 21, and the Greens with 9. Having taken every possible seat off FF, the so-called alternative with the Greens tacked on, left the opposition short by seven seats. Hardly a stable base for government.

The opinion polls later that night showed that maybe people were beginnig to realise the same thing. People were starting to move towards FF.

Sunday:

Yesterday the Taoiseach gave a rousing speech to the party faithful in the 'Nerve Centre' in Treasury Buildings. He was very worked up and bullish about the election. I think the slanted coverage he got after winning the national debate stung him and showed him that the media aren't going to do us any favours to say the least. When he finished the cheer rose the roof.

And then I travelled to Croke Park for more cheering as I watched Meath beat off a Kildare team that didn't bring their shooting boots. It was great to see Darren Fay back to his best. He is playing out of his skin -scoring a goal at one end of the field and then sprinting back to his own end to block one on the line.

Word of the 5% swing in the Irish Times poll came to me during the evening, finishing a pretty good day. It's certainly a welcome indicator but is nothing more than that. The work still have to be done right up until 10.30pm on Thursday. The result is a great morale boost for tired canvassers and supporters as we face into the last four days of the campaign.

Day 19 - Thursday May 17

They say that young people are apathetic about politics. "They" should have been out in Kilmessan National School this morning. I faced a grilling from pupils. And what a range of questions:

• how much do you earn?


• What do you like about your job?


• If FF are a republican party, why won't you go into government with Sinn Fein?


• Where did FF get your posters printed?


• Do you know my Grandad Councillor Noel Leonard?


• What is your policy for young people?


• Why should Mammy and Daddy vote for you?


• What soccer team do you support and many more.

Move over Miriam.

It was a very interesting and demanding hour. congratulations to the pupils and their teacher Mr O'Donnell. It was part of an education process where Mr O'Donnell asked the pupils to vote for the politicians running in the election they'd most like to meet. Four were selected and I was honoured to be one of these. Seeing the bright-eyed in interest in politics is very encouraging.

I opened an estate agent's office in Enfield for Tom Fox. The Fox family are good friends of mine. Denise, Tom's daugther, is going to run the office. Tom is still confident that the property market will continue to show robust growth - depending on who's in charge of the country.

Back to the canvassing then which was interrupted by the launch of the Ladies and Gents' pitch'n'putt National matchplay championships at Stackallen Tennis & Pitch'n'Putt club. They're a great club - well organised and well respected in the Pitch'n'Putt world.

And then yet another official ceremony for another great club, Kiltale GAA gave me the honour of unveiling their floodlights and their new 'hurling wall'. This is the first such training facility in the county where our young players can hone their hurling skills. It's a great club, representative of the reestablishment of the GAA club at the centre of the community.

Back to Simonstown Gaels GAA club where our canvassers had gathered to watch the debate. There was little doubt in anybody's mind that Bertie had effectively pulled Enda and his contract apart. But then again we would say that wouldn't we! But even objectively I felt the Taoiseach had done enough to show that FG's proposals didn't stack up.

The funeral of the great Trim man, John Cusack today, puts the the stresses and strains of election and politics into perspective. There was a huge turnout as people from all over the country to Trim to pay tribute to this man who has contributed so much to this town. He will be sorely missed. I offer my sincerest condolences to Marie, Aoife, Katie, Johnny and Denise.