Hurling star's father fumes at 'disgusting' election loss
The father of Limerick hurling star Cian Lynch has launched an astonishing attack on his home parish, the GAA and Fianna Fáil.
Former detective garda Sean Lynch, who lost his council seat over the weekend, has accused people of his village of Patrickswell, Co Limerick, of giving him "the two fingers".
It comes after the former Fianna Fáil councillor saw his hopes of retaining his local authority seat go up in smoke.
"It's disgusting," Mr Lynch raged, "This has been a huge disappointment for everybody. We have done so much for the village of Patrickswell. And they gave us the two fingers."
Mr Lynch, who helped bring to justice some of the feuding criminal elements in Limerick, even suggested there may have been an anti-gardai sentiment to his rejection at the polling booths.
"Patrickswell didn't come out and vote for me. They didn't come out and support me. They got a huge amount of things. It means nothing to them. This has been a huge, huge disappointment," he said.
We have done so much for the villages of Patrickswell and Clarina, and they have given us the two fingers: they didn't want someone who was decent, a hard-worker
"Tidy Villages who I gave everything for, did not support me. The community council whom I got €50,000 for did not give me one vote," he added.
Cllr Lynch, a detective garda at Roxboro for almost 30 years, said there is still a feeling of anti-garda sentiment in the village.
"Patrickswell has history. There is an element there. You must remember what happened to Jerry McCabe, that's not gone away. There is a big anti-garda audience out there," he added.
Jerry McCabe was shot dead by IRA forces in 1996 in the neighbouring village of Adare.
Mayor James Collins, he alleged, canvassed widely in his area, ignoring a directive from senior party figures - this was borne out in a strong tally vote in the area for the first citizen.
Mr Lynch said: "James Collins did me no favours.
He was told by his uncle Gerry Collins and first cousin Niall to stay out of Ballybrown and Patrickswell as it was my area.
"It was of no interest to him, because if he was running in a general election, they could not vote for him. But he still came out and took a lot of my votes. He had no business coming to Patrickswell. He did me no favours - and I want you to print that loud and clear."
While Patrickswell is in the Limerick Council metropolitan district, it is not in the Limerick City constituency, where Mayor Collins is a running mate to Willie O'Dea next time out.
"Limerick City West has failed us - we are decent people, we have never done wrong to anybody. Our door was always open, no matter who the people were. We've helped so many people. But unfortunately they have come out and spoken and unfortunately they've made a wrong call," he said.
Neither Mayor Collins nor Niall Collins wished to comment.
