Christy O'Sullivan
Encyclopedia
Christy O'Sullivan is a former Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

 politician. He was a Teachta Dála
Teachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) for the Cork South West
Cork South West (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Cork South–West is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies . The method of election is the single transferable vote form of proportional representation .- History and boundaries :It was...

 constituency from 2007 to 2011.

From Clonakilty
Clonakilty
Clonakilty , often referred to by locals simply as Clon, is a small town on the N71 national secondary road in West County Cork, Ireland, approximately 45 minutes away by road to the west of Cork City. The town is on the southern coast of the island, and is surrounded by hilly country devoted...

 in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, O'Sullivan first stood for public office at the 1999 local elections
Irish local elections, 1999
The 1999 Irish local elections were held in all the counties, cities and towns of Ireland on 10 June 1999, on the same day as the European elections.- Results :18 Workers' Party councillors had left the party in 1992 upon the creation of Democratic Left...

, when he stood as independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 in the Skibbereen
Skibbereen
Skibbereen , is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is the most southerly town in Ireland. It is located on the N71 national secondary road.The name "Skibbereen" means "little boat harbour." The River Ilen which runs through the town reaches the sea at Baltimore.-History:Prior to 1600 most of the...

 local electoral area and won a seat on Cork County Council
Cork County Council
Cork County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Cork in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment. The head of the council has the title of Cathaoirleach...

. He contested the 2002 general election
Irish general election, 2002
The Irish general election of 2002 was held on Friday, 17 May 2002 just over three weeks after the dissolution of the 28th Dáil on Thursday 25 April by President Mary McAleese, at the request of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern...

 in Cork South West as an independent, when he won over 10% of the votes but was not elected.

He was re-elected to the County Council at the 2004 local elections, and in January 2007 he joined Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

, and was imposed as a Fianna Fáil candidate for the 2007 general election, without a selection conference. His popularity as a local councillor was hoped to strengthen the party's hopes of retaining the two seats which it had won in the three-seat constituency in 2002, and O'Sullivan was seen as a strong candidate to succeed Joe Walsh
Joe Walsh (Irish politician)
Joe Walsh is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for Cork South West and was first elected as a TD at the 1977 general election. He lost his seat in 1981 but regained it again in 1982 and served as a TD until retiring at the 2007 general election...

, who was retiring after 30 years in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

.

The strategy partly worked. Fianna Fáil increased its share of the vote, with O'Sullivan topped the poll, and he was the first candidate to win a seat. However, his colleague Denis O'Donovan
Denis O'Donovan
Denis O'Donovan is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a member of Seanad Éireann on the Agricultural Panel.A native of Bantry, he was elected to Cork County Council in 1985, and re-elected in 1991 and 1999. He was nominated by the Taoiseach to the Seanad in 1989...

, who had won a seat from Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

 in 2002, was defeated after just one term in the Dáil.

Under the Local Government Act 2001
Local Government Act 2001
The Local Government Act, 2001 was enacted by the Oireachtas of the Republic of Ireland on 21 July 2001. Most of the provisions of the Act came into operation on 1 January 2002....

, O'Sullivan vacated his council seat when elected to the Dáil. His son Christopher was then co-opted to the County Council in his place.

He was arrested on suspicion of drink driving
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...

 on 2 June 2008, he has apologised after failing a breath test
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...

 near Clonakilty. On 4 November 2008, he was banned for driving for 1 year and fined €300 after pleading guilty to a charge of drink driving.

He lost his seat at the 2011 general election.

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