Cyprian Brady
Encyclopedia
Cyprian Brady is a former Irish
Fianna Fáil
politician. He was a Teachta Dála
(TD) for the Dublin Central
constituency from 2007 to 2011.
who for 20 years, ran the constituency office of the former Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
. In 2002 Brady was nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, as a member of the 22nd Seanad Éireann.
, a former Lord Mayor of Dublin
and unsuccessful candidate for the European Parliament
, were both reported to be in contention for a Fianna Fáil nomination in the Dublin Central constituency. Although Dublin Central was the constituency of the then Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
and was considered a strong Fianna Fáil
constituency there was stiff competition from other parties. In 2002 the second Fianna Fáil TD Dermot Fitzpatrick
had been elected in 2002
with a narrow margin of just 79 votes over the Sinn Féin
candidate Nicky Kehoe.
The rivalry between the brothers led to a public call from a third brother, Fulton Brady, to "put an end to it". Royston was not one of the four contenders nominated for at the selection conference in March 2006, when Cyprian Brady and Councillor Mary Fitzpatrick
were selected as Ahern's two running-mates. Fitzpatrick was the daughter of the outgoing TD Dermot Fitzpatrick
.
At the 2007 general election, held under Ireland's single transferable vote
system, Brady polled just 939 first preference votes (2.7%) in the first count. However he was elected on the fourth count, due in large part to transfers from his running mate, the Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern
, and became only the second ever TD (after Brian O'Higgins
) to be elected with less than 1,000 first-preference votes.
His election became the subject of a public controversy, covered in national newspapers and on the RTÉ Radio 1
news programme Drivetime and on the weekly Documentary on One which had been covering the campaigns of the three female candidates in the constituency.
Mary Fitzpatrick, who was the third Fianna Fáil candidate in the 4-seat constituency, had received 1,725 first-preference votes, but whereas Brady 2,403 of Ahern's surplus votes were transferred to Brady, only 1,362 went to Fitzpatrick. On the night before polling day, 24 May 2007, Fitzpatrick distributed leaflets to households asking people to vote for her as their first preference. In the early hours of the following morning, a letter had been hand-delivered from Ahern's office to 30,000 voters in the constituency, urging them give their first preference to the Taoiseach and their second to Brady.
Since Ahern was expected to be elected with a large surplus, and the overall Fianna Fáil vote was likely to be large enough to elect two candidates, the destination of the Taoiseach's transfers would determine whether Brady or Fitzpatrick won the second Fianna Fáil seat in Dublin Central.
After Ahern's transfers secured Brady's election, Fitzpatrick complained that "I didn't think they'd go out to completely undermine me and shaft me."
Ahern's election agent
Chris Wall
blamed Fitzpatrick, saying "She was asked not to do this sort of thing. Having then done it, she therefore effectively set in train a motion she wasn't going to be able to stop."
Brady said "An election is an election and not everybody can win", adding "Mary is a colleague of mine and she is a very good councillor. It's not really fair for Mary to be blaming anybody".
. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said his loyalties this time would be with the sitting TD (Brady), and there was no hope of Fianna Fáil winning two seats in the constituency. He lost his seat having received 1,637 votes (4.7%).
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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 Dublin Central
Dublin Central (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Dublin Central is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...
constituency from 2007 to 2011.
Political career
Brady is a former civil servantCivil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
who for 20 years, ran the constituency office of the former Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
. In 2002 Brady was nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, as a member of the 22nd Seanad Éireann.
2007 general election
In late 2005, Brady and his brother RoystonRoyston Brady
Royston Mathew Brady is an Irish businessman and former politician who served as Lord Mayor of Dublin between 2003–2004.-Background and early life:...
, a former Lord Mayor of Dublin
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
and unsuccessful candidate for the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, were both reported to be in contention for a Fianna Fáil nomination in the Dublin Central constituency. Although Dublin Central was the constituency of the then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
and was considered a strong 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...
constituency there was stiff competition from other parties. In 2002 the second Fianna Fáil TD Dermot Fitzpatrick
Dermot Fitzpatrick
Dermot Fitzpatrick is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is a native of Dublin city, and was educated at Coláiste Mhuire, an Irish language secondary school in the city, and at University College Dublin, from which he graduated with a degree in medicine...
had been elected in 2002
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...
with a narrow margin of just 79 votes over the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
candidate Nicky Kehoe.
The rivalry between the brothers led to a public call from a third brother, Fulton Brady, to "put an end to it". Royston was not one of the four contenders nominated for at the selection conference in March 2006, when Cyprian Brady and Councillor Mary Fitzpatrick
Mary Fitzpatrick
Mary Fitzpatrick is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a member of Dublin City Council, representing the Cabra-Glasnevin electoral area. She was the party spokesperson on Housing & Urban Development in 2011.-Personal:...
were selected as Ahern's two running-mates. Fitzpatrick was the daughter of the outgoing TD Dermot Fitzpatrick
Dermot Fitzpatrick
Dermot Fitzpatrick is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is a native of Dublin city, and was educated at Coláiste Mhuire, an Irish language secondary school in the city, and at University College Dublin, from which he graduated with a degree in medicine...
.
At the 2007 general election, held under Ireland's single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system, Brady polled just 939 first preference votes (2.7%) in the first count. However he was elected on the fourth count, due in large part to transfers from his running mate, the Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, and became only the second ever TD (after Brian O'Higgins
Brian O'Higgins
Brian O'Higgins was an Irish Sinn Féin politician. He was President of Sinn Féin from 1931–1933. He was elected unopposed as a Sinn Féin MP for Clare West at the 1918 general election...
) to be elected with less than 1,000 first-preference votes.
His election became the subject of a public controversy, covered in national newspapers and on the RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926...
news programme Drivetime and on the weekly Documentary on One which had been covering the campaigns of the three female candidates in the constituency.
Mary Fitzpatrick, who was the third Fianna Fáil candidate in the 4-seat constituency, had received 1,725 first-preference votes, but whereas Brady 2,403 of Ahern's surplus votes were transferred to Brady, only 1,362 went to Fitzpatrick. On the night before polling day, 24 May 2007, Fitzpatrick distributed leaflets to households asking people to vote for her as their first preference. In the early hours of the following morning, a letter had been hand-delivered from Ahern's office to 30,000 voters in the constituency, urging them give their first preference to the Taoiseach and their second to Brady.
Since Ahern was expected to be elected with a large surplus, and the overall Fianna Fáil vote was likely to be large enough to elect two candidates, the destination of the Taoiseach's transfers would determine whether Brady or Fitzpatrick won the second Fianna Fáil seat in Dublin Central.
After Ahern's transfers secured Brady's election, Fitzpatrick complained that "I didn't think they'd go out to completely undermine me and shaft me."
Ahern's election agent
Election agent
In elections in the United Kingdom, as well as in certain other similar political systems such as India's, an election agent is the person legally responsible for the conduct of a candidate's political campaign and to whom election material is sent to by those running the election. In elections in...
Chris Wall
Chris Wall
Chris Wall is an associate of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He served as Ahern's election agent at the 2007 general election, and after the election he was nominated by the Taoiseach to serve as a Senator for the final weeks of the 22nd Seanad...
blamed Fitzpatrick, saying "She was asked not to do this sort of thing. Having then done it, she therefore effectively set in train a motion she wasn't going to be able to stop."
Brady said "An election is an election and not everybody can win", adding "Mary is a colleague of mine and she is a very good councillor. It's not really fair for Mary to be blaming anybody".
2011 general election
In January 2011, he was selected as a Fianna Fáil candidate in Dublin Central for the 2011 general election along with Mary FitzpatrickMary Fitzpatrick
Mary Fitzpatrick is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a member of Dublin City Council, representing the Cabra-Glasnevin electoral area. She was the party spokesperson on Housing & Urban Development in 2011.-Personal:...
. Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said his loyalties this time would be with the sitting TD (Brady), and there was no hope of Fianna Fáil winning two seats in the constituency. He lost his seat having received 1,637 votes (4.7%).