Kerry's family way

A notable feature of election 2011 was the fate of numerous Irish political dynasties - Lemass-Haughey, Hanafin, Andrews, the narrow escape for the Lenihan and Cowen names. Owen O’Shea’s new book, Heirs to the Kingdom, examines how a handful of families have kept control of political power in Kerry since the War of Independence, and asks if this really serves the interest of the Irish people. Edward O'Hare has read it.

Aristotle said that real politicians always aim at a prize beyond political life itself, and this prize is power and glory. The politicians of Kerry are living proof of this. Kerry might be one of Ireland's largest counties, both geographically and demographically, but just a few names dominate its history.

A small collection of families have held sway over the electorate since before the foundation of the State. Today, taking a place on Kerry county council or winning one of its Dáil seats means more than just a political office; it means that the incumbent has ensured the survival of the all-important family name, maintained the sacred relationship between that family and the community and secured their own place in political history.

Owen O'Shea has had an ear to the ground in Kerry politics for many years. A former Labour Party press officer and columnist with the Kerry Eye, his familiarity with the county's political intrigues, power games and scandals is impressive. When the gears of 2011 election began turning, O'Shea was struck by the extraordinarily dynastic nature of Irish politics. He notes that of the 166 deputies in the 30th Dáil, 31 are the children of former members, six more than in the previous one and five times the number of MPs who are the offspring of former Commons members in Britain. For O'Shea this proves that Irish voters have "an incredible loyalty to many political families and political dynasties". In most constituencies, a family name can still guarantee a candidate a vote way in excess of their competition; but nowhere is the dynastic structure of Irish politics more evident than in Kerry.

Heirs to the Kingdom is the first book on the political dynasties of Kerry, the county O'Shea justifiably describes as a microcosm of Irish political life. It's an eye-opening investigation of how the real business of politics is done in this country. As O'Shea writes, "Kerry has given birth to a sufficient number of political dynasties to rival any other Irish county." The surnames are familiar: the Springs, the O'Donoghues, the Ferrises and the Healy-Raes. Even so, what O'Shea calls "the extent and penetration of Kerry political dynasties" is not always obvious. Of the six Dáil members representing County Kerry in the 30th Dáil, just one did not have a relative in local or national politics. Of the remaining five some were members of families whose name had appeared on ballot papers for three generations.

Heirs to the Kingdom seeks to answer several questions. How is it that the same families have held on to parliamentary seats down through the generations? What distinguishes a truly great political dynasty? Why do the electors of Kerry "continue to nominate, vote for and support successive generations from the country's long-established political families despite increased suffrage and a move away from strong party affiliations"? Above all, he questions whether such voting is good for the political system.

Modern Kerry politics can be said to have been born on March 21st, 1921, when Johnny Connor, Thomas McEllistrim and Frederick Crowley took part in the infamous ambush at Headford Junction. After 1922 they were enlisted by the fledgling political parties of the Free State, became TDs and all gave rise to further generations of public representatives. Like Patrick Connor, founder of the famous Connor-Scarteen line, their involvement in the War of Independence directly led to their election but different factors won other Kerrymen their seats. John O'Donoghue's parents served for many years on Kerry county council, something which would make him a shoo-in. Dan Spring had no background in politics but his fame as a Gaelic football player saw him top the polls in 1943, launching a revived political dynasty now revived with the success of Arthur Spring. What united all these men was that they had enough local influence to secure the all-important 'personal vote' in their tight-knit communities.

Retaining a seat takes considerable skill, even for the most established of political families. Maintaining good relations with the grass-roots constituents means that the home of a Kerry TD must kept permanently open in case someone should come to them with a pressing matter. Young members of a dynasty must be installed on the county council so that they can succeed their relatives. For a TD, the value of having a sibling on the county council to inform them of local developments cannot be overestimated.

Conversely, it's impossible to exaggerate what having a powerful TD for a brother or sister can do for the popularity of someone trying to get into local politics. O'Shea believes that the Healy-Rae clann provide a model for how to sustain a successful dynasty. Through a combination of hard work, media exposure and shrewd organisation, they have gained a reputation for being omnipresent, with at least one of them attending every key social event in their constituency, and have become a political 'brand' all of their own.

Kerry is of course a legendary political battlefield. Readers won't be disappointed by O'Shea's gripping accounts of some of its political feuds. The long-standing competition between the McEllistrims and the Foleys is explored in detail, as is the struggle between the Spring and Ferris families. Jackie Healy-Rae's famous transformation from miracle-working Fianna Fáil elections coordination to independent TD (and his bitter rivalry with John O'Donoghue) is covered entertainingly.

The most interesting material, however, relates to Michael Gleeson and the rift in the Labour Party in Kerry South in the early 1990's. Having been led to believe he would receive the party nomination upon the retirement of sitting Labour TD Michael Moynihan, Gleeson, then a councillor, was incensed when Moynihan's daughter was selected. In retaliation Gleeson set up a new political party, The South Kerry Independent Alliance, although he never won a Dáil seat. He is still furious today, believing that "democracy was perverted" and that the mindless nepotism in Irish political life is "the very antithesis of what politics should be about".

O'Shea tries to give a balanced explanation of the dynastic phenomena. He doesn't deny that it can lead to people with no interest or ability taking office simply because they have the right name (Michael O'Regan's story about the insensitive TD who, when asked at the funeral of a fellow deputy what step the party should take, shouted "Put up the widow," represents the worst instance of this kind of shenanigan). But O'Shea can also see a positive side. Dynasties involve a 'kitchen cabinet' whereby the members of one family form a dynamic political unit dedicated to serving voters. O'Shea argues that, through dynasties, many women entered Irish politics long before their participation became widely accepted. Most of the 'kitchen cabinets' were headed by powerful matriarchs.

Overall he holds that the political families of Kerry are "enhancing democracy insofar as the electors derive from their representatives an efficient, effective, quality and confidential service within a political system which requires and insists upon the delivery of such a service to voters".

Whether this is the same conclusion that readers reach doesn't prevent Heirs to the Kingdom from being one of the most tightly-written and informative books on Irish politics to appear in some time. This is high-quality political analysis and, in an era when it is being rapidly overhauled, a book invaluable for those who want to know what makes the Irish political system tick.

• Heirs to the Kingdom
• By Owen O'Shea
• Published by the O'Brien Press
• 295 pp; €12