Senator John McGahon arrived at the Count Centre in Coláiste Chú Chullainn on Sunday afternoon to concede defeat as his bid to become a TD for Louth in the General Election fell short. McGahon faced the media following weeks of intensive scrutiny over
McGahon was found not guilty in a criminal trial in 2022 after he was involved in a fight with Breen White outside the Rum House in 2018. He was later found to be 65% liable in a subsequent civil trial and was ordered to pay damages to the tune of €39,000. His election campaign was derailed when cctv footage of the incident made its way on to social media leading to intense scrutiny nationwide regarding his suitability as a candidate.
An Taoiseach Simon Harris when pressed on the issue in an interview with Claire Byrne admitted he was ‘very angry about the situation’ and he understood ‘absolutely’ why the public was angry about it.
An Tánaiste Michael Martin went a step further by stating that he was surprised that Fine Gael had backed McGahon and that he would not be running for the General Election if he were a Fianna Fáil candidate.
Senator McGahon had kept a low profile during the last couple of weeks of the election campaign refusing to comment on the issue but he finally faced the media on Sunday afternoon when he turned up to concede defeat after it became obvious he would not win a seat. Speaking to the assembled press McGahon said he was looking forward to taking a step back from political life having dedicated most of his life thus far to it.
“Obviously it’s been a tough two weeks for me, personally, but I have to say I have been overwhelmed with he kindness that the people of Dundalk have shown me and that means a lot to me,” he stated.
“Politics has been my life for the last ten years and now it is time to put my family first and put my wife, Aine first. I’m looking forward to spending as much time as possible with them over the next couple of weeks.
“I really want to congratulate Cllr Paula Butterly. She’s been an excellent councillor for the last four years. I’ve seen first hand how hard she has worked for Louth as a councillor for the last four years and I know she is going to be an excellent TD for the next five years. I also want to congratulate Ruairí Ó Murchú. I’ve seen how hard he works in Dundalk and that also goes for Senator Erin McGreehan who I’m sure will continue the great work she has done in the Seanad into the Dáil. I also want to wish Joanna Byrne the best of luck. I worked alongside her in Louth County Council and I know she will do well,” he added.
“I want to sincerely thank the thousands of people who put a 1 beside my name on the ballot sheet and once again I want to thank the people of Dundalk for the warmth and kindness they have given me over the past two weeks in particular,” he stated.