Elections are rightly about the people who are running in them.
But in Laois on this occasion, it’s also notable for who doesn’t have their name on the ballot paper.
After contesting nine General Elections, going all the way back to 1987, long-serving Fine Gael representative Charlie Flanagan is now retired.
The Flanagan name goes right back on the Laois political scene goes right back to 1943 when his father Oliver J was first elected.
But after a career in the Dáil that spanned 37 years (he lost his seat in 2002 only to regain it in 2007), he announced his retirement earlier this year. His long-time colleague Willie Aird is the party’s standard bearer on this occasion.
This time he’s knocking on doors for Aird, while also getting across to Offaly to support the Fine Gael candidate there John Clendennen and to the new Wexford-Wicklow constituency where he is Director of Elections for Brian Brennan.
“It’s totally different not to have your name on the ballot paper and not to have your picture on the posters,” he says on the latest episode of the LoveLaois Podcast.
“In many respects, it’s a relief. Elections are a stressful time.
“Families, close friends, organisations, there’s the ups and the downs, the adrenaline, the good days, the bad days, the canvassing not done, the late nights, the bad weather. So, for me, it’s a stress-free time, and I welcome that.”
He says he can remember every election going back to when he was a young boy in 1965.
“My job was to hold the stool for my father when he was speaking outside churches in Rosenallis, in Clonaslee, in Clonaghadoo, in Ballyfin. He had a rota of masses starting off at 8 o’clock mass, after 9 o’clock mass, after 10 o’clock mass, after 11 o’clock mass, after 12 o’clock mass.
“And my job was to make sure that when he was finished speaking, he got down off the stool, and my job was to put the stool in the boot of the car when he shook hands with people and spoke to people.
“And when we went on to the next mass then, my job was to take the stool out of the car, have it ready for him.”
After primary school in Mountmellick and the Irish school Rinn in Waterford, he was then sent to board in Knockbeg College, where he spent five happy years and is now a proud and active member of the past students society. From there it was to UCD and on to qualify as a solicitor.
Shortly after moving to work in a practice in Portarlington, he considered challenging to contest the 1984 by-election following the death of Ber Cowen – father of Brian and Barry.
But his father advised him strongly against it.
“He was giving me no chance at all,” says Charlie now, looking back. “In fact, he said to me … ‘if you stand in that by-election you’ll get such a hiding from young Cowen that you’ll never be heard of again’.
“And of course, little did I know or indeed little did my father know that actually less than three years later he was seriously ill. I was the candidate. I was elected … I wouldn’t have been ready in 1984 but I was ready in 1987.”
For most of his career, he spent it on the opposition benches and though he was touted as a Fine Gael leader on a couple of occasions – and on others backed the wrong horse in leadership contests – he says he has no regrets.
“I don’t have many regrets actually because I had a great career.
“I really enjoyed being a member of Cabinet and representing Laois at the Cabinet table, being Minister for Justice which is an office that I always felt was one of the great offices of the land and then being Minister of Foreign Affairs was a great experience as well.
“What cost me was a number of poor judgements,” he concedes, going against John Bruton and later Enda Kenny and subsequently having to spend time in the political wilderness.
He says the controversy around the proposed commemoration for the RUC in 2020 during was ‘misinterpreted’.
“It certainly damaged me anyway, but it was completely misinterpreted. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Black and Tans, but everything to do with a small number of families.
“It was to be a small event for families of Royal Irish Constabulary members who had served in Dublin and around the country. And over the years I had met so many of them and there was never any event.
“It was to be a small event in the grounds of Dublin Castle and the reason it didn’t take place was because there was a Christmas market … there was then some confusion with the Department of the Taoiseach and the status of the event then was blown out of all proportions. And I regret that it did become an issue of some controversy.”
And the decision to hang up his political boots?
“I decided during the lockdown, in consultation with my family, that I wouldn’t contest the next election for a number of reasons.
“I felt my energy levels were dipping. I certainly wouldn’t ever take the people of Laois or Laois-Offaly for granted. I wasn’t going to run just for the sake of holding onto a seat.
“If I wasn’t prepared to give this job 120%, which I had done over the years, then I wasn’t going to go forward. I also felt that my time in cabinet was at an end.
“It was unlikely that I was going to be recalled to serve in government. And, you know, I had a very strong career, a very good career, a very fulfilling career. And I felt it was time for me to call it a day.”
His own daughters weren’t interested in following in his footsteps, he says.
“I have two daughters. And they felt that political life was not for them. If I had the conversation with them over the years, it was very short conversations.”
He says he’s now looking forward to retirement.
“It’s over 38 years since I was first elected to the Dáil … I have time now to do things that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. I love talking to people. I love travelling around Laois, actually.
“And that’s one thing that I’m going to do is call into my supporters and people who supported me over the years that I’d never really had an opportunity of chatting to, engaging with, listening to stories about Laois, the history and the heritage of Laois. I was always very busy. I was always too preoccupied with politics.
“There was always a kind of preordained events, working to diaries, diaries being interrupted by more important things, emergencies, and really very little time to myself and little enough time for my family.
“So I would hope that, since life will be less frenetic and less stressful, that I will have time to do things that I like doing from a recreation point of view.
And what will he miss? “Oh gosh, I’ll miss the buzz.
“I’ll miss the adrenaline of politics. I’ll miss being in the arena. As we said earlier, I’ll be in the stand. But being in the stand never compares with being on the pitch. I really enjoyed my time on the pitch.
“The essence of politics to me was hugely important. You were at the cutting edge of decision making, be it in the Department of Justice or in the Department of Foreign Affairs, in the Department of Children, or indeed any of the spokesmanships that I’ve had over the years, including industry, health, environment. I’ll miss all that.
“But for me, the time was right to go. I don’t like holding on to things if I’m not prepared to give it 120%. And that’s why I’m very pleased and satisfied with the decision that I’ve taken.”
You can listen to the episode in full on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
SEE ALSO – Check out all our 2024 General Election coverage here
