It's that time of year again, canvassing for the Local and European elections is in full swing. Across the country, you can't walk 100 yards without seeing an election poster of a candidate hoping to secure your vote with their one-line slogans on policies. As you go about your daily life and the accumulation of posters blur into each other, some may have gone unnoticed. A Twitter thread started by @Motherfocloir has bought to our attention that a notable thing about Local Elections is the number of candidates with nicknames. Some of these nicknames are absolutely gas. Here are our top picks for the funniest election posters, both current and historical:
Michael "Pixie" Gorman
Pixie, a mythical creature associated with being cute and mischievous, the name of one of Bob Geldof's daughters and now nickname to one hopeful election candidate. Michael "Pixie" Gorman is currently running as an independent in Kerry. This is one nickname that doesn't quite fit.
Michael "Pixie" Gorman running in Kerry pic.twitter.com/52F6TPcPTw
— Motherfoclóir - Róisín (@Motherfocloir) April 24, 2019
John 'Texas' Byrne
Two questions cross your mind when you see these posters, the first of which is how did they get the nickname, the second, why include it on a poster. Here's another head-scratcher, John "Texas" Byrne, who is running as an independent in Enniscorthy.
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One of the things with Local Elections is that there are many more candidates with nicknames.
So starting off a thread of them with John "Texas" Byrne who is running in Enniscorthy pic.twitter.com/Qtt42lRrJJ— Motherfoclóir - Noirín (@Motherfocloir) April 24, 2019
Marie 'The Shamrock' Murphy
Back in 2014, Marie "The Shamrock' Murphy ran in Local Elections. According to Twitter, 'The Shamrock' was the family name adopted to differentiate from the other Murphy's down the road. There you have it, the most Irish sentence you'll read to today.
Marie "The Shamrock" Murphy . pic.twitter.com/xUvkmykaw3
— Motherfoclóir - Noirín (@Motherfocloir) April 24, 2019
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Niall 'Botty' O' Callaghan
The Kerry candidates are featuring heavily on this list and here's another, the former Mayor of Killarney Niall 'Botty' O' Callaghan is back for this year's local elections.
Niall "Botty" O Callaghan running in Killarney
(Kerry seems to be top of the nickname. Charts) pic.twitter.com/RHKcmR70dU— Motherfoclóir - Noirín (@Motherfocloir) April 24, 2019
Peter 'The Egg' McLaughlin
Moving away from Kerry and to Donegal for the next one, Peter "The Egg' McLaughlin
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Peter "The Egg" McLaughlin pic.twitter.com/VLmXoFdCTC
— Motherfoclóir - Noirín (@Motherfocloir) April 24, 2019
And for the award for the best Irish election poster of all time...
Okay, there's no nickname but this image and the slogan 'actions speak louder than words', make this campaign poster go down in history as the best Local Elections poster of all time.
Still one of the best Irish election posters, and his message is still relevant today.. from r/ireland
Voting will take place on Friday, May 24th, so we still have another few weeks of looking at campaign posters and unexpected knocks at the door when you sit down to relax in the evening. Who can forget the Anthony Moore Knockin' at your Door? A for effort for this year's candidates.
