The Curious Case of Sean Gallagher & The Missing €3

From time to time the blog has offered suggestions to the power in Ireland. Sometimes they are even taken up. You all remember the Curious Case of the Fuel Allowance.

Last weekend seen the re-emergence of Sean Gallagher into the public domain after his loss to President Higgins in the race for the Áras last year.
The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland recently upheld a complaint made by the ex-Fianna Fáil runner over the bogus tweet that came to light during the infamous Frontline debate when Gallagher said he may have picked up 'an envelope' from a former fuel smuggler. The tweet may have been bogus - but it was his own admittance that proved to be his downfall.
Over the weekend a member of the audience on the Frontline that evening suggested that he was schooled by RTE researchers into the questions he should pose to Gallagher on the night.
I smelled a whiff of compo in the air.

Passing time like the unemployed do - I went seeking a source for the people who funded Gallagher's run for presidency. I believe under Irish law this information has to be passed into the public domain at some stage. After a half-an-hour I was having no luck. I'm sure it will appear at some stage.

Then I stumbled across this site.



'Ooh,' I said. 'That's strange. I didn't think that would be live still.'

So i took a look around. Some of the links were failing to load. But the main page - it was alive and well.

'Surely not,' I thought, focusing in on the main page. After a wrestle with the financial end of things, I decided to part with some cash. I hit the Make A Donation Using Paypal button.
Hey, the election ended nearly six months ago. I surely wouldn't lose my wad.

Five minutes later my fears proved founded and I was down the sum total of €3. Confirmation emails accepting the massive donation from PayPal entered my inbox.

Not to worry, I thought. It's just a minor oversight. I mean, the chap had just lost nearly 300k a year for seven years - with the option of another seven - as well as a guaranteed bestseller - How a B-celebrity rose to become the President of Ireland.
It only seemed fair of me to assume that he had left the public stage in a hurry after he lost, and who could blame him? I mean shutting down your online donation porthole would be the last thing on any one's mind - assuming of course it's his.

I expected to be contacted about the mistake.
Three days later.
Waiting...
I'd have brought it to the attention of Team Gallagher, but like I said, links for contact and the such aren't loading from the site. The only part of it that works is the donate page.

Oh well, it doesn't matter. He can pass it on to charity or one of his Youth groups. In the great grand scheme of things, it's a tiny sum of money.
It's not like Booker has anyone to blame this time. Nobody forced me to donate to a campaign that has been over for nearly six months now. I mean that was just stupid. It's why I write this blog in an attic in a council estate and not from the lush shoreline of Lake Como.

Anyway, it's not like us here in Ireland aren't used to having money taken from us. On the world stage, it's part of what makes us famous.

Happy Paddy's weekend!