'TEAM LOWRY': The Tipperary TD whose local success baffles national news editors

‘TEAM LOWRY’ and the independents

Independent Tipperary TD Michael Lowry is so popular and held in such high-regard across the county that he has managed to have his own team of councillors elected to the council.

In 2019, a total of five “Team Lowry” members - up from two in the previous council - were elected to the local authority in the Thurles, Templemore-Roscrea, Newport and Nenagh Local Electoral Areas with Deputy Lowry’s own son, Michéal Lowry, topping the poll in the Thurles Municipal District with 1,710 votes.

This time around, the candidates running as part of “Team Lowry” are: Cllr Michéal Lowry (Thurles), Cllr Shane Lee (Roscrea-Templemore), Cllr Michael O’Meara (Nenagh) and Cllr Eddie Moran (RoscreaTemplemore), all of whom are seeking re-election to Tipperary County Council, and then there’s newcomer to the team, Pamela Quirke (Newport).

Pamela joining the team comes after Newport’s John “Rocky” McGrath revealed he would not be contesting the Local Elections in June due to health reasons.

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The former councillor was first elected in 2009. Deputy Lowry - and his ability as an Independent to have a team of councillors on the local authority - is an enigma inside The Pale and in 2016 I was asked by a Dublin editor, how does Michael do it? How is he so popular?

My response was simply: “Roads, pavements, community groups and clubs and getting a loved one moved up the hospital waiting list.”

But of course, there’s much more to public representation than that, and Michael does it all so well.

Of course, it’s not just about the Lowry Independents.

The last council had sixteen in all. This time around there will be six familiar names missing from the ballot paper as they have decided not to put their names forward.

The six include three former chairmen of the local authority, Seamus Hanafin (Fianna Fáil), Michael Fitzgerald (Fine Gael) and the out-going Cathaoirleach, Ger Darcy (Fine Gael).

Tipperary Local Elections poll-topper in 2019 drops out - where does that leave everyone else?

The first of six articles from Darren Hassett on the upcoming Tipperary Local Elections

It also includes former TD Noel Coonan (Fine Gael) and councillors John “Rocky” McGrath (Team Lowry Independent) and Hughie McGrath (Independent).

Among that list of names are two outgoing Independent councillors and four established party candidates (three Fine Gael and one Fianna Fáil) .

With seventeen “Non-Party” candidates running this time around, and if the vote goes against Government parties, the Independents could maintain their strong presence on Tipperary County Council and could maybe even increase it with someone else joining the likes of Kevin O’Meara, Andy Moloney, Richie Molloy, Joe Hannigan, Michael O’Meara et al.
Although one or two Independents could miss out on a seat along the way.

Eitherway, it is finely poised.