What Football Club Do The General Election Candidates Support? Dublin Central Edition | Balls.ie

It’s General Election season in Dublin and there’s just one day remaining until the country cast its votes.

Here at Balls.ie we’ve been busy getting to the bottom of the tough questions, finding out what football clubs Dublin Central’s candidates support.

So ahead of General Election 2024, we asked as many prospective candidates as possible running in Dublin Central three questions about their sporting interests. We asked the following three questions.

1. What’s your favourite football club?
2. What is your favourite Irish sporting moment?
3. What was the last sporting event you attended?

Here’s the answers we received.

Paschal Donohue (Fine Gael)

17 September 2014; Irish cricket has been given a multi-million Euro boost thanks to a 10-year sponsorship deal with Indian conglomerate Shanpoorji Pallonji Group. The multinational Indian conglomerate is investing in the future of Irish cricket and will take up naming rights for Cricket Ireland Academy which will now be known as “Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy”. In addition to holding the naming rights to the Cricket Ireland Academy, Shapoorji Pallonji will also become an official partner of Cricket Ireland. Pictured at the announcement are Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohue T.D., with Cricket Ireland Academy players Elena Tice, left, and Fiona Gill. The Pavilion, Trinity College, Dublin. Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE

1. What football club do you support? –  Spurs and Bohs
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – Johnny Sexton’s last minute drop goal against France in the 2018 Six Nations match. A stunning example of never giving up and never giving
3. Last sporting event you attended? Na Fianna- St Brigid’s GAA Girls’ Gaelic Football match a few weeks ago.

Neasa Hourigan (Green Party)

1. What football club do you support? – Manchester United, Bohemians and Dingle United.
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – Bohemians v Palestine in May. Bohs offer this great service where if you are visually impaired you can get a device to give you audio descriptions in the grounds. My daughter is registered as blind so this makes this experience available to all of us as a family and I really want her to feel that she has access to both playing sport and being a spectator.
3. Last sporting event you attended? – A hurling match for Naomh Fionnbarra in Cabra for one of the kids.

Gary Gannon (Social Democrats)

26 February 2019; Councillor Gary Gannon brings students of Luttrellstown Community College on a tour of Trinity College during the More Than A Club: Bohemians – Run The Club event at the Sports Centre, Trinity College in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

1. What football club do you support? – Shels – but it would be disingenuous of me not to say I remain weirdly obsessed with Man Utd.
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – Jason McAteer’s goal against Holland in 2001. Roy Keane’s performance. We were giants then.
3. Last sporting event you attended? – Shels against Bohs in September.

Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fáil)

13 March 2023; Mary Fitzpatrick, member of the Seanad, left, and Eimer McCormack, councillor for Cabra/Glasnevin, during the launch of Bohemian FC’s Football Social Responsibility and Community Strategy at the Mansion House in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

1. What football club do you support? – Bohemians
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – My son Jacks’s team winning the Feile Leinster Club Hurling Quarter Final with Na Fianna
3. Last sporting event you attended? – Leinster senior club hurling quarter-final with Na Fianna last Sunday.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)

1. What football club do you support? – Bohemians
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – There is too much to choose from! Seeing Katie Taylor’s semi-final fight in London in 2012. Kellie Harrington’s first Olympic gold win in 2021 and so much of Sonia O’Sullivan’s career.
3. Last sporting event you attended? –  Dublin senior hurling club championship final; Na Fianna vs Kilmacud Crokes

Janice Boylan (Sinn Féin)

1. What football club do you support? – I don’t follow football but as a Northsider I do support Bohs and the under 11’s girls team from Montpelier Football Club. I love GAA and boxing as well.
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – One of my favourite sporting moments was when Stephen Cluxton scored the winning point in the all-Ireland Final 2011 against Kerry. Another was the 2022 Madison Square Garden boxing fight where Katie Taylor won against Amanda Serrano.
3. Last sporting event you attended? – The last sporting event I attended was the under 11’s home match in Grange Gorman 06/10/2024. They won 4-1.

Malachy Steenson (Independent)

14 July 2023; Community Director Malachy Steenson speaking during the official opening ceremony of the National Handball & Croke Park Community Centre at Sackville Avenue in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

1. What football club do you support? – Dublin.
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – Kellie Harrington winning her 1^st Gold closely followed by her winning her 2^nd.
3. Last sporting event you attended? – Local MMA fighter Dylan Tuke’s exhibition fight in the Point.

Ian Smyth (Aontú)

1. What football club do you support? – Bohemians
2. Favourite Irish sporting moment? – Drop goal by Johnny Sexton to beat France.
3. Last sporting event you attended? – All-Ireland Final Armagh v Galway. I am also a gaelic football ref in Dublin at minor and Junior level.

(Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, Independent’s Gerry Hutch or Eoghan Ó Cennabhain of People Before Profit could not be reached for a contribution to this piece. If they’d like to submit answers to the three questions, they can email thegaffer@balls.ie)

SEE ALSO: What Football Club Do The General Election Candidates Support? Kerry Constituency Edition