The new chairman and vice-chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party have more in common than membership of Dail Eireann. New chairman Padraig McCormack and Vicechairman Louis J. Belton are childhood friends who were in the same class at school in Co Longford. Both were elected unopposed to their new positions recently. They were elected to Dail Eireann on the same day in 1989, Mr Belton representing the former Longford West meath constituency, and Mr McCormack representing Galway West.
Having grown up near Kenagh, Co Longford, the men joined the local GAA and both became delegates to the GAA county board. Like something out of a Jeffrey Archer novel, their career paths continued on parallel lines with the move into Fine Gael and the Dail. Unlike the characters in the celebrated Archer novel First Among Equals, however, political and ideological differences did not separate the two men.
Having represented Longford Westmeath from 1989 to 1992, Mr Belton lost out in the reorganisation of that constituency and was a senator between 1992 and 1997. He was his party's Seanad spokesman on defence and the marine. He was returned to the Dail in 1997 and is a Fine Gael representative on the Oireachtas Committee on Finance and Public Service. He is also deputy spokesman on enterprise, trade and employment.
His membership of local authority bodies includes membership of Longford County Council since 1979, and the General Council of County Councils since 1985.
Mr McCormack, formerly a livestock auctioneer, was Fine Gael junior spokesman on defence, peacekeeping and humanitarian relief from June of last year until last month. He was first elected to Galway County Council in 1974 and Galway Corporation in 1985. Like his colleague, he has served on the General Council of County Councils.