General Election: Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher - Return of the man who never went away

When Pat ‘The Cope’ Gallagher stood in a corner of the Aura Leisure Centre on a cold February Monday in 2020, he thought his political career was over.

Decades of public service looked like they were gone when Gallagher lost his seat on the ninth count to party colleague, pipped at the end by party colleague Charlie McConalogue. 

“As of tonight, that’s the end of my political career,” Gallagher remarked that night five years ago when he missed out by only 358 votes.

However, on Sunday night at the same complex in Letterkenny, the return of the man who never went away was confirmed. 

Gallagher grabbed 10,262 first preferences - or 13.2 per cent of the overall vote, but it wasn't until the returning officer Geraldine O’Connor took to the stage to confirm Gallagher’s election at around 1.45am on the 15th count that his return was official.

“Some people thought I was planning this - but I certainly wasn’t,” Gallagher told Donegal Live. 

“I wanted to play a role in winning back this seat and I felt that I was best placed to do that. My decision has been vindicated. 

“When I said that my political career was over in 2020, I genuinely meant it at the time. I thought at the time that there might have been another election within a few weeks.

“After that election, I didn’t change my phone number and people continued to contact me. I found there was a niche there for me in the area. Whatever the issue was, I was in a position to address it. I still had no intention really of coming back to contest a General Election.”

After losing his seat, Gallagher’s phone continued to ring. People still sought him out for assistance and advice. He kept taking the calls and continued working.

As the general election loomed, Fianna Fail members began to twist the 76-year-old Gallagher’s arm about a possible return.

Gallagher’s vote rose by over 2,700 from 2020 with significant increases in Dungloe.

Gallagher showed significant increases in ballot boxes in Roisin NS, Belcruit and Acres. In most ballot boxes in his own Glenties Municipal District Gallagher’s numbers increased. 

He said: “I have been working for the people all my life.

“I am a people person. It was a great honour for me still when people in the constituency would come to me. They had confidence in me and they asked me to assist in their areas. It was a natural progression during that period.

“I got a tremendous vote in my home area. Every vote I got was as important to me. People wanted their TD back in my area and I was happy to be in the position again.

I contacted a lot of the delegates and right across the county there was a feeling that I was the best person to try and win the seat. I got an endorsement at the convention. We had a tremendous convention with 700 people at it.”

Previously, Gallagher served as a Donegal County Councillor from 1979 and was a TD from 1981 to 1997.

Gallagher returned to the Dail from 2002-09 and again from 2016-20, when he served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle, while he also had two spells as an MEP, from 1994-02 and 2009-14.

Read next: General Election: McConalogue grateful for support after ‘personalised attacks’

In September, Gallagher staved off Councillor Micheal Naughton at a Fianna Fail selection convention to get the nod to run. A huge crowd of party members gathered in the Clanree Hotel, where Gallagher won a vote, 169-96.

He said: “I had a great campaign. I had meetings in various geographic areas within the constituency and we rallied the troops. We had huge crowds at all of our meetings and we had a leader in each of the regions. 

“I am delighted to get the chance to go to the Dáil again. It’s only a change of office for me, from my little cubbyhole in Dungloe to an office in Leinster House.”