"I FIRMLY believe that no man can hope to be truly representative of his electorate unless there is a very strong level of communication between him and them." — John O'Donoghue THIS is the opening line of John O'Donoghue's own website, yet it's exactly how he fell.

Throughout the summer the outgoing Ceann Comhairle retained a stony silence, using his apolitical office as a reason why he could not comment on lavish spending revelations, details of which were published on a weekly basis. Whether he was poorly advised or simply failed to take advice to comment early and 'nip the matter in the bud', we may never know. Yet it's precisely this failure to communicate that eventually left a vacuum for opportunists to fill.

It's all in sharp contrast to his performance at local level where there certainly was no lack of communication when it came to securing funding – particularly for south west Kerry – in his role as Minister for Arts, Sports and Tourism.

And it's all a long way from when he graduated from UCC with a promising law career ahead of him. The former solicitor was always attracted by the cut-andthrust of politics, which was in his family's blood.

His mother Mary was a longserving county councillor, his brother Paul is a current county councillor while his sister Mary O'Riordan ran for the Senate, unsuccessfully, in the 2007 elections.

From humble beginnings, he failed to win a seat in his first three general elections as a Fianna Fáil candidate. In 1981 he polled 3,780 first preference votes, in February 1982 he polled 4,977 first preferences and in November 1982 this figure rose to 7,201.

Entering Kerry County Council in 1985, he served until 1997. He was chairman of the council in 1990. Despite the increase in votes nationally it was actually a drop to 5,606 first preference votes in the 1987 general election that saw John O'Donoghue take his Dáil seat at the fourth attempt.

A general election in 1989 saw O'Donoghue poll 8,375 first preferences votes as Fianna Fáil formed a coalition with the PDs.

Charles Haughey appointed him Minister of State at the Department of Finance in November 1991 but he returned to the backbenches when Albert Reynolds became party leader and Taoiseach in February 1992.

In the November 1992 election he polled 8,263 first preferences, serving under Reynolds until the Rainbow Coalition resulting in the Cahersiveen man's nomination as justice spokesperson for the opposition, a role that saw him make a name for himself on the Dáil floor.

In 1997 he polled 7,204 first preference votes and was subsequently appointed Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform under Bertie Ahern.

In 2002, John O'Donoghue's vote rose to 9,445 and he was subsequently appointed Minister for Arts, Sport & Tourism, initiating the department's decentralisation to Killarney.

During that time, he helped fund dozens of sporting and cultural organisations in Kerry South, yet it was while in this role that expenses matters would later come back to haunt him.

On June 14, 2007, he was re-elected to the Dáil, albeit on a third count. The marginally lower vote is widely acknowledged to have upset Mr O'Donoghue personally and he readily accepted the role of Ceann Comhairle on June 14, 2007, a role that incorporates a 'safe seat' next time out.

Tuesday's resignation announcement is the first time a sitting Ceann Comhairle has resigned on grounds other than ill-health.

- KEVIN HUGHES khughes@kerryman.ie